The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-07-16
A VETERAN OFFICER
VISITS ASTORIA
MAJOR FRAZIER A. BoUTELLE, OF
VANCOUVER, SPENDS THE DAY
HERE = SOME INCIDENTS OF
HIS CAREER IN THE ARMY


United States army; one whose soldierIy
appearance and habit was determinable
ON sight by anyone at all familiar with
the sign and carriage Of the profession.
and especially Of the veteran group Of
the service. This man was old so far as
the gray OF his hair and the rugged lines
Of his stern face counted for age, but the
erect form the swift, firm and sure
tread, spoke indisputably Of the reserve
strength incseparable from discipline
and the rigors Of regular life. So
notable were the characteristics that
reporter Of the Astorian was prompted
to pursue his deduction to conviction.
and TO this end be sought the stranger
out Mt the Hotel Occident, and found
that he was Major Frazier A. Boutelle,
q retired officer OF the United States
army, here. en route TO the breakers
at Long Beach, where he j. under sum
mons before the joint commission Of the
States OF Oregon and Washington to
lgiye such testimony as he may, in the
matter Of the boundary dispute now in
course Of adjustment.
Major Boutele has been on the coast
and in the great west for nearly half 4
century and has war record that is
unique for it, incidents and associations.
Like all soldiers with anything to tell
liz is difficult matter to induce him to
reveal anything. but the reporter was
fairly successful yesterday, when after
a skilful line Of inquiry it developed that
the major was one Of the two men to
fire the shots that opened the famous
and bitter Modoc war, the memory of
which will never fade from the history
Of the upper coast country at least.
He was first lieutenant in those
days, and was doing a bit Of scouting
with party OF men in his command.
when he ran upon the sasages headed by
the notorious Indian leader Scar Face
Charlie. The major drew his Colts re-
volyer simultaneously with the same ac-
tion on the part of the Indian, and the
two shots crossed in mid-air. ScarFace
Charities catching the major on the left
arm This weapon arm, by the wayl, and
tearing through two thicknesses of his
clothing, but failing to reach the skin.
and the majors shot ripping to rags the
red handkerchief that bound the saw
ages head. He relates the fact, with
Iquiet enjoyment, that when Charlie was
made prisoner later on, the encounter
was discussed between them, and Scar
Face admitted that he did not know just
who fired first, but that both were
lgood. and bad marksmen ,as neither
had done the damage they were seeking
to do, though both had hit what they
shot at
, Across the left cheek bone Major Bou-
telle carries livid scar, and nothing the
reporters interest in that particular
sign of his war-days. he told the follow
ing amusing story:
II was once associated with regi-
ment that had three other war.scarred
veterans on its staff, and the four of us
were generally spotted at once as the
grim and grisley men who had been
through the toughest dangers of our
professional quest and had issued from
the fray with all the appropriate and
convincing signs of duty nobly done;
when the truth of the matter was, one
of the officers, whose first and little
fingers had been shot off, had lost them
by self-inhicted wound from a shot
gun in his boyhood's days; another,
whose right thumb and fore finger were
gone, was the victim of corn-cutter
in frolic when he was kid; still an
other who bore a great scar across the
half of his face suffered from the awk.
ward manipulation of razor when he
was new to the mysteries of shaving;
and as to my own scar here, that was
the mark l won from the home-stove in
the kitchen. Thus, you see, scars do
not always signify any surplus Of cour-
/. age nor the results thereof"
Major Boutelle is the man who after
the battle between the forces of Lieu
tenant Smiths regulars and the braves
of Curly Headed Doctor one of the
Modoc chiefs, went out on the field,
alone and deliberately, brought in
the abandoned body of man by the
name of Crawley, a victim of the fight,
. and who was desperately wounded, but
, yet alive, and carried it into camp in the
/ face Of the ambushed fire from the In
. dian retreat not seventy yards away.
D This gallant officer Is one of the very
/. flew survivors of that famous war and
is qualified to give a thousand good
( istories of those exciting days If brave
mans modesty did not so inopportunely