The Kevin courier. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1922, 1922-07-26

In 1880 in Lincolnshire, England. At 16 he ran
away from school and served a year or so as a
soldier in France and the Netherlands. Finding
ne knew nothing of the art of war he went nome
and studied and planned campaigns for seyeral
months.
Then he started for Pennsylvania, where the
Christians were fighting the Turks. On the way
his %shipmates thought him a Jonah and threw
him into the sea. Smith found his way to an
other ship, engaged in a fight with a rich Venetian
argosy, captured it, and was rewarded with a rich
purse containing $4,000 in gold as his part OF the
spoil.
In his fighting against the Turk he won honor
and fame and a coat of arms and his title Of cap
tain. Before Ober Limbach, in Transatlantic. he
devised a strategem of lights which enabled the
Christians to annihilate half of the inidel army.
AT another time he killed and cut off the heads OF
three Turks in lists held before the opposing
armies. Finally he was left for dead upon the
field of battle.
Sold as a slave by the Turks, he was sent to
Constantinople, thence he was sent to Russia.
There he was worked In a chain gang. One day
while t~hreshing wheat he was exasperated by the
overseer, whereupon he beat out his brains with
a fail and escaped.
SO at 81 we find Smith starting out for Virginia
in 1907. 1t was the great adventure of his life
which gave him immortal fame. He was not
the leader Of the colonists. He was merely one
IL tlC lllIjOl ldIl e III lhC ar IN ySAA -
fore the king, James |. had granted a charter to
the Virginia company for the purpose of estab-
fishing trading colonies in America. The charter
ran to London and Plymouth merchants who
divided into two sub-companies.
It was the London company which made the
jamestown settlement. There were great difficult
ties from the start. The colonists were poorly
selected-there were "forty-eight gentlemen to
four carpenters" The site selected was malarial.
The col0nists had no stomach for work, pre-
ferring to search for gold. The industrial sys-
TEN, under which all labored for a common store,
did not encourage thrift. The government was
cumbersome and the kings appointees were incom-
petent.
Smith became involved in a serious difficulty
before the voyage was finished and actually
landed in chains. Edward Maria Wingfield had
charged him with mutiny. The opening of sealed
instructions showed Smith to be one of the council
and he was released. Later he was given charge
of the supplies. In December, 1907, he was cap
tured and saved by Pocahontas. He was tried for
the loss of two of his men, sentenced to death
and only saved by the arrival of the First Supply"
from England. Soon after he was elected presi-
dent of the council. During the winter of 1908
% the colony nearly lost 60 out of 100 and nearly
persisted from starvation. Smith saved it by
getting corn from the Indians
Smith sailed for England in 1909 for treatment
of a severe powder burn. He never returned to
the colony. He travelled in England, preaching
the colonization of America. In 1914 he e-
pIored the coast Of New England in the interest
of private adventures, made a good map of it
and gave it its name. He published a number of
books about his experiences in America and else
from 1908 to 1851, the year of his death.
Capt. John Smiths claim TO fame rests upon
the fact that it was he who kept the jamestown
colony together for two years. He was the one
capable man among misfts. He drilled the sol
diers. He compelled labor-"He who will not
work will not eat' was his dictum. He repaired
the fort. traded with the Indians. kept their
friendship under difficulties and made daring voy-
ages of discovery. He actually succeeded In CIV
ng the colony the character of permanency.
Because he did this, the London company had
courage to keep ON. A new charter was Sc
,ured and increased efforts made. Success finally
crowned these efforts. There followed the Pill
yrims and the Puritans and English settlement of
he Atlantic seaboard was assured.
With the name and fame of Pocahontas, there
is Joined the name and fame of Capt. John
smith she saved him and she helped him save
he jamestown colony.
pocahontas in bronze at jamestown should be
oinee nv Capt John arjth in bronze"