EIvDORADO 33 



small island in the river. After considerable parleying- 

 he consented to give himself up if he could have a fair 

 trial, which was promised, although many had declared 

 for shooting or hanging him at once. Our physician 

 (who afterwards died with the cholera) extracted the 

 bullet from the injured man by making an incision in 

 the pit of the stomach, where it had lodged, but his re- 

 covery was considered doubtful. However, general 

 consent was had to give the man a trial, as promised 

 by his captors. Captain Hardy was selected as judge, 

 a jury impaneled, and I was chosen to defend the pris- 

 ioner (my maiden case more than ten years before I 

 was admitted to the bar). A Mr. Coleman of Michigan 

 stood for the people. I secured both the women as 

 witnesses for my client, who put up a strong case 

 against the supposed dying man, and I so far won the 

 suit that the verdict of the jury was that the prisoner 

 be taken to Fort Laramie and delivered up to the mili- 

 tary authorities to be sent home for trial. This was 

 done. Upon arriving at the Fort we found a party 

 who had known my client in Christian county, Illinois, 

 and who declared him to be a notorious horse-thief and 

 counterfeiter. The wounded man was still alive, and 

 we decided to leave the whole outfit at the fort. While 

 being taken back to the States the prisoner made his es- 

 cape before reaching Fort Leavenworth. Three years 

 later I met both men at Hangtown, where they were 

 partners in running a blacksmith shop. My client ex- 

 pressed much gratitude for saving his life. On arriv- 

 ing at Fort Laramie in 1853, I inquired of the com- 

 manding officer what had become of the women. Ho 

 stated that they both married soldiers, and were then 

 at Fort Leavenworth. 



