Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 16.djvu/54



46 WILLIAM H. PACKWOOD

"Jones and Coulter escaped from Laramie, picked up stock that we had left behind, passed us without calling at camp, and beat us to California. What became of them after that I never heard. I afterwards saw M. P. Deady at Empire City, but never asked him the true reason as to why they left our company at Laramie.

"I will give you an instance of pluck, nerve and endurance that is not often excelled. Captain Duncan of 'E' Company was with Captain Rhett at Laramie. Two men had deserted from his company, one man a large, fine looking man, who had been in service in the English army, and rated up to sergeant major, named Hesslep, and another, whose name I do not remember. They had stolen good horses and had 12 to 16 hours' start. Captain Duncan took Sergeant Lawler, and in about four days' time came to Green River, on the old emigrant road. At this point they found some Mormon emigrants who had seen Hesslep and comrade come in and go up the stream to camp. Captain Duncan knew from the description that they were his men. He got the Mormons to help him surround their camp. Hesslep and his companion, having placed nearly 400 miles between them and Laramie in four days' time, believed they were safe. They woke up to find Captain Duncan and Lawler with the drop on them, so they surrendered. If that was not determination in pursuit I don't know what it was. Captain Duncan and Lawler made the distance in less time than Hesslep, and when you consider that their horses had traveled from Camp Summer, near Leavenworth, and had lived on grass alone, it makes it a remarkable feat of endurance for horse as well as man.

"On his way back to Laramie with his prisoners Captain Duncan met us and stayed all night. We gave him supplies to carry him back to Laramie.

Hesslep and comrade were chained together, and when we met them they had walked nearly 200 miles chained together.

Captain Duncan afterwards married, served in the Civil War, was wounded, and became a rancher in Nebraska. This