Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-04-10

ering from his wound Captain Eagan
laughingly called, me Calamity Jane,
the heroine Of the plains and the name
has stuck to me through life"
Mrs Burk was born in Princeton,
Mo-, in 1852. Her father. j. CANARY
was lured to Montana in 1865 by the
hope of striking 1t rich"iin the new
gold fields. During the five months
trip overland Martha became an expert
rifle shot aud daring rider. Shortly
after the family reached Montana the
mother died, and the father, being dis.
appointed, decided to return to Mis-
souri,. AT Salt Lake City lie too died.
leaving four younger children to the
care of Martha, then but Is years old.
Employment was found for her at Fort
Bridge, Wyo., and she continued to ride
and shoot until her reputation became
widespread.
Her association with the soldiers
filled her with longing to go on the
warpath against the Indians, and when
General Custer was ordered IN 1870 to
make campaign against the Apaches
in Arizona she decided to put desper-I
ate plan into execution. She put on the
suit of cowboy, clipped little off the
end of her hair. rode to Fort Russell,
Wyo., and boldly asked to be engaged
as scout. She was accepted and,
though her sex was soon discovered,
General Custer let her off with scold-
ing. She pleaded to be retained, and,
as she had proved her ability, she was
retained in the service and continued
to wear mans clothing.
1t was thrilling campaign, in which
she performed number of daring mis-
sions and had several narrow escapes.
Only once did she despair of her life.
She had been trapped by two Indians,
but her workmanship enabled her to
kill one of them and escape. From the
Apache campaign she went back to
Wyoming to join the expedition under
Custer, Miles and Crook. She fought in
the campaign against the Nez Pcrces
in 1873. and was in various minor en-
gagements in Montana and Wyoming
during the following year. She accom-
panied General Crook as scout in
1875 In the expedition to the Black
Hills to protect the miners and settlers
from the threatening Sioux.
The Inflated year 1876 found the fe-
male soldier with Custer, Miles and
Terry in the Big Horn country in north
ern Wyoming, where the Indians were
creating trouble. 1t was in this cam
paign that Calamity Jane" performed
a perilous feat Of carrying dispatches
through hostile country. The season
was cold and wet and she had to ford
the Platte River near Fort Fetterman.
The exposure brought on pneumonia.
She was granted an indefinite furlougll,
!! which may have served her life, for a
few months later occurred the Custer
massacre.
Her next employment was as United
States mail carrier on the dangerous
route between Deadwood and Custer.
1t was during this period that William
Hickok ("Wild Bill'D was assassinated
by Jack Mccall, notorious desperate.
Calamity Jane" Joined the posse in
pursuit of the murderer, and when he
was cornered in a butcher shop she
brought him to bay with cleaver. Her
love for army life took her back into
the service, and she was assigned to
the Seventh Cavalry. She helped to
build Fort Mead. s. D., and in 1878 was
honorably discharged. kesuming petit
coats. she settled on ranch near Miles
| City, Mont, but has since wandered
about from place to place in the West
In 1884 she married Clinton Burk at ii
Paso. by whom she had a daughter In
1886 The husband died In 1905.