The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-06-27
HAS A LIVELY RECORD
g. L. Stratton Who is a Grandson OF
Joseph B. Stratton of Bennjnuton

Joseph B. Stratton OF Bennington
Jared Howard, one OF the old resi-.
dents of the town had as his guest
some weeks ago, G. l.. Stratton OF
Richland, South Dakota. Mr.. STRAIT
ton, whose ancestors came from YER
mont, had an unusually enjoyable Wis
1t. He was born In Kalamazoo, Mich
April %, 1861, and is therefore COM
paratively young man. His father,
Asa StrattOn, was born I'm New York,
lived as a young man In Ohio and has
resided In Michigan for the past 81
years. His grandfather, Joseph Is.
Stratton, was born I'm Bennington and
acquired something Of a reputation as
bear hunter and trapper. The great
grandfather, Joel Stratton, settled at
Greenwich. Rhode Island, in 1777 and
is believed to have been a deserter
from the British navy.
In letter to Mr.. Howard received
few days ago Mr. Stratton gives
few Incidents of life In the west that
are of more than usual interest. He
was obliged to leave home when only
10 years OF age because of rough and
tumble fight with native of Erin in
which the man from the Emerald Isle
who possessed something of a reputa-
ton as a fighter, was thoroughly
thrashed.
In order to avoid the proceedings on
the part of the authorities that would
naturally follow fight OF this kind
Young Stratton took TO the north
woods OF Michigan in the winter OF
1876 He was large man weighing
when II years OF age, PIG pounds but
so active that he could walk a tight
rope and turn handsprings like a cir.
Gus acrobat. On a wager he has
shouldered rs pound bag of plaster
with one hand and today he is able
to walk away with 125 pound sack
OF wheat on each shoulder.
On one occasion while working with
a dump gang on contract Job at
Portsmouth, Nebraska, he had a dis
pute with the boss, a man weighing
$40 pounds and standing six feet. six
inches high which resulted in the
boss being thrown off the dump. The
boss, whose name was Murphy, then
procured a revolver from his tent In
the camp and came back to the dunn
with murder in his eye but Stratton
had also procured a pistol and threat.
Iened to use II. The result was that
Murphy appreciated his new mans
pluck and promoted him to the best
position on the work.
Mr.. Stratton In 1879 worked as a
freighter In Colorado before that stat g
was settled to any great extent. The
country was extremely rough and in
the late fall 1t took five days to make
the trip OF I5 miles. On one occasion
he was asleep under the hind wheels
lof the freight wagon and had taken off
his boots, putting one under his head
for pillow and leaving the other Just
outside the wheels. In the morning
he found that the boot which he had
left just beyond his reach had been
eaten during the night by wolves
There was about two inches OF snow
on the ground at the time and he had
to travel two days with his foot wrap
ped In a sack.
Some years later he worked on a
section Of the Union Pacific railroad
and on one occasion the section boss
and himself were the only two out OF
a gang of six that escaped an attack
by band Of nearly hundred Sioux
Indians. The other four were killed
and scalped
Mr.. Stratton settled In the Dakotas
before either OF the present states
had been admitted to the Union and
was living in that section at the time
of the last Indian outbreak. He has
In his possession at the present time
sword picked up on the battlefield of
the Little Bighorn when Clusters CON-
mand was wiped out by the Sioux.
There is the Smithsonian Institute
at Washington an Indian skull picked
up In 1882. on ranch owned at that
time by. Mr.. Stratton. The skull is
transfixed by copper arrowhead
which had penetrated the eye and
passed through to the base OF the OBJ
jposite ear.
Mr.. STATIONS present home Is only
20 miles from reservation on which
are quartered 5000 Sioux, the flercest
lighting and most troublesome Indi-
ans in The country; He is less than
a hundred miles distant from the lar
gest buffalo ranch In the world, the
property OF Thomas Phillips on the
Missouri river and on which are liv-
ing about 1875 specimens OF American
bison and which are considered to be
worth over $500 each.