The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1899-01-21
AN OLD INDIAN FIGHTER.
Uncle Jack Farley, of California
Has One Hundred REDSKINS
On His Record.

past. With the tanning ana tne tHih-
ring out of the Indian his occupation
has vanished, and if you discover one
to-day he is either a very old man or
else a very untruthful one, especially
in California, where the hostile saw
age has not been seen in many years.
One of the few authenticated Indian
fighters of California is Jackson Farley,
commonly known as Uncle Jack" who
lives on his ranch high up in the noun
tains of Mendocino county.
Uncle Jack has passed his ninety
second birthday, and will modestly adj
NIT the killing of 100 Indians. Only he
will not say that he killed" them;
stopped is his favorite expression
an expression. by the way. that orig
mated with him in the early sos and
subsequently became official
lar among scouts and cattlemen.
Between the years 1919 and 1865 Uncle
Jack was engaged in almost constant
warfare with the Indians of Mendo-
cino, Trinity and Humboldt counties.
lie came to California from Virginia
with the early settlers in search of adj
venture and fortune, and in search of
revenge, too, for during the journey
across the plains his best friend died
from an arrow. and Uncle Jack fell
easily into the then commo belief
that the only good Indian was a dead
one.
Trophies galore of the balance of
chat hlpolx- iOurra.- h. Shau-aJ 90 tho
Call reporter. Scalps by the dozen.
chairs bottomed with Indian hide, ra-
Zor strops of the same grewsome ma
%tcrial, and countless bows, arrows,
tomahawks and firearms.
With neither wife nor child, only the
~comradeship of Il big mastiff, Uncle
Jack arrived here in 1S40 and settled
down to the business of stock raising
on the lonely mountain ranges of Men
docino.
From 1850 to 1856 there were no In
dian agencies established, and the adj
ven of a white man was an invitation
to the treacherous instincts of the In
dian. Murder, arson and cattle and
horse stealing RAJ riot.
Farley went out one morning to in
spect his stock and found that 25 horses
and 100 head of cattle had been stolen
and hat his favorite saddle horse had
been killed and mutiiated, its name and
tale hanging defiantly on the gate posts
of the corral.
Uncle Jack FASTENED back to his
cabin, where he secured extra ammuni-
tiOn and another brace of s~ixshooters.
Three friendly prospectors with an x
ira horse were in the neighborhood,
and they and Uncle Jack set forth in
pursuit of the thieves. Reaching a deep
canyon where one of the Eel river trib-
utaries came cascading down the mou
tain, they were about to water their
horses when they were struck by the
peculiar color of the water. 1t was
blood red.
This was enough to tell Uncle Jack
hat the Indians were butchering his
cattle up the river and washing the
carcasses in the stream.
In a flash he and his companions
were riding up the trail, where they
SpOu inet Il SHOWER Oh ARROWS. his wa
in the day of the muzzle-loading rife,
and every one OF the return shots had
to tell.
Uncle Jack and his friends dismount-
ed and broke for cover. In the shelter
of trees and bushes they poured a slow
deadly fire on the attacking red men.
As fast as the savages could reorganize
and surround the rifles of the white
men they would cut gaps in the savage
circle. Time after time the Indians
were repulsed. and finally. after five
hours of bitter fighting, their supply of
arrows gave out and they beat a re-
treat.
Uncle Jack recovered only a remnant
of his band of cattle and none of the
horses, but exactly 40 Indians, good
and dead" marked the quantity of his
vengeance. This was one OF Uncle
Jacks most successful days. 1t soon
became historic and was instrumental
in securing him a government scout
ship when the first Indian post was es-
tablished in 1S56.-San francisco Call.
Jungle MusbrOems.
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