Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-11-11
The Powder
w o 6 0 n

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his wife and two children, he knew
the risks he ran. He was known as a
| neterinined, obstinate man, and one
without fear Perhaps if he had never
been drawn into argument over the
matter he would not have made a
move, but when his neighbors heard
| that he was thinking of a change, and
one after another sought to dissuade
| him, he sold his farm in Missouri and
| Joined an emigrant train.
| 1t was q clear case of pigheaded-
ness, his going at all, and his taking up
claim right in the midst of the In
| dian country was nothing short of
criminal recklessness. The frontier
was dangerous enough, but he was
miles beyond it, 1t wasn't fortnight
before war party of Indians appear
| ed and attacked. 1t is a matter of rec
ord that the old man and his wife
| killed six warriors. The children had
been killed at the first fire. When the
| wife received a bullet the husband
| managed to break through the band
and mount horse and escape, though
| he was twice wounded.
| AS soon as his wounds were healed
he set out to reap vengeance. He wan
| dered over plain and prairie, he hid
among the hills. he padded up and
| down the rivers. He moved mostly
| by night, and not week went past
that he did not tally at least one He
| killed Wounded Bird, Little Buffalo
| and Red Sun--three prominent chiefs.
| In one year he killed thirtyfour Sioux
warriors He waylaid them by day
| and crept into their villages at night,
and Gray Eagle offered twenty ponies
| for his capture. dead or alive. In
way he was great protection to the
| frontier. If raid was contemplated
| and it was discovered that THE Shad-
| owl as the red men called him, was
aware of it the affair was abandoned.
Old Harpers deeds of boldness We're
| counted by the score, but perhaps the
| boldest was entering village on the
| Republican river one night during Il
| thunderstorm. He made use of knife
| and tomahawk alone and killed five
| men and two squaws. When the alarm
| was finally given he hid behind trees
| and wigwams until he had shot down
| six more warriors, thus making his
| score thirteen. The fact that no In
| dian dog would bark at him and thus
| give an alarm was greatly to his adj
vantage. One night he got among a
| herd of ponies and cut the threats of
forty eight of them. During the two
| years that he ran loose, as it We're, he
| killed nearly 100 Indians, set fire to
| and destroyed four villages and caused
the death of about seventy ponies
| This record would have satisfied the
| vengeance of most men, but Harper
| felt that things were going too slow.
| He had also figured it out that he had
| little to live for, and he determined
| on grand coup. He had trapped for
| furs while wreaking vengeance, and
| one day he appeared at a frontier town
with about $3.50 worth of choice skins.
| He also had pony loaded down with
plumber taken from the Indians. All
| his goods were taken off for powder in
| kegs and two horse outfit. There We're
| over 200 pounds of the powder. Before
| driving away Harper stated to a friend
| that he was going to kill hundred In
dams at once, but did not give par
| ticulars. He joined body of emf
| grants and continued with them until
| well into the Indian country and then
| cut loose. He left the party at night
and drove off at right angles to the
| trail, and no one but the Indians ever
| saw him again.
A Sioux chief named White Bird was
| abroad with a war party numbering
| 200 bucks They had heard of the emf
grant party and were going to take
| the trail ahead of them when they
came upon old Harper His wagon
stood in a grove of cottonwoods, and
his horses were grazing. He had dug
rifle pit under the wagon, and as
soon as the Indians came within range
he opened fire on them. At that time
| but few red men had rifles. The old
man not only stood the party off for
| two hours, but killed four and wounded
six. Then they rushed him, which was
just what he planned for. AT a given
| signal the party dashed forward on
their ponies, and in two minutes the
old man was dead. Every one gather
| ed close in to see what plumber the
wagon contained, and they were tear
| ing the cover off when a tremendous
| explosion occurred. According to the
| Indians it shook the earth for miles
| around. OF the war party sixty We're
| killed outright, ten crippled for life and
thirty burned and otherwise injured.
Over seventy ponies were also killed.
| 1t was the heaviest blow ever suffer
ed by the Sioux tribe, and it resulted
| in a treaty with them that was observ-
ed on their side for the next five years
| with the utmost fidelity. The body of
the old man disappeared in the eXplo-
sion, and the Indians figured it out that
| his medicine had preserved him to
take still further revenge. 1t was years
| before they would give up that he was
dead Up to the time of Clusters death
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