Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-16
BY Edgar Beecher Bronson
fCHAPTER XIlf-Continued)

IN Phoebe for supplies, Win seFei a.
If the escort and ourselves dressed IN
army blue, Cox and I happened to be
near when one of our men was at.
tackled by six men, artists at both nara
and soft touches, ready enough TO XIII
where they found bank roll tney
could not get with a wheedle or a
cheat.
No more was the row started than
Cor received shot in the shoulder.
Then we agreed 1t was ABOUT tlhe ~ ~
take q hand ourselves, with the resui'
that when, few seconds later, me Dat'
tie was over and Cox and were saIely
away, two lay dead under a wagon anu
three were hunting doctor.
While the affair was purely one or
se1f.defense. Phoebe was no good place
to stand trial. so we left forced to take
French leave of Lieutenant Wheeler's
eynedition and burn the Ruby valley
trail for Elko.
And th,s Phoebe business proved the
last transaction Of the old nrm Oh
Peach. Cox & Stocking, for at Elko
Cox and parted, never to meet again.
luckily for me.
Coz. I am sorry to have to record,
captured a few years later with ols
string Of government mules whose
poesession he could not satisfactorily
exp}ain was shot by platoon OF black
troopes by order of General Hatcn'
an end I had long felt his desperate,
utterly reckless character was sure TO
bring him to sooner or later. =.
Rut OF Cox It is only truth to ADD
that his entire career bore lnf1nlteiy
mora to his credit than to his descred1t
for throughout the many years ne was
ranging the vast wild region, both east
and west Of the Rockies. no single man
of the vanguard of the old frontier an
nually harvested bigger crop OF thor
ouphiv had men than did he.
Continuing west to the Pacific, after
parting. with Cox at Sacramento
houghf, an interest in small business
with the proceeds OF the mule bounty
1ieutenant Wheeler had paid me. ana
what 40 you think? Inside OF SIX
weeks nv little show burned to the
ground leaving me nearly as nat
strapped as had my previous ventures
In wood, meat shooting. and nay!
So perhaps some one can explain
how / might escape the rolling stone
life. but doubt it. Surely ! tried
hard enough. but no more would get
q new set of pegs driven tnan pop
would 60 the tent ropes and out oii
another long trail I'd be driven.
Thus the spring OF 1869 found, me
trailing east again, bound FOR mon,
tana. Fort Benton, which nad plckeo
as my destination, at practically tne
head of navigation Of the upper MIS-
souri,. had then for many years peen
the most important and famous lnoian
tradine-post and center OF Distribution
az merchandise for the big mining
camps lying to the west OF 1t.
r was still in high prosperity, us
then principal peltry trade being IN
hrfpaIn robes and skins of the big gray
wolves that followed the vast bunalo
herds I'm thousands, and fatteneo on
their Young and on carcasses lelt o.
the red hunters.
The buffalo robes were then emery
the product of the chase OF the via
tribesmen, the Bloods Blackteet'
Crees. Piegans, for which rowing wnlte
traders exchanged powder and lead
whisky and blankets, at what am
afraid would now be regarded as scan
dalously high profits.
Still, In a way they earned big
money, for war parties Of young BUCKS
were always out that few trading out
hts escaped paying heavy toll TO:
But most of the wolves fell 70
s.wolfers." small bands Of white hunt
ers who traded with the tribes as op
portunity offered and put in the rest
OF their time trapping and poisoning
wolves. Sometimes they shot buffaloes
and poisoned their carcasses but pre-
ferably. where there was timber, they
bored shallow holes in logs and hlleo
the holes so made with talloW lightly
charged with strychnin.
Woling looked good to me, and in II
\ engaged, the first season bringing IN
20 Benton eleven hundred wolf-sklns
and all the buffalo robes l could pack
Two more seasons ranged between
Benton and the Whoop-Up country as
4 wilfer and trader, with now and
then q brush with some raiding wal
party, and with, at last, such good lucR
that in 1871 was able tomake star,
down river on the steamer Far West
with a little capital that reached rather
comfortably into four figures.
The boat was crowded with mlxec
company that included several ladies
q lot Of my wolfing friends, and
young army captain who came neal
forcing me to win promotion for some
OF his juniors-for he challenged me
to a duel which I am afraid he woulc
not have lived long enough to regret
If it had come off.
He had been in command OF For
Benton for two years, and the dignity
OF his rank and command had led hin
to esteem himself a lot higher thai
anybody else did. In fact, he was no
content to plainly show his contemp
Tor all Of us of the trading and wolfint
guild, but lost no chance to say abusive
things that surely seemed meant t.
hurt and provoke us.
So when, one day at dinner, he wa
loudly declaiming that during his tw'
years command at Benton he coul'
not remember meeting single civilian
he regarded as gentleman, coul'
not help quietly remarking, "Ther
goes another kick from government
mule that ought to be branded I. CO.
"I. c." signifying inspected and cor