The Coolidge examiner., 1935-08-09

he sent 10 Fort Onion. ~ NJ. where be met .
fellow -Kentucklan. already famous as a scout
and Indian Fighter. Ills name was Kit Carson
Miner served as a scout under Carson and
fought with him az his famous battle OF Adobe
walls ia the Texas Panhandle. then after pc
Rod OF prospecting In Colorado and sighting
Apaches In New Mexico he drifted north into
Kansas and reached Fort Riley in the fan oi
1876
For the next Eve years be served a scout
for the troops operating against the hostile In
dIans ln Kansas Indian Territory and Texas
During this time he made the acquaintance Of
such border notables aS Wild BIN Hickok. Buf-
faio Bin Cody. Capt. n. /. Payne. the "Clmarron
scout" served with General Custer as chief Of
scouts In the Battle of the washlta and the sub.
sequen, campaign and rapidly rose TO position
Of outstanding importance among the frontiers
men Of the period
From Kansas he drifted West again 10 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 erpedi
tion be guided a cavalry column sent from Fort
Laramie 20 the Red Cloud agency TO hold In
check the Sioux who were threatening 20 20 on
the warpath because OF the invasion OF their
beloved Pa-sappa tBlack Hillsl by the miners
From this place Miner wrote the letter 20 his
sons Reproduced aboveD telling OF the richness
os the new digglngs and urging them to join him
there.
Early the next year he was IN the Hills and
died a homestead claim so acres on Rapid
Greek .on which the present Rapid City was
later built In the fall OF 1876 he Joined the
command OF Gen. George Crook a scout and
was assigned TO the force Ted by Col Ronald $.
Mackenzie 20 dsarm Red Clouds oglalas before
they could Join the hostiles. He was TO have
been chief Of scouts for Mackenzie In the latters
winter campaign against Dull Knlfe's Cheyennes
but few days before the expedition set out or
October -, be was shot down from behind and
killed al Fort Robinson by a 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 Whit,
river by Dr. V. T. MeGillycuddy then surgeon
with the Second and Third Cavalry regiments In
Crooks army. who had known Joe well during
the Jenny expedition DR.. McGillycuddy. who Is
stll living in Berkeley. Calf, declares that Cali
fornia Joe had no equal as a scout In natural
ability, reliability and wide experience over the
frontier" and a reading OF this new biography
OF him confirms that opinion.
II also contains the material 10 upset many
popular BELIEF about OF the frontier
notables who have been so widely publcized
Because of Buffalo Bills reputation slayer
OF bison, there is a widely accepted idea that he
was a wizard with the rife. He may have been
but there probably has never been a deadlieI
rifle shot than California Joe with his heavy
Sharps fact which he demonstrated time after
time. both in shooting matches and in IndiaI
battles.
Wild Bill Hicl1ok is famous for the number OF
men who were victims OF his speed and deadly
accuracy with the pistol II California Joe had
been given to cutting notches on his gun for
every man he had slain, he could have shown 3
record which would have placed Hickok In the
amateur class. This does not mean that Miner
was killer in the sense that Wild Bill was.
He was peaceable enough until he was put on"
Then he proved himself bad man to fooi
with" many a learned TO his SORROW
that Is II he lived long enough to be sorry.
Cody and Hckok had many self-appointec
press agents to spread their renown, both de
served and undeserved. California Joe had
such first aids to fame. His neglected grave In
the post cemetery at Fort Robinson is symbolic
OF the fact that true greatness Is too often "un
wept, unhonored and unsung"
SWsStsrn Nswbpaesr Unioa-