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
known 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 under
the patronage of this distiguished performance
writer that Crawford the drummer
boy, went West to study 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
sitting 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 1876-7 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," and in a few
moments handed in the following 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.