"Little" Bat Garnier - Misc. Characters

"Little" Bat Garnier ?-1900

Little Bat became a most expert cowhand. As a hunter his skill was marvelous, and as a trailer he was known far and wide. No Indian could equal his trailing. One strong feature stood out above all others -- his wonderful "bump of locality." Land him blindfolded in a strange country, and he would go as straight to his camp, in daylight or darkness, as the eye of a compass turns to the north. He was quite powerful physically and a tremendous runner. Grouard says he could chase a herd of elk and eventually kill them all by running them down into shooting distance. He was thoroughly honest. He could be trusted with any property, and his promises could always be relied on. What he pretended to know, he knew.
One of Little Bat's most intimate friends was Capt. James Cook, of Agate, Nebraska, who speaks of him as follows: "We were close friends from 1876 to the day of Bat's murder. He was well thought of by all the officers and men who were ever associated with him. He was good--natured and even--tempered at all times." General Cook considered him as one of the best big-game hunters in the Rocky Mountains. "During the years that Little Bat and I were such close friends, I never knew him to have a quarrel with anyone. He was murdered by a scoundrel named Jim Haguewood, in Crawford, Nebraska, near Ft. Robinson, in December 1900."
"Bat was a man of more than ordinary intelligence. Although he possessed no school training, he had certain remarkable qualities that made him distinctive. His honesty and fearlessness were never questioned. His skill as a hunter, and his knowledge of the language, customs and manners of the Sioux made his services to the government invaluable . . .
"He was not a 'long-haired man of the plains' who had more hair than brains. He was a most modest and unassuming character of the frontier. His home and family, and the simple life of the Western pioneer were what he most desired . . ."
The above estimates and opinions were given by two very reliable men who knew Little Bat over a long time - John Hunton from the time of Bat's early teens, and Captain Cook from about the age of 22 until Bat's death.

-String Of Beads Publishing