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

oOmclulHB DARK move dCIOSS tue trail
in front of me. thought it was tn,
bear, and was getting ready to fire
when six Indians jumped from the
brush on each side of the trail.
Immediately lost all interest in the
bear. Six to one is big handicaI
in a fight for ones life and / knew
that l would be in luck if got away
alive. / got into coulee, and was
making the back trail for the camp
when the Indians found me. They
all came out in the open. | got be-
hind tree and counted them. There
we're forty of them. They separated
into two parties, one of which follow
ed me and the other attempted to get
between me and the camp.
II made my start running. A
spent arrow hit me in the back of
| the neck but the thickness of my
buckskin shirt saved my life, though
the arrow made an ugly wound.
unslung my Henry and turned loose
on my pursuerS.
1T was the Indians first exper-
fence with repeating rifle. My first
shot killed an Indian. Then, think
ing they would get me before could
reload, they rushed. / was shooting
strong, and getting an Indian with
every shot when they took cover. Two
OF the boys in the camp heard the
shooting, and came to my rescue. We
managed to drive the Indians off, and
get to camp, but they followed and
for three days we could not light a
fire, as we did not want the Indians
to locate us. After we had been
without food or fire all this time we
put our guns and powder on some
logs and swan the Musselshell
I'VE found that we were not much |
better off when we had gotten across
the river. The Indians seemed all |
about us. But they had a wholesome |
respect for the work of my Henry |
rifle and kept under cover. We |
lodged about the timber for a couple
of days. Adam Armstrong, one of
the boys with me, exposed himself
in the open and was mortally wound
ed. We had to stay with him. He
died later in the day Finally, after
we had been without food or fire for
six days we managed to escape and
get back to Fort Peck
Kills Two Indians
So Cochran decided that the life
Of wolfer afforded altogether too
much excitement. He drifted down
% Fort Union and on to Randall,
where he associated himself with
Captain Ellis, trader and freighter ,
lie was watching Ellis stock one :
morning, when in the gray dawn the
indians came. His notice of their |
presence came in the shape of bull +
ct which wounded him in the leg. A :
econd shot wounded his horse. A
bird struck Cochran in the side His {
lorse, maddened with pain, ran about 2
100 yards and dropped dead. Two Z
indians were sneaking up to scalp G
cochran when his Henry gun got into q
ction again. He got both of them. +
hat was enough for the rest. They /
emained out of gunshot and Coch- h
ans comrades rescued him. He h
yent to the hospital for eight months. 4
lie had then been in Montana seven I,
ears, had made and lost fortune, r
nd when he came out of the hospital
II he had was his Henry rifle. He h
as it yet, and says as it has saved n
is life on several occasions, he r.
links more of it than anything, liv-
lg or inanimate, in the world. q
Cochran was held up by the fam n
US Sommers gang of highwaymen a
nd went with the posse which was n
lccessful in shooting up the band h
nd killing Sommers, the leader. The r.
ighwaymen who were not killed in n
lis fight went to Canada, and the 81
orthern country was rid of a crowd
lat had robbed travellers for years.
Lauds Pike Landusky OF
Then Cochran became a partner of y
e famous Pike Landusky, who later IN
as killed by one of the Curry boys, to
e crime which started the Currys
| their careers as highwaymen.
any hold that Landusky was bad !.
an, but not Cochran. He says he IN
as the best and squarest man he is
as ever associated with. ~
Cochran's ability to shoot quick
ID true, and his tried courage made m,
m in demand as a shotgun messen- 10,
r, in the days of the armed stage co
ach. His duty was to sit up beside he
Q driver and use sawed-off shot re-,
n on any highwaymen who might tb
say to stop the coach and rob the
ssengers. 1t is recorded of him -
at no matter what the odds against ES
n were, he always tried, and ban
s were inclined to give any coach
was guarding wide berth and NJ,
hit of way. His reputation was
n that passengers would wait un- ~
the coach of which he was guard @
S scheduled to depart. His last ~
venture of note was when he ac-
IIouard &c a ooo,,+ ~ M to
tlefield of Snakecreek.