Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-01-29
KNEW KIT CARSON.
Rev. A., N. Powell, of Colorado
Springs, Reminiscent.
CROSSED PLAINS WITH SCOUT.

Colorado Springs, facing the entire
western range, stands a new cottage
built of shingles, its gray paint almost
Immediately clean, and such a decid-
ed atmosphere of wholesome thrift
and cleanliness permeates the entire
house that one instinctively wonders
about the inmates of the coy little
house.
The visitor at this ideal home, upon
entering the place will be welcomed to
take a seat in the little front parlor
by the neatest of women. whose cul-
tured accent at once betokens the stu
lent and scholar. She will most likely
be sewing or mending. and ever whlle
continuing her work she will soon be
telling you confdentially that she is 20
years old and that her husband. who.
she says looks much older than herself
is in reality about six months younger.
Here live the Rev. Alfred N. Powell
and his wife, who. after wandering all
over the country, have finally returned
to Colorado Springs as the ideal place
in which they are going to spend their
declining years.
FRIEND OF KIT CARSON.
Rev. Powell at one time travelled the
western plains and in the mountains
in company with the noted scout, Kit
Carson, and his band of traders and
trappers. Although he has passed the
scriptural three score and ten, his
memory would put to shame the aver
age young man of the present day. Mr..
Powell is a Kentuckian by birth and
although circumstances have limited
his scope somewhat, he is of the type
of the grand old men who have built
up the destinies of the great nations of
the day-men like Gladstone, Daniel
Webster. Bismarck and Lincoln-such
men who are the salt of the earth and
who leaven mankind to careers of i'm
mrotal usefulness.
"Oh. yes. | have had q rather eXcit-
ing life. but nothing remarkable after
all" said Mr.. Powell a few days ago
as a Gazette reporter spent an after
noon in his delightful home. listening
20 the wonderful tales with which Mr..
Powell can interest one.
1.-THE most vivid recollection of my
early career in the west was my hrst
trip-not that it was anything p%articu-
larly unusual. but being the first 1t I'M
pressed me the most. This was the
first time that | met Kit Carson-by
the way | was going to go west just
for the fun Of the trip. | was young
and strong and wanted to see a bit OF
the world. | was employed by a man
named Reed, who owned two wagons
which he was going to freight to Santa
Fe, away at the edge OF the world
This was in October in 1S48. We start
ed on the second day of the month
leaving early in the morning. There
were six in the party, Judge Baird
who was going to Santa Fe, the capita
New Mexico, as it might be termed
to represent the terms of the ~independ
ent government of Texas to the rights
of owning the entire territory of New
Mexico. This territory claimed that II
was a part of national domain, while
Texas claimed that New Mexico was
stateland belonging to herself. he
was going to appear before a council
: at Santa Fe to attempt to convince
the people there of the ACCESSIBILITY o
belonging to Texas rather than to thu
: federal government. In all, there were
I six people in our party after leaving
the boundary of Missouri. We were
on the lookout for Kit Carson. for t.
/. tell the truth we were afraid to star
= out far with such a small company.
FIRST INDIAN SCARE.
I'VE had travelled as far as Diamond
q Springs. a mile or two out of Council
Grove. when we suddenly found tina
the Indians were all around us. w
decided to wait there for the Indian
seemed friendly toward us and though
that Carson would soon be comm.
that way. We had not been Their
many hours when Kit Carson, his bro
Their, Lindsey Carson, and Captain
. Ownes and a doctor. whose name | d
not recall, and a Mexican servant me
/ us. Carson came up to us and shoe
L hands with all. He always was tn
: very soul of p%oliteness and well bre
courtesy, very much a gentleman, il
deed, and even under the stronges
n provocation he never forgot his MAJ
e ners.
we all rested here awhile and jus
at nightfall the mules suddenly pickle
y up their ears, acted G~ueerly and all G
them looked in the direction of a lc
/ of brush and small trees. Then W
heard a noise as of a thousand Indians
D At least, so | then thought. II cam
n nearer and we thought that the II
dams were upon us surely this time
After a while Carson told us that tn
noise was made by wolves. The grea
o gray wolf, as we'll as the coyote, wa
very plentiful then. | never hear
y such an unearthly din as those beast
a could make upon the prairies upon
still night.
" This was my first Indian scare an
n | was never scared after that. In tn