The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1901-10-13

7 T took me twenty years Of hard Sight
ing to live through les battles and
skirmishes. Those years are over now
I'm glad enough Of that-and there's
nothing left to tell the tale of them
except seven scars and my name-"Old
Trailer
I've been Old Trailer 50 long that have
to stop and think and take a pull or two
at my pipe before can remember my
other name. the one I got back Ia Massa-
chUsets sixty-siX years ago. 1t is Arthur
S. Kitchen-yes, that's it; but don't
think much of it as q name. I never have
any particular use for il. Old Trailer's
good enough for me.
got that name Ca account of the Indian
wars I've been through. There was
plenty of them; counting skirmishes and
battles together it comes to an even sixty
seven. 7 had more fights in the Civil War
-ninety-eight battles and skirniShes be-
tween 81 and 50; but somehow they never
made so much impression on me as the
Indian fights did. They weren't SO horri-
bic. ! began Indian lighting in % and
kept it up until Il, barring the four years
IL took 10 put down the Rebs. So it's 10
wonder, is it, that 1 see Indians being
bumped now and then when I'm asleep,
and that I sometimes wake yelling that
they're going TO make rle run the gaunt-
let or burn me at the stake?
They never did either Of those things to
me, but they came pretty near it plenty
Of times. / must have lad some kind of a
mascot that brought ne through all right.
I don't know what it was, but you can't
deny I've been lucky.
In 'z9 ] came west from Boston, where
/ was born. I'm a pioneer all right 1 had
the gold fever and came with the crowd
but / never made much out OF mining
Just enough to keep me honest, that's all.
I fooled around in the mining country
until So then ] enlisted in the regular
army and Went out to tackle the Indians
Of the north. IT was Up there, all around
Oregon and that country, that l was kept
busy with the redskins.
My first fight was on Hungry Hill. near
Cow Creek in Oregon. There thirty-ive
of those good for nothing Indians defeated
800 American soldiers, and $50 of them
were regulars. too. II was lack of dlsci-
pine that was responsible for the whole
trouble. I was green one myself. and
can realize # Mainly enough now. 1 guess
a COCO many Of us We're ashamed of that
Hungry Hill defeat. but [ lived to helm
make up for it later On.
We regulars were under Captain A. J.
Smith and Colonel Ross had charge Of the
volunteers The whole thing was a mix
how to obey orders. The Indians were for
titled and had every advantage Of posi-
ton; we were away ahead in numbers but
we retreated in the end, a handful OF
scared and wounded men.
There were as many as four tribes rep
resented The Rogue Rivers and the APP
plegates Ghey got their name from Apple
gate Creek, were the iercest We realized
this fact in many following battles. They
were the most excitable. the ones that
stirred others to fighting. and they were
the most dangerous to meet
1t was a horrible battle. There was that
little group Of devils protected behind
their Qualifications, dead sure of their own
safety; we, a lot Of greenhorns, hardly
knowing how to hold a rife, not grasping
the fact that an order was to be obeyed,
an out in the open field and as easily shot
, down as ducks in the marsh-we fell lilA
game before the good huntsman's aim.
remember one half-breed, Venus, he
was called; he had himself ensconced In
q hollow pine tree that almost hid him.
he had crawled in through the smallest
KIND OF crack. had twisted himself