The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-02
TRAGEDY OF AFRAID EYES.
A RRAVE MAN VINO WAS A DERE-
LICT OF THE FRONTIER.
Tho Fight, Single-Handed, with Indians
That Gave BriDy standing In the Com
munity-Fate of the Woman Who Caused
Hia Death and of the Murderer.

That Gave Briny standing In the Com
munity-Fate of the Woman Who Caused
His Death and of the Murderer.
KIPr. Mon, March 2l.-None Of us ever
knew where ne zane from or anything OF his
past. he lust drifted In among us as a log is left
by the receding current on q sandy bar. There
he was. and no questions were asked, for in
those days IL wasn't considered good form to
be inGuisitive. Some men didn't care 10 have
their antecedents particularly inquired into.
and one who persisted in looking up the rec
ord OF people he met sooner or later found
himself looking into something different
the muzzle Of n six-shooter.
He had evidently come from some mining
country out onto the plains. for we noticed
that one OF his pack horses carried n pick.
shovel and goldpan. and other implements OF
the prospector. But he wasn't broke like the
majority Of those wanderers OF the earth. for
he carried a little sack of gold coin. and after
sitting around the saloons n few days. listening
to the boys and getting the lay Of the land. he
purchased a wagon and trading outfit OF the
company and became IN Indian trader on a
small scale. On the company's books his name
appeared as Obrien Osborne. Perhaps 1t was
his right name and perhaps 1t wasn't. The
boys called him Briny. lie was a thin. round
shouldered man Of medium height. black
haired and black bearded. He had very ne
l 'ultut y VIZ "tlCu VNp Owl ttIlhu u
bushy eyebrows and had an appealing. suppl
eating expression in their gray depths like that
seen In certain tlmid animals at bay. The In
dians. quick to note any little popularity OF a
man. named him Ko- pop inc: Afraid Eyes.
When Briny came into the fort with a load
OF furs he would at once buy n new outfit OF
trade goods and then spend his surplus capital
among the boys. Drinks In those days cost
% cents each. beer 81 a bottle, and assisted
-, 49, .-.-l L IL L. -I-.,,o A-IAl 10 lrt-lr
when he did. the few hundred dollars he made
on a trip disappeared like snow before a CHI
monk wind. The last dollar expended. he
would hit h up his team and drive out over
the great plains to the Indian camp. wher-
ever It might Relocated at the time. to trade
for another load'of robes and furs.
Briny was always so quiet and apparently OF
40 timid a nature that the boys used to make
fun OF him, and speak to.him in that half-con-
temrtuous. half patronizing way. in which
rough men will address one whom they con-
slider their inferior mentally and physically.
But II ever these men made n mistake they
made 1t when they sized Briny IN the way they
did. When they found out their error. how
ever. they acknowledged their fault and from
that time on treated him like the man he was
up to the hour of his untimely death.
One winter Briny made a successful trade
with the Piegan Indians. who were hunting
and camping along the Missouri River ia the
vicinity OF Cow Island. The ice being very
thick and strong. he concluded to drive up tho
river with his load OF furs to the fort. instead
OF travelling over the cold. barren prairie where
neither wood nor shelter was to be found. In
those times men not inaptly called wood
hawks were strung along the river at conven-
lent polnts-Renerally the foot Of a long rapid
and made q livelihood by selling fuel to tho
steamers which piled up and down the stream
during the high water of spring and early sum-
mer. The Woodlands were a rough. brave set
OF men and their occupation hazardous in the
extreme. for they were constantly exposed to
the attacks Of war parties from the surround
ing tribes. especially the Sioux. Assiniboins.
Cheyennes and Crees. Wood cost $50 a cord
and more. and where money is to he made men
are always to be found to make It. regardless
OF the risks involved. 1t was a very common
and find the owners scalped and dead by tho
smouldering ruins OF their cabin, Travelling
of a couple Of aeauaintances one afternoon and
camned with them for the night. The wood
soul had they met since the preceding summer.
Moreover. .Briny had been at tha fort two
Pt 81 n ssisr' Il and @as s7 lsts w Siys then tse9 n 4ssirsd T.
at.Sr ts ed1t III fro a se &c nd w sHpr srs Of buffalo ribs
The woodlands arose at an early hour the
until breakfast should be really. One OF the
men went TO the river for a tail Of water while
the other began to chop some s~rlinters from a
dry log some fifty yards from the cabin with
light OF dawn. or perhaps some time during
the night. 2 war party Of six or seven Assini;
laid plans to XIII its OCCUPANTS without any
risk to themselves Choosing places In tho
ceaIed and patiently waited for the men to ap.
pear, Everything happened as they wished;
t Mse otb Sne th 10, ths 9 fSsy F opsnsI a f9s r nps p sH%
Joe Hines fell Gend on the i:e.
Bri9y was aroused by the shooting; and
Just In time to zee three Assiniboins rushing
toward the otner woodhawk, Arnold. whose
ond or. two more they, would have been upon
the unfortunate man; but before they realized
cabin; Briny then ran down the path toward
about poor Hines. whom they we're nroceed;
ing 10 scalp and dismemher. Two of them fell
' TT Has f The s osnsr aq aao ,ns F Tus p ran across Sne 81 f4 sSd iGs
reached j.. Tor q, the fourth shot Briny man.
a a sslI fG nit y taf o' 9SF f anS he su hoM ,nH Hnsr m wi's
1ndiaMi mishs re concealed in the Ernsh or in
Arnold was living and packed him into the
cabin. Ha knew Hines was dead. and that
there was no use ip riskinF a shot from tho
Arnold. into a bunk, stanched the fiow Of blood
broken limb. He next proceeded to Knock the
mud hinking out on the three sides OF the cabin
Wiclc tIclo was IO uDoT UT NlHuoN W. anu from
the small openings there made watched care
fully for any signs OF the enemy. Hours
passed. and no one was to be seen: not q sound
was to be heard. Arnold. In grent pain and
grieving oyer the death Of his partner, smoke
not a word. and merely shook his head when
Briny. asked every few minutes II he could do
anything for him.
1t was about noon when they heard in the d-
rection Of the river a faint wailing. Quavering
chant which gradually increased in volume and
then died away.
What's that. do you s'posef" Briny asked.
It's one o them tellers you shot out on the
ice singin' his death song" replied Arnold. VINO
was better versed In Indian WAYS.
Then his paIdners must a lit out and left
him. said Bripv. ANYHOW, ! cant stand this
any longer. I've got TO 90 out and see il the
rest really are gone"
Yes. GO" Arnold urged. and nut n ball
through hat crittrr, so't lie won't yowl any
more. But first give me my gun. SO | can feel
a little safe while you're gone"
Briny slid out III the door and made n short
detour to where he could plainly see the first
two Indians he dIorned. B3Nh, were lying on
their backs, arms outStTetched. having died
without a struggle. He went down tIr Inth