The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-19
WAS KIT CARSON'S MATE
MAI. DRANNAN LAST OF THE OLD
SCOUTS AND INDIAN FIGHTERS.
How He Captured Captain Jack and
Saw General Candy TreacherOusIy
SIain-His First RedsIxin Scalp.
Chicago Inter Ocean.

Major William L. Drannan, known to
plainsmen as Young Kit Carson" is in
Chicago. He is the last of the famous In
dian scouts, and the last of the hunters and
trappers common in the Rocky mountains
fifty years ago. Major Drannan is the
genuine article He is an Indian scout with
no more frills in his makeup than his innate
| love of the picturesque demands. 1.-the and
agile and brown, six feet two inches in his
socks, he looks like fighter of redskins
copied in life from a Kit Carson romance.
| Colonel Cody is more spectacular but less
picturesque and true to life. Major Dram.
nan is every inch an Indian scout to-day,
He has not, like Colonel Cody, grown civil
lied and fat. He eats bear meat and drinks
water and sleeps on an elkskin bed. Major
Drannan is not afraid of Chicago. He car
ries a knife with which he has scalped
thirty-five Indians after killing them in fair
fights. and he does not know what fear feels
like. He squares his broad shoulders and
tackles State street and its crowds anew
every day. Still, he admits that it IS all
very queer.
"a Teller can't fight what worrits him
here" says the major sorrowfully. He
feels kind O. hedged in, and kind o like
there wasn't no freedom, but he can't draw
a bead on the man that's restrainin' him.
Nobody pears to be afeerd O. gettin' shot,
but everybody pears to be afeerd O. gettin'
laughed at"
And so the major is going back on scout
duty among the Nez Perez Indians in Idaho.
lie holds up his proud old head and stalks
about like tribal chief. and his bue-black
eyes look like the eyes of a wild creature
caught in net. 1t was Major Drannan
who captured Captain Jack, the chief of the
Modocs, in 1873, and put an end to the Mo-
doc war The conflict between the United
States troops and the Modoc Indians broke
out during one of Major Drannans periodi-
cal attempts to "settle down" and farm.
Couriers dashed up to his ranch, their
horses covered with foam, and brought the
news that Captain Jack and his Modocs
had gone on the war path.
NUMBERING THE WHITES
II always sympathized with Captain
jack" says the major, because he was at
tackled first without any provocation. He
and his people were catching fish in Lost
river, to keep the squaws and children from
starving, when a body of troops led by a
hot-headed officer, fired on them"
The whole settlement was soon in a state
of great excitement The Indians killed all
the defenseless ranchers they could and
then fled to the lava beds of Idaho and in
trenched themselves in cave. Somebody
had to ride to Jacksonville, a hundred miles
away, and warn the town and bring re-
Inducements to the regular troops. Nobody
cared to undertake it. Major Drannan sad
died Black Bess and started at shutdown.
All night long the sharp eyes of the scout
and the sagacious nose of his pet mare
picked out the trail as unerringly as a
bloodhound. Before sunrise the major rode
into Jacksonville, and told the sheriff to
gather strong posse, as Captain Jack was
on the war path and numbering settlers by
the score General Wheaton, in command
OF the regular army forces stationed at
Linkville. sent for Major Drannan.
"Drannan," he said, I'VE haven't got
practical scout in the entire command 1
want you to start in at once and organize
scouting force to suit yourself
I'll let you know by o'clock in the morn
Ing. general Is the way Drannan tells the
erals tent mounted on Black Bess and ready
to go to work Indian hunting again We had
to scout strip of country about forty
Captain Jack and his men were entrenched
In the lava beds for the officers feared an
dian showed his head Their stronghold
was nothing more than a big cave in the
lava rock, but it was absolutely secure.
There was only one place to get in, a mar
row passage, but there were numerous rifle
holes on the east and south Sides One day
General Wheaton said to me:
'Drannan, I'm going to take Captain
Jack by storm. What do you think of ito"
said, general, you'll never take Capt.
Jack so long as his ammunition lasts, for
he has the same kind Of guns that you have
and all that the Indians have to do is to
stand there and shoot your men as fast as
they come
General Wheaton went ahead, however.
and the whole command, backed by howit-
Zers, turned loose on Jack for three days.
sixty soldiers were killed, but the Indians
aid not appear to have been singed Gen.
Candy then took command
oil lie mo OH Tor
had siXty-three warriors in that fight said
General Candy to General Wheaton"
" Yes, replied Wheaton.
" And you had 100 said Candy, and
you got whipped. There must have been
bad management somehow And then
General Candy tried taking Captain Jack
by storm himself and lost one hundred men"
conference was then arranged between
General Candy, his chaplain, Colonel Thorn
without arms. Before 1t was held Major
Drannan went to Colonel Miller, Canby's
aid, and said:
Colonel if the general ever goes to that
council with Captain Jack he will never
come out alive"
MURDER OF GENERAL CANDY.
The major repeated his warnings again
and again, but Chaplain Thomas said 1.-The
Lord will protect u.s." and General Candy
laughed at the idea of treachery
Il determined that I would see that coun-
Gill;" says Major Drannan, because it
seemed to me they were showing absolute
ignorance of Indian nature, and felt sure
Jack meant no good"
Major Drannan and a trusty scout in the
company crept out on a bluff over the can
yon and waited all night before the date of
the historical meeting. At O'Clock that
morning the fog lifted on a beautiful day
and the scouts trained their eyes toward
the glade, a half mile in front of Jacks
stronghold, where the meeting was to take
place. 1t was over a mile from the army
camp, and had been selected by the Mo-
docs themselves.
I could see Jack and another Indian
waiting" says Drarnan. Pretty soon
looking through my field glass, / saw Gen
Candy Colonel Thomas, George Meacham
and his squaw coming through little open-
ing in the trees. They tied their horses and
walked slowly across the open, in the direc-
ton where Captain Jack was standing Ev-
cry few steps General Candy would look
back. apparently to see if he was being fol-
lowed. They shook hands with Captain
Jack. The Indian chief dropped his blanket
from his shoulders to the ground and sud
denly turned and picked it up. This was the
signal for attack. There was a roar and
a smoke instantly from all the rocks around.
General Candy fell in his tracks. Colonel
Thomas ran ten stems and tumbIed forward
as did George Meacham. Meacham's squaw
only escaped"
After that more attention was paid to the
advice of the chief scout. Major Drannan
had the cave surrounded by double ring
Of mo TrRI