The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-04-13

Henry rifle, his mind must go back
to the time when the man who lived
day through considered that he had
much the best of life and was thank
full.
He does not look like the plains
swashbuckler. He is small and OF
modest demeanor. One would not
pick Cochran for gun fighter. But
in his eye is reflected the dauntless
spirit of the duellist. He has lived
a life of great adventure. He came
to Montana as gold hunter. A year
after his arrival he struck it rich
in Bevins' gulch and in a single sea-
son cleaned up $4,000. He was then
but 10 years old and his fortune last
ed him through the winter. Then
he became wolfer and Indian fighter,
scout and shotgun messenger. AL
ways he was in some endeavor in
which his life was at hazard, and
more than once has he felt the inn
pact of the leaden messenger of his
foe
Cochran's father was one of the
ante bellum captains of Mississippi
river steamboat. Young Cochran
grew up on the deck of his fathers
boat, the Pembina, plying between st.
Louis and st. Paul. The river talk
of those days was of the wonderful
country of the west, land of sudden
fortune and adventure. These tales
fired the Imagination of the river
bred youth, and in 1852 he crossed
the plains to Salt Lake on the old
Bridger trail.
Made Fortune in Placers
Talk of gold discoveries on the
Salmon river started Cochran into the
north country from Salt Lake. His
expedition was headed for Gold
Creek when news of the Bannack dis
,overy came, and he arrived there in
October, 1862. All the good ground |
n the Grasshopper diggings had been |
AIKEN up and young Cochran went on
he Virginia City stampede. He did |
lot secure a claim in Alder, but in
august of the following year had To-
ated pay in Bevins. That season he
nade his cleanup of 100000. In
S66 he went to work for the North
7est Fur Trading company, and he
elped to build old Fort Holly. Fort
eek was built about year later.
Il remember my first brush with
ne Indians" said Cochran. Half
oxen of us, who were at Fort Peck,
'ent buffalo hunting. We had good
lex and we're on our way back to the
)rt when we were ambushed by hos
les. They had heard us shooting
nd laid a trap for us. We made
,ugh standoff with them until dark {
nd then managed to escape to the ]
'rt. carried an Indian bullet in
the encounter.
Every day or two something oc-
fred which would remind US that I
IT lives hung on threads. A young s
God chopper disappeared and we t
und him behind log, not far from '
e fort, with his head split open. a
Two men were cutting hay up C
e river a short distance from the b
TT. They disappeared. A little
tail was sent from the fort to hunt
EN- up. We found the dead body
one of them, scalped and naked, s.
t could find no trace of the other +
IN" q
Fight With Indians d
In 1867 Cochran became wolfer. C,
It'll two others he went into camp fe
Tiger Buttes. Cochran thus des- e,
bes his experiences as a wolfer: ia
wolves abounded. We were soon
ting more than we could handle. d,
, made a practice of skinning those hi
It were not frozen. The frozen pl
we piled up to wait until f
ing for skinning. We caught so ge
ny wolves that we had to hire st
ee men to help us skin them. We hi
re living ON meat straight. Every la
: one of US would go out to get th
game which replenished our lar w
til
One day ran across fresh bear an
TX, and decided to go after Bruin.
ook along my Henry repeating
e. 1t was a splendid gun, and 59
re we're but few like it in the ter on
ry. 1t had cost me $3.50 in gold pc
{, and / valued it like man to
I'D good wife. ha
/ had killed an elk and started Nc
to look for my bear when I saw ra