The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1918-10-11
HERO OF FRONTIER
Good and Bad Qualities Mixed in
Western Pioneer.
Mike Fink Long Known on the Border
as "The Swapping Turtle" and on
the Mississippi River as
HThe Snag."

1t is characteristic of the records of
the early age on the river that they al
most as whole make some reference
to character known as Mike Fink
Mike was not an outlaw, says the
Louisville Courier-Journal, but he bor-
dered rather closely to that state OF
being; he was considered more in the
light of rOwdy. Mike secured his
education in the hard and dangerous
life in the country around Allegheny
county, Pennsylvania, where he was
engaged as one of the leaders i'll red
skin warfare. He was, it is said. the
envy of comrades for his .buShwhack.
ing and ranger qualities. 1t was also
during his young days that Mike..
learned to use the rifle with unerFing
skill and was accredited with being
the surest shot in the Ohio valley. 1t
has been said that so sure of shot was
he that he was frequently offered
large share of the prizes to be won at
shooting matches if ne would stay out.
There was no successful competition
against him. In the Ohio valley Mike
was known as the Swapping Turtle"
and on the Mississippi as 1.-THE Snag.'
He was easily king of the valley.
There is related of Fink an incident
which serves to detract from the good
qualities which he is supposed to have
had Known as tender-hearted man
normally, it is strange that such man
would at times give way to the darkest
and most wicked passions. AT one time
Mike made an attempt to burn his wife
alive; or if that was not his actual OBJ
feet, he played good andrealistic part.
1t so happened that Mike and his wife
were of party on number of barges
floating down the Ohio river. BY what
follows it is assumed that Mrs. Fink,
who went by the name of Peg, was i'm
bued with the instincts of a woman OF
her sort.
When the barges landed against the
shore for the night Mike Immediately
got his rifle and ordered his wife to
follow him up the bank of the river to
point where he piled a heap of brush
wood Mike ordered the woman, who
readily saw that Mike was in no good
mood, to crawl into the bruShwOOd.
| The good woman objected, but Mike
| threatened to shoot her and in the end
| she Obeyed. Mike covered her COM
pletely over with the brushwood. He
| then deliberately set fire TO the pile
| and in a moment the whole thing was
blazing. Through fear of Mixes rifle
| the wife stood the heat of the flames
as long as she could, then she kicked
| the brushwoOd from her and ran for
the river, her clothing already in
flames. Mike then informed his bet
| ter half that her punishment was the
result of her "winking at them feliers
on the other boat"
| Such were the men who made MIS-
| tory through the valley of the Ohio in
those days when Louisville stood on
| the edge of dense wilderness, and
when the town could have had but IL
small population. While these men
| were not as important to the building
of the great empire of the west as
men like Boone, Kenton, Clark and
others, they were nevertheless neces-
sary evils and did their part in thrust
| ing the Indians back that the land
might be broken. At any rate they are
recorded in the historical annals of the
| state.