Show HUNTED AND HAUNTED A tang Tra edy cily of fifty Ven henrj rj ban francisco call chit A telegram from kansas kans as city missouri announced the death at westport a village near that city of M major jl or james bridger who next to to kit kt karson Carson ranks as foremost among th the e pioneer sc scouts outs of f the tile rocky mountain regions major bridger or as lie hois is better and more familiarly known among the argonauts vi hu ho crossed the and sierras in the golden era cra jim bridger was identified with almost every warlike expedition north of the platte and south of the yellowstone river for more than forty car A companion of tile famous batile father r do smet among the crows and bioux sioux a guide for fremont a scout for albert sidney johnson in the mormon war an of gen erah harney and kearney and boon companion of bent bonneville bo bideaux and kit mt Cars carson son jim bridger became a part or portion of tho frontier history of this countr country I the writer lias bas followed the old d scout many long and we weary trails in tho tile northwest vito ad alas li as listened night alter after night by the camp fire while tho the old man mail related in gruff alff monotonous tones of daring ig arl aig and danger in ill the days oflAs youth thousands who made the pilgrimage across the plains on the overland tr trail ail I can remember this eccentric and celebrated old scout who founded and maintained the fort which bore his name not far from the tile green green river crossing I on the bedl emigrant route crossinn to california li fornia he ile saved by his timely warnings many bands of unsuspecting e emigrants i from eur surprise prise and massilean mas massacre re and hundreds who live b today to day owe their lives to his wonderful ingui scout THE SHADOW or A MYSTERY the early life of jim bridger has ever been a mystery it waa was a subject th the e bid man would never speak upon during a close intercourse of three year years from 1863 to 1866 1860 in the mountains the writer who came from bridgers own county in missouri could never elicit from the eccentric old man any details relative to his early life it was known among the old frontiersmen that old jim could if he lie would tell a yarn connected with his hi early days on n the frontier which would eclipse in interest any of his most thrilling incidents of life among the lle Indi indians atis but whenever he lie wasim was im por tuned to speak of his early exploits the old man became deaf leaf and could not hear bear what was being said and if in camp would wander out and find his way to tu the darkest ravine or to tho tile top of the tile nearest hill or tall rock ohp old french trappers or half bree breeds as who are to be found livin living with their indian squads squaws aws upon the beaver river on ma the upper er missouri who knew of B bridgers rig eras c early arly life could never be llido induced c d to speak of him bim they recognized co d him when they met but it was notice noticeable ablo that they none of them ex except cc old charley legrew legrow made bisom his cabin or teepee wigwam a place of report resort old jim bridger boasted of hav ing a wife in every indian tribe in the tile rocky and knew all the chief and and spoke all the languages of the original tribes on the eastern i slope he ile avoided as much as ws P possible possible I close association with to men inell other than military officers and often alluded to the time when he lie I had lived for years among the ane indians intercourse with white people the mystery 11 11 of jim bridgers bridger s early life was explained to the tho writer during a recent visit to oregon by colo colonel nel jess applegate Appleg alc of the umpqua valley col applegate who is now in monterey Montc rcy county on a visit obtained the follow following inc details of an ail almost forgotten tragedy from some of jim bridgers companions p pan anions ions nearly forty years ago thu rhe r story has never before been published and is peculiarly ing a as it explains how this celebrated scout and guide boug sought ailt a home and protection among t the e indians in his early days and why he be was always avoided and shunned bythe by the old french trap trappers and traders on the upper missouri and its tributaries tributa ries A TRAGEDY FIFTY YEARS AGO the story as related by old jesic A applegate P I e gate ia is as follows when hen cirp bridger was a young man he lie became identified with the american fur co which more than thai half a century ago kept a winter quarters near the mouth of of the kansas river th this is tran trading post was in the charge of the 60 cho beaus t louis mo here the s kiel agoos usages and kaw t tribes ribes camo came to trade and here also the flat flatboat boatmen roen and fur traders and others in the employment of tho the fur Comp company aily passed their winters and prepared for their spring trip up the missouri river after furs and peltries pel tries in the spring of 1833 jim bridger with a party ot of eight or ten tell hunters trappers trapper s and fur tur traders started for the yellowstone no country to spend two or three seasons hunting 71 er trapping the file journey was a long and tiresome one and as they had made a late start the season was far advanced when they reached tho the present site of old port fort randall they had abandoned aba their boat oivind and werd ware making their way on foot f to for beuton deuto where he tile follo following wim tragedy occurred I the party vi as marching in ia single file through a densely wooded re pull ef each ich carrying bl bis is kit containing food ammunition and traps strapped trap I upon his back his rifle upon his ii shoulder the leader of f the party a young hunter named tom G glass lass was ten tell to fifteen feet in advance of the party when a largo she bear and tow cubs were met in the trail before glass could retreat the tho monster had seized him idin in a deathly hug and bore him to the carth before the bear was ivas killed it had lind torn open the unfortunate roans mans abdomen cn n exposing his intestines and wrenched his left arm arin clear of the socket at the tile shoulder 11 his Is companions did lid all in their power to relieve glass and case hh intolerable pain but all agreed that I lie 10 could not live long his fis abdomen was bound with buckskin band bands and his left arm which ad heared to the shoulder merely by pieces of lacerated flesh wa wai j washed bound and tied to his side and lie was laid out to die TO SK BE CONCLUDED |