The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-08-08

he went to Fort Union. N. NJ where he met
fellow kentuckian, already famous us scout
and Indian fighter. His name was Kit Carson
Miner served as a scout under Carson and
fought with him at his famous battle of Adobe
Walls In the Texas Panhandle then after pc
Rod of prospecting In Colorado and fighting
Apaches In New Mexico he drifted north into
Kansas and reached Fort Riley in the fall Of
1866
For the next five years he served as a scout
for the troops operating against the hostile In
dams in Kansas, Indian Territory and Texas.
During this time he made the acquaintance OF
such border notables rs Wild Bill Hickok, Buff
falo Bill Cody, Capt. d. L. Payne, the "Cimarron
Scout served with General Custer as chief of
scouts In the Battle III theSWashita and the sub
sequent campaign AID rapidly rose to position
Of outstanding Importance among the frontiers
men of the period. 49,
From Kansas he drittea West again to Nevada
and California, then back into Wyoming where
he served as guide for the Jenny geological and
geographical surveying expedition into the
Black Hills After his return from this eypedi-
ton he guided cavalry column sent from Fort
Laramie to the Red Cloud agency to hold in
check the Sioux who were threatening to 20
the warpath because of the invasion of their
beloved pa-sappa tI5lack Hills) by the miners.
From this place Miner wrote the letter to his
sons Reproduced above) telling of the richness
OF the new dggings and urging them TO join him
there.
Early the next year he was In the Hills and
filed homestead claim $50 on Rapid
Creek which the present Rapid City was
later built. In the fall of 1876 he joined the
command of Gen. George Crook as scout and
was assigned to the force led by Col Ronald :.
they could join the hostiles. He was to have
been chief of scouts for Mackenzie In the later's
winter campaign against Dull Knifes Cheyennes
but few days before the expedition set out, on
October 90 he was shot down from behind and
killed at Fort Robinson by man named Tom
Newcomb with whom he had had some trouble
In the Black Hills, and whose life he had once
spared
He was buried on the banks Of the White
river by Or. v. I. McGillycuddy, then surgeon
with the Second and Third Cavalry regiments In
Crooks army, who had known Joe well during
the Jenny expedition DR.. McGillycnddy, who Is
still living in Berkeley. Calf, declares that Cali
fornia Joe chad no equal as 4 scout In natural
ability reliability and wide experience the
frontier and a reading of this biography
Of him confirms that opinion.
1t also contains the material to upset many
popular BELIEF about some of the frontier
notabes who have been so widely publcized.
Because Of Buffalo Bits reputation as a slayer
of bison. there Is widelyaccepted idea that he
was wizard with the rifle. lie may have BEEN
but there probably has never been a deadller
rifle shot than California Joe with his heavy
Sharps. fact which he demonstrated time after
time. both In shooting matches and in Indian
battles,
Wild Bill Hickok Is famous for the number Of
men who were victims OF his speed and deadly
accuracy with the pistol. If California Joe had
been given to cutting notches his gun for
every man he had slain, he could have shown a
record which would have placed Ilckok In the
amateur class This does not mean that Miner
was killer" In the sense that~WiN BIZ was
lie was peaceable enough until he was put on
Then he proved himself a bad man to fool
with as many man learned 10 his sorrow-
that H. II he lived long enough 70 be sorry.
Cody and Hickok had many sef-appolnted
press agents to spread their renown, both de-
served and undeserved. California Joe had no
such nrst aids to fame. His neglected grave In
the post cemetery at Fort Robinson Is symbolic
OF the TACT that true greatness Is too often "un
"ept. unhonored and afisung IL
Western Newspaper Union