El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-01
Told By the Noted Pioneer
and Inimitab!e Story Tell
er. Colonel George Wythe
Baylor, Especially For the
lei PasO Daily Herald.


These words aroused me from
study over some Of Paul Morphys
chess games being played In Europe
about 1S57-5S. and were uttered by my
very dear friend and ''pard." Benny
Josselyn. of Boston. who was feeding
our little four stamp quartz mill near
cid Peter Carrots store on Green Horn
>.uIch. Tulare county. California. This
Eulch by the way. got its name from
the writer's company. consisting Of
Zeke Calhoun. Moses kirkpatrick. and
the writer. and was intended as a del
icate compliment to three tenderfeet.
There never was a. time. night or
day. that I was not ready to go hunt
ing or fishing. so readily answered.
Certainly. Ben: I know exactly where
I can kill an old buck. not a mile from
here. and II you hear me shoot and yell
come out and bring the pack mule.
down on the ridge north OF old Hams
hay camp"
IL was getting late and our supply of
water was very limited for running the
battery. SO I knew Ben would be on
the quivive for the sound OF my rifle
ned and beans a few days. fat. juicy
venison is very fetching.
1 shouldered my Hawkins rifle. 1t
was one Col Henry d. Becquette of
Frisco had loaned me and that he had
purchased in St. Louis. Mo-. and
hrnrr
he told me was the finest shooting gun
he had ever seen, and / could back his
word. for at one hundred and fifty
yards ii was dead medicine" in min
er parlance. That was considered a
long shot in those days; if we had used
hausers all our meat would have been
tainted. because it would have spoiled
before We could have gotten to it and
butchered it. | rejoice with exceeding
great joy, that long range magazine
guns were not invented at that time
or there would not have been any
yank' or rebel soldiers left, and the
women would have had to settle terms
OF peace. and a hair pulling would still
be going on.
Leaving our mill I went up the val
ley IL was located in, and turned to
the west and along a ridge that made
on towards the foot hills and TuIare
plains. Getting on this ridge the scene
vas so lovely I stopped and sat down
on boulder to drink IL all in. The
sun was near the top of the mountains
of the coast hill range. Down far he
low me was the beautiful plain. Kern
river. like a silver thread. wound
through il and entered the lake of
that name on to the right was Tulare
lake. shining like a great mirror the
dark woods. where Tule river made
down to the take and the Caubillas
where the little Village OF visaIia stood.
These. with the lovely golden sunset
formed picture to set poet or painter
Wild Far to the northwest Mounr
Diablo raised its lofty head. and in
my minds eye I saw Rincon I'm dear
Frisco and a sweet little maid and
being in sentimental mood. SOFTLY
hummed:
Her brow is like the snow drift.
Her throat is like the swan.
Her face IL Is the fairest
That ere the sun shone on
She's a the world to me
And dark blue is ner e'e
And for bonny Anniessss.>s
Hello, was my mental exclamation.
as | caught sight of some dark obtect
moving in the chapparal on the left of
the ridge. for it might have been a
buck and then again IL might have been
Old Buster. a noted grizzly bear tina,
owned and roamed in that part of the
diggings.
Whenever Charley WerIein. or old
Ham, or any of the pack trains met
him promenadins down the trail. thew
very obligingly turned OF and CAV.
him a wide berth. l was not very any
ious therefore to see him. but in a mo-
meut more a magnificent black tail
buck came into full view. walking ma
Jesttcally up to the trail made BY bear
and deer on the ridge
When he stopped he turned his head
and took a long look at me. making a
beautiful picture with his dark winter
suit and wide spreading antIers. re-
calling Sir Joshua Reynolds's stag at
bay" He seemed a little dubious"
about me. but as had on q grey min
er's shirt and hat and pants to match