The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1903-10-10
The Powder
Nv q so n
Copyright. 1903 by e. y. LewisI

ON the Kansas frontier, taking along
his wife and two children, he knew
the risks he ran. He was known as a
determined obstinate man, and one
without fear Perhaps If hc had never
been drawn into argument over the
matter he would not have made a
move. but when his neighb0rs 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 a clear ease Of pigheaded-
ness, his going al all and his taking M
claim right in the midst Of the In
dian country was nothing short of
criminal rccklcSSncss The frontier
was dangerous enough. but he was
miles beyond It. II wasn't a fortnight
before a 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 n horse aud escape, though
he was twic" wounded.
As soon rs his wounds were healed
he set out 10 reap vengeance. lie wan
dercd over plain aud prairie, h" hid
among the hills, hc padded up and
down the rivers. lie moved mostly
by night, and not a week went past
that he did not tally at least one lie
killed Wounded Bird, Little Buffalo
and Red sun three prominent CHEERS.
In one year he killed thirty four Sioux
warriors. He waylaid them by day
and crcpt into their villages at night
and Gray Eagle offered twenty ponies
for his capture dead or alive. In
way ne was a great protection To the
frontier If raid was contemplated
and II was discovered that The Shad
ow." as the red men called him, was
aware of 1t the affair was abandoned
Ola IIarpers deeds of bOldness were
counted by the score, but perhaps the
boldcst was entering a village on the
Republican river one night during q
thunderstorm. He made use of knife
and tomahawk alone and killed i've
men aud two suuaws. When the alarm
was finally given ne hid behind trees
and wigwHms 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 nm alarm was greatly to his nd
vantage one night he got among Il
herd Of ponies and cut the throats of
forty eight of them. During the two
years that he ran loose, ms 1t were. he
killed nearly 100 Indians, sci fire To
ana 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 1t out that he had
little 20 live for aud he determined
On grand coup He had trapped for
rurs while wrenking vengeance, and
one day he appeared at Il frontier town
with about 500 worth of choice skins.
lie also had a pony loaded down with
plumber taken from the Indians. All
his goods We're taken off for powder In
over 200 pounds of the powder Before
driving away IiUrpcr stated Ia 4 friend
that ne was going 10 Kill hundred In
dinns at once, but did not give par
tiCulurs lie joined body Of emi
grants and continued with them until
al tyt nj
cut loose lie left the party at night
aud drove of az right angles to the
trail and no one but the Indians ever
saw him again
A Sioux chief named White Bird was
abroad with war party numbering
POO bucks They had heard of the emf
Ernut party and Were going TO take
the trail ahead of them when they
came upon old Harper. His wagon
stood in grove OF cottouwoods. and
his horses We're grazing He had dug
u rifle pt under the wagon and AS
he oprued lire on them AZ that time
but few red men had rifles The old
man not only stood the party OH for
two hours hul KILLED four aud wounded
aN Then IheN rushed him, which was
lust what hr planned for AZ given
their ponies and In two minutes the
Nd man WAS dead Every one gather.
ed CLOSE In to SEQ what plumber the
wagon contained and they were tear
Ing the cover off when tremendous
explosion occurred According Ia the
Indians Il shook the earth for miles
around or the war party sixty were
Killed outright ten crippled for Ifc and
thirty burned aud nthrrw tsr Injured.
over seventy ponies wrr, also Killed
II was the heaviest blow ever suffer
I'd by the Sioux tribe aud il resulted
IN treaty With them that was ohsrrv
ri un their side Tor the next ayr wears
with the utmost fidelity The body %
The old man disappeared In the eNplo
tiou aud the Indians figured il ont that
bis medicine" had preserved him To-
lake sttll further revenge 4 was years
before they would give M Tint ne was
iead ltp 10 the time Of Clusters death
there were stlll among the followers ~
Sitting Rull about twenty warriors
who we're present NJ the explosion, and
several Of them were blind Of an eye
Or had suffered in their limbs sitting
Bun himself was not There, but he was
CARRYING IA piece uf Mood from the
shattered wagon as a charm against
any further tragedies " the sort lie