The Sunday globe., 1901-07-21
A LIFE WRECKED.
The Romance and Adventures OF
Trapper and Soldier.
ADVENTURES, FIGHTS, FORAYS.
Nov Living the Life OF Hermit for tho Woman
He Married Long Ago Deceived Hlm-SOme
Of His Tales Narrated 10 Our Correspondent
Read Like Dime Novel Stories Of Indian
Life.
Special correspondence sunday Globe
St. Pam. July 10. 1901.

Within the shadow Of the walls of
the Soldiers Home there is a curious
structure. 1t can not be called a house,
and yet it is the home Of man whose
history has been for years a mystery
to the residents of the Minnehaha Falls
district. He is referred to as the her
nit His name is Mr.. William II. Her.
rick. 1t is known that he is an old
soldier, and this fact only causes ad-
ditional wonderment when it is learn
ed that he is content to reside in a
sod hut in preference to being an in
mate of the home provided for the vet
Grams.
His solitary mode of living was
brought about, so he says, by deceit
praCtised on him by woman. This
veteran of the Civil War, Indian fight
er and trapper early in life loved a
woman. He believed her to be all that
good women are. Beautiful in form
and feature, she won his strong affec-
ton. They were married, and a short
time afterwards Mr.. Herrick discover
Gu AE luu mai lNA ihONAlCl Auclu " 4lNs
A separation followed; Mr.. HeTrick
Joined an expedition to the Black Hills,
and after years Of adventure finally
selected beautiful Minnehaha as his
home, He erected a sod hut, and be-
came known as a hermit.
He states he was born in OswegO, n.
Y, in 1S4S, and when six years Of age
came West. His father, dying three
years later, and his mother marrying
the second time, he was compelled, ow-
ing to the harshness Of his stepfather,
to leave home when II years old, He
offered his services as a volunteer in
the War of the Rebellion, at the close
of which he was sent to fight Indians
on the plains
During those years adventure fol-
lowed adventure, many Of them Of such
nature that escape from death appear
ed to be miraculous. 1t was during
one of such a character that Mr.. Her.
rick met Kit Carson, for whose mem
ory he has the kindest words to offer.
Speaking of this meeting, he said:
1T was on Pawnee Creek, Kans. l
met with an adventure l don't care to
go through again. | had been accus-
toned to take my gun and stray off for
miles, looking at the country, and once
| walked into a trap, set by six In
dians | never saw them until | was
a prisoner. They having ponies for
themselves only, soon had me tied to a
tree. | can describe the feeling that
came over me when | see a cat play
ing with a mouse. The mouse reminds
me of that feeling.
Being in a hurry they commenced
to gather dry sticks and piled them
about my feet; with flint and steel one
started the fire, and the other five
danced the scalp dance; one came
nearer to lift my scalp-lock, when two
reports rang out in succession. Two
redskins bit the dust, the four remain
ing taking to their heels. Cutting their
ponies loose they made their escape.
In the meantime a white man came
bounding to my side, kicked the burn
ing fagots from about me, cut me loose
and left me dead to the world. He
then took after the retreating redskins,
but they had too much the start. Re-
turning to my side, he brought nae to
my senses with a dash of water in my
face. l sprang to my feet with my
hand to my head in salute, for a col
onel stood before me,
q asked him his name He said
Christopher Carson He had been to
Washington and was on his way to
Denver. | camped with him that night
He gave me some lessons in Indian
fighting that came mighty handy to me
in the 70's in the Bad Lands In she
morning we parted company, never to
meet again, he dying two years later
with a cancer You have wondered
why | spend my time in flower garden
ing; it is in memory Of Kit Carson
and five good comrades killed by my
side in the 70s in the Bad Lands
Listening to the recital Of the expe-
riences of this strange man, one is
given a glimpse of many instances of
hairbreadth escapes and remarkable
ventures. Some of these are best told
in his own words:
when | began life on the plains you
seldom saw an Indian with q gun.
Bows and arrows were their weapons,
but God help the man falling into their
hands, You can imagine the death
when you read of the white men burn.
ing a negro at the stake. Yet hundreds
of white men took their chances for
the money in furs and adventure ere.
at d, but they learned to watch nature
for safety. For instance a bounding
deer or a barking squirrel would warn
you Of some ones proximity, when you
would get under cover, and if nothing
showed up you would stay under cover
until it did. Hunting and trapping is
boys play now. In the Bad Lands one
can go to bed with safety to life, but
not to pocket. If l was young again,
think you | would work around a store
for So or SS a week, when there is
free life and a thousand a year in furs.
and | sometimes banker to go back
now.
4 joined an outfit for the Black Hills
in '72; was turned back by the sol
diers, returned to Fort Pierre, and
Joined hunting party going a trip up
the Missouri River. On that trip we
met with an adventure that came near
proving serious. We were i'm camp
when five horsemen entered camp, un-
saddled and prepared to spend the
night with us. Next morning we heard
the command Hold up!' and you bet
hands up it was, for twenty Winches-
ters, backed by white men, were point
ed i'm our faces. At the next command
eight men stepped forward and tied
our hands. | asked what the meaning
of this outrage was, when / was told.
Shut up, you d horse thief
81 said, Gentlemen, you have made
a mistake as far as three OF us are
concerned; we are honest trappers,
the other five came to our camp last
night Well, the long and short of it
was we were taken 100 miles to prove
our innocence, when we met parties
knowing us and our captors. The next
tree held a necktie party, with five I'm
the set
nOmr nnNt adventnrn n,nn u h.n,.1