132

"THE POET SCOUT."

Leaves from the Record of a Runaway Drummer Boy.

One of Ned Buntline's Pets and Ideals and the Friends of Buffalo Bill.

Tomorrow night the Buffal Bill combination will play in this city. The title of the play is "The Red Right Hand or Buffalo Bill's First Scalp for Custer." Such plays as these do not generally draw large houses in Kansas City, and were it not that one of the principal characters in the combination is well knwon to the writer, no special mention would have been made. But J. W. Crawforn, or, as he loves best to be called, "Captain Jack," is a genius very seldom met with. His childhood was that of Oliver Twist, his boyhood a favorite drummer boy in the army, and his early manhood a scout on the frontier. His father and brothers were sacrificed in the late war, and his mother, left a widow, was left dependant upon the little Scotch drummer boy, "Jack." Little Jack was shot and supposed to be mortally wounded at Gettysburg and carried in the arms of an old soldier a senseless and quivering boy soldier to the hospital. It was in the hospital where Jack, the runawau boy, first learned to read. The kind Sisters of Mercy sitting beside the wounded drummer boy's couch taught him his first lessons in A B C, and taught him to write his first letter. As soon as he was able to get out of hospital he met with a friend in the present Governor Hartranft of Pennsylvania, and by his influence was promoted to a suitable position in the army. His youth, however, and the close of the war prevented the drummer boy reaching any high mark of distinction, and at the end of the war he became a pupil of Ned Buntline, the novelist. It was umder the patronage of this distiguished performance write that Crawford the drummer boy, went West to [word?] Western life and havits. He was one of the first of the white men to break through the military cordon surrounding the Black Hills and reach the gold mines. He was one of the original founders and incorporators of Custer City, and the leader of the company of scouts which protected the miners and cabin builders from Indian inroads and forays while they built up their stockade on French creek. It was here on French creek that the TIMES correspondent found the "poet scout" in the winter of 1876. He was discovered sittign a-tide of a log on the corner of his half built cabin sawing off a log. As he was the only newspaper correspondent then in the Black Hills the TIMES man soon made his acquaintance. In the winter campaign of 19876-7 the TIMES special correspondent had an opportunity of studying the long-haired scout, and saved a few of his hastily written rhymes. A few of these are herewith submitter. They have never been in print before and were written out in the woods in the Black Hills wihtout study or preparation. One bright morning the Poet Scout called at the tent of the TIMES correspondent, who was busy writing a letter home, and offered to write a few verses. He has given a subject "Custer," andi n a few moments handed in the fowllowing sweet poem:

CUSTER.

(For the Kansas City Times by "Captain Jack."

A little [word?] in the park.

Deep shaded by the trees.

Ye, gods! it is a cozy noon.

"THE POET SCOUT."

Leaves from the Record of a Runaway Drummer Boy.

One of Ned Buntline's Pets and Ideals and the Friends of Buffalo Bill.

Tomorrow night the Buffal Bill combination will play in this city. The title of the play is "The Red Right Hand or Buffalo Bill's First Scalp for Custer." Such plays as these do not generally draw large houses in Kansas City, and were it not that one of the principal characters in the combination is well knwon to the writer, no special mention would have been made. But J. W. Crawforn, or, as he loves best to be called, "Captain Jack," is a genius very seldom met with. His childhood was that of Oliver Twist, his boyhood a favorite drummer boy in the army, and his early manhood a scout on the frontier. His father and brothers were sacrificed in the late war, and his mother, left a widow, was left dependant upon the little Scotch drummer boy, "Jack." Little Jack was shot and supposed to be mortally wounded at Gettysburg and carried in the arms of an old soldier a senseless and quivering boy soldier to the hospital. It was in the hospital where Jack, the runawau boy, first learned to read. The kind Sisters of Mercy sitting beside the wounded drummer boy's couch taught him his first lessons in A B C, and taught him to write his first letter. As soon as he was able to get out of hospital he met with a friend in the present Governor Hartranft of Pennsylvania, and by his influence was promoted to a suitable position in the army. His youth, however, and the close of the war prevented the drummer boy reaching any high mark of distinction, and at the end of the war he became a pupil of Ned Buntline, the novelist. It was umder the patronage of this distiguished performance write that Crawford the drummer boy, went West to [word?] Western life and havits. He was one of the first of the white men to break through the military cordon surrounding the Black Hills and reach the gold mines. He was one of the original founders and incorporators of Custer City, and the leader of the company of scouts which protected the miners and cabin builders from Indian inroads and forays while they built up their stockade on French creek. It was here on French creek that the TIMES correspondent found the "poet scout" in the winter of 1876. He was discovered sittign a-tide of a log on the corner of his half built cabin sawing off a log. As he was the only newspaper correspondent then in the Black Hills the TIMES man soon made his acquaintance. In the winter campaign of 19876-7 the TIMES special correspondent had an opportunity of studying the long-haired scout, and saved a few of his hastily written rhymes. A few of these are herewith submitter. They have never been in print before and were written out in the woods in the Black Hills wihtout study or preparation. One bright morning the Poet Scout called at the tent of the TIMES correspondent, who was busy writing a letter home, and offered to write a few verses. He has given a subject "Custer," andi n a few moments handed in the fowllowing sweet poem:

CUSTER.

(For the Kansas City Times by "Captain Jack."

A little [word?] in the park.

Deep shaded by the trees.

Ye, gods! it is a cozy noon.