Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-06-01
FOUGHT WITH CARSON.
Old Trapper Tells Of Life with Plains
man.

man.
walks like an Indian" a by.
stander remarked regarding an ole
weather-beaten man who carried 6
plainsman's cowhide grip and walked
with a long, thick staff.
There was a certain air Of adven
ture about him that induced the pat
and pencilman to follow him from tn,
Grand Central station.
Its hard luck" the old man OBJ
So. ved, as he stopped to fill his pipe
missing the train to New Orleans
Now must wait till night.
Coming far" the reporter ventur.
ed, as an opener to talk.
From Arizona, and going back t.
Dixie. You see, southerner, as hi!
life's sun rays lengthen, likes to e
back to his own land to stay till thu
last bugle call, and yet like the free
wild west; or, rather the remembrance
Of 1t, for 1t is growing tame now, and
the stirring life Of long ago, with 1t,
perils and pleasures, is disappearing
before the advance Of eastern no.
tions.
"You see," he said, 81. fought with
Kit Carson on the plains. I used te
read about him in the papers and
wanted to live like him, sleeping or
the ground, with one eye cooked fol
the ever near savage and his horde.
II ran away from my plantation
home on the Potomac river to find g
life like that lived by Carson and his
kind. was then II years Of age.
went to Missouri to seek my hero al
his home, but learned that he was ir
the far west, where I was advised
not to go, so thick were the Indians
and wild beasts. But the fighting fe-
yer was on me, and so wandered on
after a time had my wish.
found my hero after much search and
told my story. He was then in the
prime Of life. I had imagined lior
in weight, giant in height, with q
roaring voice and lightning eye.
Instead I saw a rather small man.
weighing about $50 pounds. His
voice was soft and fine, like a wo.
mans, and his manner as gentle as q
child's. He laughed at my wish to
conquer Indians, but to make the
story shorter he finally let me go with
him, and until a few years before the
fall of Sumter we were always to-
gether. I would have gone back with
him, but I wanted to run a cotton
boat on the Mississippi. Then the war
changed all. Captain Kit wrote me
that he had volunteered in the United
States army and for me to join him
in the same company at Laos.
For the first time we differed; but
I wrote him my best wishes and hoped
we'd meet again. And so we did.
When the battle of Manassas was
fought was captured with some ten
of my Louisiana Tiger comrades and
carried to Washington.
''It seemed like dream when saw
Captain Kit walking down the street
as we were hustled off the car. Cap
tive as I was, cried at the top Of my
voice, Kit Carson!' A bayonet stop
ped a second shout, but he had heard
me and came forward to the batch of
prisoners. scanning each with eager
eyes. Then he saw me, and you may
bet that he knew me, too. We fairly
fell upon each others neck, and, wear
ing the United States uniform as he
did, we had our talk undisturbed.
"I can remember his very words.
Why Grish, I can just smell the old
beavers, when I see you, that we
trapped on South Platte, and hear
again the growing bear in the Ration
"Why, sir" the old raconteur said,
you've set me going OH Captain Kit,
and I'll never know where to stop.
$50 my old friend got me exchang-
ed by personal request Of Lincoln.
We spent four days together and ]
was sent south, under flag Of truce,
and I never saw him again. But those
four days were worth a common life
time, tell you.
HE talked of his experiences in the
Mexican war and of his present posi-
ton with Uncle Sam. Kit Carson was
never prejudiced. He said that II he'd
been born as far south as and knew
1t as we'll, he, too, would have fought
for that flag"
The old trapper displayed a badge
made for him by Carson in Sierra
bearing the initials &c. c." (Christo-
pher Carson), and the year Of the So
journ in the far west. His eyes grew
moist as he told the story Of the SOU
venir.
Carson was born in Madison county
KY, in 1909, but went to Missouri
when a child.
"The southerners," the veteran went
on to say, feel that the United States
has made mistakes; but in nothing,
sir" he almost shouted, "has she
shown such ingratitude as towards
Kit Carson. A monument reaching
to the clouds should be built to his
memory.
General Fremont would have gain
ed nothing but for Carson's intelli-
gence, bravery and tact. He could
talk more Indian dialect than all the
white men combined, and but for him
the treaties between the United States
and the savages would never have
been made.
GAS a soldier in the Mexican war he
saw the best means Of effecting peace
between the confederated tribes and
the government, and Kit Carson nev-
er made q mistake nor changed his
mind.
Fremont gets credit for what Car
son did, but he never cared for that.
I can see him always, when I try,
sleeping on the ground, pistol half
cooked on either side, and his baby,
as he called his old rifle, in his arms,
and at his feet old Snuff, his faithful
dog, that never seemed to sleep and
could scent danger greater than hu-