The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-11-09

swer. he went on, you may ask II you
do not understand"
In Germany the Won Bergs were not
Of the peasant class. The estates OF
the family were large. but the Won
Bergs were not Of the purse proud. idle
sort. When Charles was Il he had
won his degree from Heidelberg. Hard |
| ~ had no arrived home when ono OF
those little QuarTels with the govern
ment arose. and the upshot Of It all
was that the Won Bergs became refu-
gees in Switzerland. where they heard
| the news OF the conilsCation OF their
estate Switzerland did not appeal to
these rebelliOus Germans as perma-
nent abode, 80 they turned their eyes
toward free America where one might
think as one chose. and even speak the
thoughts TO ones neighbor without be-
ing disgraced.
Nearly sixty years ago the family
come. Charles. tho son. was at once
charmed with the wildness OF It. Here
was a country big. free. wild. undcyei-
opcd He would 80 farther West. For
year or two he did not got beyond
Pennsylvania. Then the Hudson Bay
Company wanted traders and young
von Berg set our for the firm.
He had been buying furs when the
news came OF the massacre OF the
whites at Mankato. MINI. Ho at once
volunteered for scout service. The
Sioux Indian war was being waged n
the time. and the FIRST detail of the
volunteer scout was TO do secret serv-
ice among the hostile bands. On In
formation obtained by him a large
body OF Sioux was defeated and thir-
ty-eigh; OF their number captured were
hanged for murder.
For this and other deeds OF conspic-
uous bravery promotion came quickly
10 Scout Won Berg. Soon he was a
captain and later was made a chler.
! Only three miles away at the battle
OF the Little Big Horn, Captain Won
Berg was one OF the first to reach
the scene after Custer and his men
had been massacred.
Recalls His Scout Days.
I Life was hard then in the great
Northwest. where the tribcsmen re-
sentcd the march OF civilization Of
which the scouts were the forerun-
ners and It is OF those days Captain
! gon Berg dreams and talks in his den
surrounded by mcmentoes Of incidents
/ where life and death were only little
way apart.
The little refuge up rho hill is more
! than lodge. II is coy little home,
spick and span. Big trees shelter it
rom the cold blasts OF winter. ana
N summer the air is always six 10
I eight degrees cooler than in the town
below. One OF the three small rooms
Of the lodge has been set apart as 4
den. II Is filled with curios and here
, the captain comes when he would
smoke the peace pipe and dream Of
the old days.
The four walls of the den are COW
cred with relics. and the history Of
each is jus; at the end OF the scouts
! tongue. In the place of honor hangs
, the picture OF General Custer. Cap
tai Won Berg knew Custer as well. per-
haps. as any man now living.
II had secuted for him." said he.
and he was big OF heart and brave"
A printed card beenath the head
OF a buffalo tells its story. 1t was
killed with a single bullet from the
scouts rifle. A luck string" has on
il smaller trophies of many hunts.
This is the claw Of a black bear |
He was hard 10 kill. remember the
day | killed this elk. These are his |
whistlers" One by one he thumbed
the trophies Of the luck string "a
rosary OF the past.
Collection OF Arrow Heads.
OF Indian arrow heads Captain Won
Berg has a large collection The art
OF making them is lost, he tells you.
Certain kinds OF flint were heated 10
a high degree and then by dropping
on the rock cold water they were
laked of as the stone contracted. Like
many other once lourishinS arts the
secret Of making them has. through
disuse been forgotten.
From artist friends in his boyhood
in Germany Captain Won Berg acquired
something more than 4 rudimcntary
knowledge Of drawing and OF colors.
and his den is dotted with canvasses
from his own brush. on one Of the
canvases is depicted herd OF buffalo
IN a valley. Rival bulls are fighting
20 the death. The herd Of cows stands
II The background and far above the
snow line OF the mountains is seen.
Buzzards. eXpectant await their spoils
Of hattie. The captain saw the fight
from hiding nearby and sketched the
picture IN his notebook.
story NJ SterI-PGintcd Arrow.
On the wall hangs the battered cav
airy buglc with which each night he
sounds Taps" for Fayetteville and
near it is Il picture. HIS own painting,
Of his favorite horse. On two nails
just below The picture rests a steel
pointed arrow.
Il was scouting alone one day when
attacked by three Sioux Warriors the
captain explained This arrow was
driven into my horses shoulder. Hei
was badly wounded. but saved him. |
The best horse ! ever had and this
He turned 10 another memento. The
visitor wanted 10 know more about
the fight with the three Indians.
We're you. yourself injured.
"They did hit me couple OF times,
said the icout, land this" He again
had sought to change the subjects.
What became Of the three Iudians?
I The visitor was persistent
The old scout paused and pushed a
IOck az his long gray hair back over