Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-10
GUERRILLA, THOUGHT
DEAD, ALIVE IN NORTH
QUANTRELL, LEADER OF FAMOUS
BAND, RECOGNIZED
Left on Battlefield for Dead, He Says,
He Fled Seventy Miles and
Later Escaped to South
America
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press,
VICTORIA, b. c., Aug. 9.-BEl Guam
trell. leader of Qus ntrell's guerrillas in
the Civil War, who according to history
died of wounds az a Kentucky hospital
after his raiders were cut to pieces, is
still alive, and lives at Quatsino in the
northwest coast of Vancouver island
under the name of John Sharp, accord
ing to a number of persons who have
conversed with him.
j. e. Duffy, a prominent timber man,
who recently became interested in tim
ber land at Quatsino recognized John
Sharp, who is over seventy, wiry and
gray, as Quantrell, Duffy having been
member of the Michigan troop of cav
airy which cut up Quantrell's force. He
stated to Duffy that he was correct ir
his recognition. Sharp said that he had
been left as dead, and instead of dying
Of his wounds at Louisville, as history
recorded, had taken a horse and ridden
miles and disappeared.
He made his way to South America, liv-
ing number of years in Chile, whence
he went to Texas, where he engaged in
the cattle business, making considerable
money. which he exhausted. He then
went TO Oregon, where he punched cat
tie and drove them over the mountains
From Oregon he came to British Co.
lumbia, nearly two decades ago, and
engaged in logging at different camps
on the northern coast Of Vancouver un-
til ten years ago, when he became a
trapper of the northern coast. SIX or
seven years ago he went to Quatsino,
where he was made car carrier at west
Vancouver mines.
When J f. Duffy landed at Quatsino
from the steamer Tees he met John
Sharp on the beach at Coal Harbor.
Duffy looked the old man over and said:
'Is that you, Quantrell-you old ras-
CALI"
Come into the house" said Sharp, and
for some hours the two men talked,
Sharp stating he was In reality GUAM
trell and he talked at length of the raids
in Kansas and elsewhere and eagerly lis
tened to Duffy's tales from the point
of view of cavalryman of the United
States army. He was most keenly inter-
ested in the story of the cutting up of
his band, and when the narrator told OF
how forty had been killed, tears are said
to have rolled down the old mans cheeks. |
Tells Remarkable Story
R. E. Montgomery, who has engaged
in business at Quatsino and who knew |
Sharp or Quantrell at Fort Worth, Tex,
and H. o. Berg, postmaster at Quatsino
are two others to whom Sharp has stat
ed his identity as Quantrell.'
''I might as we'll admit It," Sharp told
both. 1T seems that l cannot hide the
fact"
The story the old man told was that
when his band had been cut up he had
been bayoneted in the chest, and had
bullet wound through the shoulder. The
surgeon who looked over him diagnosed
that he could not live more than
couple of hours, and he had been left so
that others with more chance of recovery
could be attended to by the overworked
surgeons. While they attended the others
he got up despite his wounds and dis
appeared. That night he says, he rode
seventy miles He took flight to South
America, and after raising cattle there
went to Texas, raising cattle there,
ranching in Oregon and logging in Brit
ish Columbia He engaged in trapping
and six or seven years ago reached Quat-
sino. There he found employment and
has since remained, known only as John
Sharp until Duffy came and recognized
him as Bill Quantrell.
KANSAS CITY. Mo-, Aug. s-Accord-
Ing to local history, Bill Quantrell, the
guerrilla leader. who played so import
ant part in the Mssouri-Karsas border
warfare of the early days. died in the
Sisters hospital at Louisville, Ky.
TOPEKA, Kas., Aug. 9.-Mention of
the discovery of W. c. Quantrell being
alive in British Columbia calls to mind
the fact that in the state historical rooms
here are two shin bones and lock of
hair supposedly of the famous raiders.
They have been there since May, 1888,
when the mother of w c. Quantrell
and w. W. Scott opened the grave at
Louisville, KY.
GIANT BALLOON BEING