Kit Carson Describes the Death of Mrs. White
Read along to discover the real nature of our frontier heros.
Kit Carson has gone down in history as one of the more famous frontiersmen of the middle 19th century. And for good reason. He was a skilled trapper, expert navigator, strong fighter, and generally exceptionally capable in frontier living. Although he is famous in our own time, Carson’s fame was peaking during his own lifetime. Details of his expeditions with John Fremont had earned him a reputation with easterners as a living frontier legend. In fact, his legend was so popular that Carson became the central hero in one of the many dime novels of the time. As you can imagine, Carson himself never read the books and was at least mostly unaware they were even in print. That is until the death of Mrs. White.
Rather than retell the story of Kit Carson and the death of Mrs. White, let’s take a look at an excerpt from the book Kit Carson’s Own Story of his Life. Although published in the 1900s, it was created using notes from interviews with Carson himself. In it he describes being a member of a party that is trying to save a “Mrs. White” from a group of Apache that have kidnapped her.
“In October, the train of a Mr. White 56 was attacked by the Jicarilla Apache. He was killed and his wife and chid taken prisoner. A command was organized in Taos, Leroux and Fisher as guides. When they reached Rayado, I was employed as one of the guides. We marched to where the depredation had been committed, then took their trail. I was the first man that found the camp where the murder had been committed. Found trunks that were broken open, harnesses cut, and everything destroyed that the Indians could not carry with them.
“We followed them some ten or twelve days. It was the most difficult trail that I ever followed . As they would leave the camps, they ( would break up ) in numbers ( of ) from one to two ( and travel ) in different directions to meet at some appointed place. In nearly every camp we would find some of Mrs. White's clothing, which was the cause of renewed energy to continue the pursuit.
“We finally came in view of the Indian Camp. I was in advance , started for their camp , calling to the men to follow. The comdg officer ordered a halt, none then would follow me. I was informed that Leroux, the principal guide, told the officer in com mand to halt, that the Indians wished to have a parley.
“The Indians, seeing that the troops did not in tend to charge on them, they commenced packing up in all haste. When the halt was ordered the comdg officer was shot; the ball passing through his coat, guantlets that were in his pockets, shirts, and to the skin, doing no serious damage, only making him a little sick at the stomach. The guantlets saved his life leaving to the service of his country, one ( man ) gallant officer.
“As soon as he recovered from the shock given him by the ball, he ordered the men to charge, but the order was too late for the desired effect. There was only one Indian in the camp, he running into the river hard by was shot. In about 200 yards, pursuing the Indians, the body of Mrs. White was found, perfectly warm, had not been killed more than five minutes, shot through the heart with an arrow. She evidently knew that someone was coming to her rescue. She did not see us, but it was apparent that she was endeavoring to make her escape when she received the fatal shot.
“I am certain that if the Indians had been charged immediately on our arrival, she would have been saved. The Indians did not know of our approach and perhaps, not paying any particular watch of her, she could ( have ) run towards us, the Indians fearing to pursue. She could not possibly have lived long for the treatment she had received from the Indians was so brutal and horrible that she could possibly last but a short period. Her life, I think, should never be regretted by her friends. She is surely far more happy in heaven, with her God than among the friends on this earth….”
In camp was found a book, the first of the kind I had ever seen, in which I was made a great hero, slaying Indians by the hundred and I have often thought that as Mrs. White would read the same and knowing that I lived near, she would pray for my appearance and that she might be saved. I did come but had not the power to convince those that were in command over me to pursue my plan for her rescue. They would not listen to me and they failed. I will say no more regarding the matter, attach no blame to any particular person, for I presume the consciences of these that were the cause of the failure has severely punished them ere this.”
As you can see, Mrs. White was killed while trying to escape from the Apache. While at the camp, Carson finds a dime novel that features him as the hero and superhuman “Indian fighter.” In reality, he couldn’t save her, although he felt as if he could have if given command.
Imagine what Carson must have felt standing on that prairie. Sadness, confusion, maybe anger at the dime novel author. It’s hard saying. It does serve as a good example of how authors and movie directors have tried to elevate the western frontier hero to super-human abilities. In reality, they were people
just like you and I. That’s what this website is all about. By using their own words, I’m trying to convey the reality of their lives, as they told them, in a way that we can connect with them. Had they been super humans, they would be of no use to us. However, as regular people they can teach us an awful lot about the tenacity of the human spirit and how much people are capable of overcoming.
