Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1905-07-14
NED BUNqLINE
ANE SETH KINMAN

I.,e "Outing" magazine for June
contains an article on "Some Old
Scouts and their Deeds" accompanied
by splendid portraits of the men. The
article was read from Maine to Oali
fornia but nowhere should 1t have been
peru sed with greater interest than in
Danville, where two of the most fam
ous men spent their early lives.
Among the excellent portraits are
those of Seth Kinman, veteran Oali-
fornia hunter aud trapper; e. @. O.
Judson (Ned Buntline) Sam Houston,
Captain Jack Hay es. scout and writer;
Kit Carson, Buffalo Bill and others
As the article in "Outing" truthfully
observes "the old scouts have followed
their last trail memories of them are
fast dying and only where some rare
bundle of photographs is dug from
some forgotten corner are the weather
beaten faces recalled to a new genera
tion and another era.'
OF the above plainsmen and Indian
fighters, two of them as famous as any
spent their early life in this Immediate
vicinity, Seth Kinman, native of
Rush township, Northumberland Ooun-
ty, and e. g. o. Judsou (Ned Bunt-
line) who lived in Dafville.
Seth Kinman. who is an uucle of
Sheriff ]. r. Sharpless, of Northum-
berland County, was about this section
until or probably after war times and
is still we'll remembered by our citi.
zens of middle life or older. As he
appears in the portrait, armed with
his musket dressed in trappers garb.
unk empt, his face half concealed by
shaggy beard, so he is remembered by
those who saw him last. From boy.
hood he had a craving for the woods
aud the excitement and adventure of a
hunters life. He dressed himself in
bear skins, trophies of his own uner-
ring aim. and slept out of doors in i'm
imitation of the hardy frontiersman.
He drifted to California and became
famous as a hunter and trapper Sub
sequently In life he returned to this
section for a visit with relatives. He
returned to the West aud died there.
1t may be difficult to determine the
exact value of his exploits, but certain
it is that he has earned place for his
portrait in a gallery of famous men,
who helped to open mp the westt RI
half of the continent to civilization.
E. @ o. Judson (Ned Buntline) vas
equally as we'll known in Danville as
Seth Kinman. His father. l.. O. Jud-
son, was principal of the West Dan
vile Academy in the first half of the
last century in the years following
1916. There are still those here who
remember Med Buntline" in his
school days. According to all ao'
counts he kept things moving The
scout and novelist had a fondness fol
the drama and during his school day,
organized a theatrical company il
Danville, among the members of which
are some of those still living.
Danville was too tame for the young
J er Judson and he ran away from home
and joined the navy. He soon proved
among the seamen by fighting couple
, of duels. Years afterward he revisit
ed Danville, making an anti slavery
address at the weigh scales. Judsor
was already famous as scout. No
knowing how his address would be re
ceived or what he would encounter OF
the occasion it is recalled that befor,
beginning to speak he took out hi
trusty pistol and laid it on the scale
before him. He was not disturbed.
, Med Buntline" was Judson's non
de plume. His novels, which wer,
mostly located on tile plains and relat
ed to Indian warfare, were among tn,
best of the kind ever written ant
thirty years ago were very popular.
! Don Carlos Barret, another teache
, W the West Danville School. about tn,
3 ime that Judson's father had charge.
is indirectly connected with the sub
, ject in hand. His name is not includ
ed in the list of scouts, but leavi ne
r Danville he went to Texas where h,
became an eminent lawyer and wa
, associated with General Sam Hous
. ton. Summing up the Outings" ar
ticle states:
= "Of such stuff we're made such men a
|
photographs tell better than any eu
logy could do in what heroic moult
they were cast