The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1901-02-09
Continued from LIST page.)
Not A Good Smalitan.

r.aEEN ISo rH-.
Not A Good Smalitan.
Boston common. l: is not the object Of
this sketch to treat on Van Solen phren-
o~;ogically or to trend OH the Harcourt
murder trial which was one Of the most
sensational of its kind in Minnesota's
early day history; but shall confine our
selves toa very small compass-Fort Blu
ford and vicinity--where this misnamei
good Samaritan" was landed from the
Farragat, and where he spent q part Of
an unpronising career.
In the summer Of 187O,--as during the
four previous years, FortsBuford's out
posts amt the haying parties were sur
priseh and attacked by occasional war
parties from Sitting Bulls camp. In
June Of 20 the contractor lost q small
train Of cattle by capture, so that when
the writer appeared there a few days At
ter he was Immediately offered the dan
gerous position Of night guard for cattle
in train with doubled wages for the same.
Previous experience in the same line the
year 80 at GrandRivcr agency and on the
Platte river at an earlier date ! was eDa-
blcd to Jump in" along familiar lines.
Our camp was moveablc but were usually
in the first hay point below the fort. This
was near q buffalo and Indian crossing,
and dangerously interesting. Buffalo
and elk could BE- heard at all hours on
still nights and the whole moving pic
ture", carried a weirdnes that seemed Of
itself strangely inticing. My usual good
luck with Indians followed. sothat when
a u. S. marshal broke the monotony by
ipsistence III accompanying him a. .
witness in the Bucktail trial at YaDkton,
the herd was turned over to my success
sor with every hoof accounted for. This
successor was Joe Lambert 4 Red River
breed of genteel manners and ingaging
ways. l showed him my position for the
night watch, and told IT guard methods
by which / had been eminently success
full in the Indian country. In the events
which followed. l have often wondered it
in looking up in tho clear and starry sky,
as I had done, and watch the great dipler
and butchers cieayer as they turned their
somersanlt in airy space~-that if poor
Joe Lambert could have read the stars,
instead Of the cracking twig OF swish Il
arrow from the taut bow OF painted In
dian bringing fear joy would haye come.
When in that silent yigel casting
his dreamy eyes down the dark lines Ot
the great Missouri and saw the glimmer-
ing lights from a small steamers quar-
ter deck and pilot house. he should have
shuddcred, even though the morning
breeze blew 50 warmly and gently. When
lie heard the dull thudding sounds OF the
distant paddle wheels and the heavy
hcaving escaping steam he should have
trembled,-~even though neither eyes OF
watching or cars Of alert, could peer
through the awful gloom about to en-
viron and cnsllrOud him. When the
bright steamboat lights drew nearer
when the sounds grew londer--when the
gray dawn grew paler and clearer and
the outlines Of the steamer came in plain
view, and big letters on painted sides
traced its name--ADMIRAL FARRIGAT'
this poor guard Of the night from his
perch on tho river bank should have
prayed to his I'd to save him from that
evil one in human fornf then s%lulnbeyine
at ease in u cabin bunk and dubbed by
its unsophisticated captain--the good
samaritan"
Less than a year from discharge OF the
Farragut's cargo OH Bnford's picr,Joseph
Lambert felt the coil Of tho serpent
Later yet hs st pol by a wrecked home
by a grave that contained his youngest
child put to its eternal sleep on the eve
of departure of the deludsd and Devil
dered mother and faithlsss wife taking
her leave Of a once happy home to follow
the rolling rivers course for hundreds Of
miles in q mud lined skiff. as consort te
tho Farragat's good samaritan"
To-day near the upper Nuddy's banks
at the edge of . willow grove lie some
Of the scattered bones Of Joseph Lambert
his truant wife and their thres children
The bones of another son lie deep down
in bed Of the mighty river that nsvel
gives up its dead. In the Huskie camp
Of the river Gros vsntrss at Shell creek
s.alks the last living. representative Of
this Lambert tree. Deaf and dumb
with . brain of mist--this unfortunate
creature haunts the cabins In SPECTRAL
form, and who bears the uhmistakable
linaments Of the Van Solen faca.
The Junier League have de-
|cided to celebrate Washing
TOMS birthday, Friday Feb.