Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-03-23
One Of the Picturesque Characters
Of Utah Passes Away,
END Is REACHED AT VERNAL
Crossed the Plains Finy-three Times
The Romantic Career OF a
Horder Hero,



Familiarity known as "Uncle Charlie"
and hs demise removes one OF the last
Of the picturesque characters whose
lives were associated with the plains
when the West was inhabited by the
bison and the Indian. He had attained
the ripe age Of a years, having been
born In ontario county, New YORK,
June p, 1924 He was Of German
descent and inherited strong, rugged
constitution and llghtness Of heart mat
bore him Up through many stirring
scenes OF peril and exposure. When ne
was boy his parents moved to kirt-
land Ohio, and subsequently went on
to Missouri, settling in Davis county
In that State. His family suffered with
the rest OF the Saints In the deprlva-
lions and outfages imposed upon them
By the Missouri mobs.
During the latter part Of this period
Charlie was casting about the country
engaging In anything that came to
hand that offered any pecunlary re-
ward. The beginning OF his romantic
career as scout, Indian fighter and pony
express rider began In Doublin. Indiana
where he engaged to ride pony express
on thlrty-five mile route, travelling
seventy miles every twenty-fOur hours,
at the rate OF twelve miles an hour
rain or shine. His taste for this kind
OF life soon paled before the ambition
to work on the river and obtaining his
fathers consent he abandoned the
pony express and followed the river
life for three years.
PLAYED A USEFUL PART,
When his people approached that part
In the drama Of their life that forced
their exodus from Nauvoo, he left the
river boat to play humble but highly
useful part through those most stirring
scenes. He offered his services to
President Brigham Young, who soon
| found him TO be almost Indispensable
| at that time. He was always there
| with helping hand where II was most
needed, and his CHEEKY voice and en-
| couraging smile were some Of the fac
| tors that kept an insuiferable
| gloom from settling down over the peo-
| pie. Uncle Charlie was won't at times
| to describe in his homey but graphic
| style the story Of the crossing Of the
Mississippi river on the ice, the journey
| To Winter Quarters under the most dis
tressng conditions and the strenuous
| fight against starvation,
At this time President Young hon
ored the redoubtable youth by giving
| him the hand Of his oldest daughter,
Vllate, In marriage, The ceremony
was performed In crude hut at Win
| ter Quarters. Uncle Charlie and his
| wife did not come to Utah with the
! Pioneer band, his strong arm and stout
heart being needed In the camp. But
| they came on with the first immigra-
ton train afterwards and settled In
the Thirteenth ward. He struggled
with the crickets the next year
and worked diligently on the small
farm. His agricultural pursuits
however, were broken into continually
as he was often called on TO go back
and help the immigration train, and to
freight merchandise.
CROSSED FIFTY-THREE TIMES.
During those years he crossed the
plains fifty three times and vast vol
ume could be written recounting his
experiences, his marvellous escape from
death in hundred ways. He always
bore a manly part, and when any dan
ger was to be encountered his head
must be the first to be exposed Though
the hard life on the frontier and on
the plains made his exterior rugged
and somewhat rough, his heart though
stout was naturally gentle and he new
err wantonly diG cruel deed. lie was
forced sometimes to fire at Indians to
save his own life. but when the red
skins once shook his hand and locke I
him in the eye, they were his friends
through life. as Indians only can be
| friends.
A NAIL CONTRACT.
In 1857 ne engaged with Feramorz
| NJ. Little and Ephraim Hanks In a
contract to carry the mail once a
month from Salt Lake TO Fort Lara
ME. In August OF that year he went
| out with the mail, accompanied by
| Afford Higgins DR.. Bernhisel was
| a passenger on his way 10 Congress.
Stories were then rife Of a renegade
band OF Crow Indians with Chief
Big Robber at their head,
and that they We're going through
| plundering everything that they could,
| with safety. Uncle Charlie overlook
| Prof. Jones, who with seven men were
| making sketches Of the country. The
! former proposed to the artist that they
| travel on together for mutual protec-
| ton until they had passed through the
| dangerous part Of the country. To this
suggestion Prof Jones cynically replied
IL Mr.. Decker was afraid OF the In
| dams he had better return to Salt Lake
| and send some one out who was not.
| The intrepid but discreet Uncle Charlie
made a low whistle to himself and
drove on. On approaching Deer Creek
| and Boxelder twenty-six Indians filed
across the road. They made many dem
| onstrations but your Uncle Charlie did
| not understand a word OF the language
| which he later became skllful In. The
| Indians lassoed the mules and took the
| entire outfit down into a ravine, when
the chief showed a slip OF paper written
| hy Mr.. Vasques, the partner OF Colonel
| Bridger. The note stated that the In
| dams would be pacifed with a few
| PRESENTS. Acting on the hint, supper
was prepared and downed, and the red =
skins said all was peace Those red
gentlemen cried
PEACE, PEACE!
but there was no peace. AS soon as I'm
| Gle Charlie and his assistant began TO
| hitch up. some made a rush for the
wagon. where Utah's first congressman
was holding up his hands and saying,
/ please don't Mr.. Indian" the others
| made for the two young men and at
tempted TO tear the clothes from their
body. Afford Higgins though was a
good slugger and as often as an Indlap
| would come within reach he would land
a blow on his head that would send him
sprawling. This was kept up until
| about ten had been knocked down, and
| as each Indian went blowing his head
! into the ground his comrades would
laugh heartily At this iuncture n
squaw that was in the party went run
ming down the hill giving the alarm
| that other white men were coming. Be
ing thoroughly frightened the dusky
| marauders let the coach go on and they
| retired But IL was only Professor Jones