Year: 1872

correspondent. who is with military ex-
penition on the plains:


Riding out above Julesburg, rock
was pointed to nae at the foot of which
had been enacted a tragedy the mere re-
cital of which made my blood run cold.
The place was in deep canyon. sur
rounded by high bluffs, and there was a
loneliness and silence in the frowning
rocks that oppressed every visitor. and
made them glad to hasten their departure
from the gloomy dell Many years ago
two young men came from the East, and
ascending the Missouri engaged in the
fur business. They were bosom friends.
and prospered in all their undertakings;
money flowed into their Golfers and they
became wealthy; still they stayed in the
West that had been go generous to them,
and finally determined to make it their
permanent home. One of the young
men had fair sister, who lived at St.
Louis, where the partners went annually
to sell their furs and divide the profits Of
their business. The girl. infatuated by
the tales of adventure told by her brother.
longed to visit the great West, and beg
ged SO hard that she might be permitted
to 20, tha. her brother finally consented.
For whole year sue lived a: the hun
ter's rancho on the head-waters of the
Missouri, and when the time came for
the partners to 60 down the river and
sell their furs, the brother was sick and
could not 60. The girl was 10th to leave
her brother, but he urged her to go home
and see their mother. saying he would
soon be we'll and follow after her. En-
trusting his darling to his friend and
partner, the two set out in Mackinaw
boat, well manned and provided with
every comfort The brother grew worse
and the summer wore away before he
was able to travel In the meantime the
partner returned bringing him news from
home and division of the annual profits
which we're larger than ever before. The
brother, pleased with the manner in
which their business had been managed
readily yielded to the suggestion of his
partner to delay bis visit home, devoted
the winter to active operations. and 60
down in the spring with furs. All went
well until mid winter, when the brother
received letter from his home that near
ly crazed him The letter was from his
mother. and gave long and circumstan-
tial account of the seduction and ruin Of
his beloved Nina by his partner. The
girl had confessed everything and told
how he had seduced her while bringing
her home down the Missouri and then
abandoned her. The poor girl, unable to
bear her shame, had become a maniac,
and soon would be a mother. The first
impulse of the brother on reading this
letter was 10 seek out at once and kill the
villain who bad ruined his family. but
he thought the momentary suffering in
aicted by ball was not enough of pun
ishment for such scoundrel, and so de-
vi.ed plan for revenge that no Indian
could have outdone for cruelty. Keep


ing the receipt of his letter profound
secret, he went on with his business as
usual and every day met his partner on
the same terms Of friendly intimacy as
formerly. When the skins were packed
and all in readiness to 90 down the river
the brother went to Fort Benton and
there had executed will, leaving the
name OF the person who made it bIauk, af
ter which he returned to his camp on the
Jefferson Fort. He then represented
that on the Platte great profits were to
be made in the fur trade. and proposed
to his partner that instead of going down
the Missouri they should go overland to
old Fort Kearney and intercept their
boats at the mouth of the Platte on the
Missouri. The inducement was that if
they found all as represented they would
establish branch of their business at
Fort Larmie, and thus increase their pro.
fits The partner readily assented to
proposals so manifestly for the advantage
of both, and alone they set out, taking
with them only pack mule to carry the
-four and bacon to be used on the jonr-
ney. They travelled for many days and
finally came to the Platte, down which
they followed the overland trail to Ben
ards ranch. Under some pretence or
other the brother induced his partner to
accompany him into the lonely pass.
where, disarming him, be securely tied
him hand and foot, and then bound
him to the rock. At first the partner
thought it was some cruel joke. but when
the brother produced the letter and read
it, the poor man knew but too we'll his
time had come. He confessed all and
asked to be shot, but the brother bad an
other fate in store for his victim. Coolly
encamping by the rock. he sat down to
see his partner starue to death On the
third day the ill-fated man signed the
deed bequeathing all his property to the
injured girl, and the brother attached a
fictioue name as witness of the instru


ment, by the terms Of which he was
l. IL & H.. 20