The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1914-01-22
The Case Of
Peter Grant
By ELLA WHEATON

Dpes were tramping over them, and he
went there to hunt them. His oldest
boy, Oscar. was nearly grown, and the
two together collected the buffalo hides,
that were tanned into robes, which
ut that time were largely used in win
ter In place Of the present more e1-
pensive skins.
The father Of the family, being a
poor sleeper, was accustomed to sleep
In q room built as an addition or wing
Of his house. where he would be undis-
turbed by any sound. Since he was
accustomed to come and go at will the
kay to the door Of his room was kept
under the doorstep, that whenever he
wished to go to bed he might do 30
without awakening the rest Of the
household.
The Grant domicile was located not
far from the foothills of the Rockies
near where now stands the city of
Denver, which was then village The
Indians inhabiting that region were the
Utes and the Arapahoes. Both these
tribes. especially the latter, were friend
V to the whites. but were not very
kindly disposed to each other AS late
as 1888 the Utes sailed forth from
their hunting grounds in the noun
tains on the warpath to fight their cop
per colored enemies.
One autumn Peter Grant went on q
hunting expedition to get meat for the
family use during the winter. He said
that he would be gone not over a
week, and his destination was that
beautiful region since called the Gar
den Of the Gods. in which Colorado
City now stands The week passed,
and every day the Grant family ex-
pected its head to reappear. But day
after day passed, and nothing was
heard from him.
When two weeks from the time of
bis appointed return had passed and
he did not turn up his son started
southwark to look for him. Oscar
traced his father to the foot of Pixies
peak, where he lost track Of him. But,
hearing from settlers that tribe of In
dams from New Mexico had raided
that part Of Colorado while his father
was hunting there. the boy was forced
30 believe that his father had been
captured. He went ON southwark as
far as Pueblo and. hearing nothing Of
q captured white man, returned north
ward.
Oscar knew that it was the habit of
the Indians on capturing a white man
to torture him and then kill him, so he
90 y tic
had learned. He simply told her that
he had heard nothing Of his father and
hoped that some day he would return
to them.
The winter passed without Grants
temperance. Oscar continued to hun;
the buffalo. He desired to complete
the amount Of money his father had
fixed upon before returning to the east
and his mother would not leave the
place 80 long as there was any hope
that her husband might be restored to
her. A year passed, during which Os
car added considerably to the family
assets by the sale Of buffalo skins, and
he suggested that they go back to the
east The children needed to be edu
Gated, and the older girls were now of
an age when it was not best that they
should remain on the frontier. But
Mrs. Grant had faith that her husband
would return, and she could not bear
to think Of his doing so to find his for
mer home deserted. So she kept put
ting Off her children from month to
month, from season to season. Finally
when two years had gone by since
Grants departure and there was no
news of him, her children persuaded
her not to spend another winter on
the plains.
The family were preparing for their
departure when one day tribe of In
dams from the south came up on a
foray. They were not hostile, had no
revenge to take on the whites of the
region and seemed bent only on appro-
priating to themselves what they could
find. They encamped near the Grant
home and stole everything that was
not under lock and key, cleaning out
all the outhouses, especially the smoke
house, in which hung considerable
smoked game, consisting of antelope
and venison
The Indians remained but one day
and night and then turned to retrace
their steps to their southern camping
grounds. During the night that they
were about the place Mrs. Grant
thought she heard sound in the lit
tie wing Of the house in which her hus-
Aand used to sleep. The key to the
door remained where 1t had always
been kept. and she wondered If any of
the prowling redskins had found it and
gone into the room. If so, doubtless
an the bedclothing and smaller ar
ticles would be appropriated. In the
morning after the Indians had gone
she looked for the key, but 1t was not
there. She tried the door and found
II locked While she stood wondering
at the meaning of this, she heard a
voice say:
NWbo,o thara2