Omaha daily bee., 1898-06-19

OF presents we're taken by the commission,
which consisted OF Governor Hunt and six
teen men. The pow-w ow1took place on the
reservation. Colorow.who was a young
buck then, tried to Induce the bucks to
massacre the commissioners and steal the
presents. He advanced at the head OF about
800 bucks in war paint and circled around
the camp, h~aranguine the men on to the
work. The situation was critical. Baker
was the only cool man In the crowd. He
persuaded Jock, an Indian who had greater
influence than Color6w. to prevent the
plans, and the commission finished its work
in safety. 1qq1
In 1869 Baker had the side of his face torn
of by the explosion Of a rife. Many differ
ent versions of the affair have been pub
lished. The correct one has rarely been
told. In an Indian camp about twenty miles
from Denver the agent had distributed a
lot Of rifles and cartridges. Baker sue
ceeded in getting hold of one. AS he tried
to FIRE 1t the cartridges in the stock ex-
ploded and blew 1t into pieces. one-half
OF Bakers face was torn to pieces and his
right Jaw hung by a thread. Without a
complaint, and all the time conscious, he
stood the ride OF twenty miles TO Denver,
where DR.. Strobe fixed UP the Jaw by the
use Of hardwood pins and sewed 1t UP.
Three months afterward Baker had entirely
recovered, but he carried a bad scar to the
end OF his days.
Baker was a close friend of Bill Will
liams. Williams was the first white man
in this part Of the country. He came west
in 1S0s, one year before Kit Carson was
born. Williams, in 1S4S, gave a Hawkins
rife to Ignacio. Afterward he incurred the
Indians wrath and in 1S49 Ignacio shot
him with the same rife.
Killing Grizzlies with n Knife.
Bakers love for free life and the excite
ment Of fighting and hunting was I'M
bounded. On one occasion he killed two full
grown grizzly cubs with a hunting knife,
while his rife lay unused on the ground. A
companion and himself saw the two cubs
as they were passing up the side OF a noun
tain. Baker proposed that each OF them
should kill one Of the cubs will a hunt
ing knife alone. because 1t would be a great
thing to tell about afterward." Putting aside
their guns the two hunters attacked. Baker
killed his cub and went to the rescue Of his
friend, who was hard pressed and yelling
for help. AS soon as Baker went to his as
~sistance the other man ran away, Baker
killed the second cub.
If Baker had one incurable failing it was
gambling, and he always lost. On one occa-
49, ''NN e"a e>Sh AaSae'
in gathering q large stock of ,furs, he made
up his mind to return to the states, buy q
farm and settle Town for life. On reaching
a rendezvous where many of his kline were
assembled he was coaxed into a game OF
Spanish monte and lost all he possessed
The value of his peltries was about $4,000
He then went back to the mountains, where
he remained to the time of his death.
During the first Festival of Mountain ant
Plain in Denver, three years ago, Baker
came to Denver and rode in the parade
That was his last visit to civilization. HI
was well pleased with the treatment he re.
ceived, but said that there was too mucf
civilization and tomfoolery' to suit him.
Baker belonged to a generation that ha!
almost passed away and a few more years
will take the remaining members of that lit
tie band Of men who tramped the wilderness
ahead Of civilization