Blessed2Bless by Steve Klusmeyer
The Hero
by Steve Klusmeyer - 08/19/2003
Home  |
Writings by Steve |
Quotes to Remember |
Pictures with a Story |
| Life's FAQs |
Writings by Others |
Newsletter Subscription |
Contact Steve |
Taken Captive
Her husband James, a successful Santa Fe Trail merchant, had spent the last year expanding his business to El Paso and Santa Fe. He had returned to Missouri to bring her and their little girl to a new home in the emerging northeast New Mexico Territory. The journey had been long and hard, but she was looking forward to their new life. About seven days out of Santa Fe, Mr. and Mrs. White had decided to take a small group and go on ahead of the rest. But then everything had gone amiss.The small party had traveled to a point on the Cimarron Cutoff about 45 miles east of Rayado. The Cutoff was shorter than the Mountain Branch, but the threat of Indians was greater. Without warning a band of 100 Apache warriors had swarmed upon them, killing her husband and the other men. They had taken her, her baby, and a black woman slave captive. Now she sat weeping at the edge of the Canadian River. It had been ten, maybe twelve days, but the sight of the massacre had not faded from her mind. She clutched a small book, hoping beyond hope that help would come.
A Prayer for Help
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement at the top of a nearby hill. For an instant, hope was rekindled. The rescue party had come. Then, without explanation, they stopped. In that brief moment of hesitation, her captors had also taken notice. They scattered and fled - but not before an arrow found its way through her heart. Her child and the black woman would never be seen again.One of the rescuers approached the body of Mrs. White. He knelt down and picked up the book lying beside her. He would later write, "(It was) the first of the kind I had ever seen, in which I was represented as a great hero, slaying Indians by the hundred. I have often thought that Mrs. White must have read it, and knowing that I lived nearby, must have prayed for my appearance in order that she might be saved. I did come, but I lacked the power to persuade those that were in command over me to follow my plan for her rescue." The book was a dime novel written by Ned Buntline. The man was Kit Carson.
No Match
Kit Carson was no match for his fictional double and continued to be
bothered by the false hope given to Mrs. White. In fact, his fame
was a great burden and embarrassing to the quiet frontiersman.
Once a traveler from the east was eagerly seeking to have the
great Kit Carson pointed out to him. After being directed to Kit,
the stranger looked at the small, mild-eyed, soft-mannered man
before him in disbelief. Expecting a large, fierce mountaineer, he
said, "See here, feller, what's this yer givin' me? Yer not Kit
Carson. I'm no greenhorn. I'll let yer off this wunst, ef yer'll pint
out the genooine Kit." Carson pointed to an enormous trader, with a
huge mustache, dressed in a hunting shirt, buckskin pants, and a
large hat. This man fit the stranger's idea and he watched the big
trader for an hour with great interest. Then he left, well satisfied
that he had seen the "genooine Kit."
Everyone is looking for a hero - for the genuine thing. But heroes often disappoint or fall short of their reputation. Their cape slips to one side or they trip over a chunk of kryptonite. Fortunately there is one hero who does measure up, although at first look, he doesn't seem to fit the super hero mold. And he has the power to come to our rescue. Learn more.
Read more about Kit Carson.