Traitor!!

In March of 1849 when the snows subsided, Crazy Bill Williams and Dr. Kern, two survivors of the relief party went back into the mountains to salvage the notes and equipment Fremont had deserted.  The two were never seen again, but stories came down that they were captured by the Ute's (whom Williams had betrayed). Kern was killed in the skirmish and Williams was taken captive and executed as a traitor to his people and his wife's people.  Thus ends the life of one Crazy Bill Williams who had traveled with the best of the western mountain men, including Captain Joe Walker, Kit Carson, and Jim Bridger.  

Next time...Rancher in California
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This Day in History:  On December 4, 1867,  former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Grange, which became a powerful political force among western farmers. Although the Grange, like the Masons, began primarily as a social organization designed to provide educational and recreational opportunities for farmers, it evolved into a major political force.  The Grange also played a key role in creating the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, which called for the first federal regulation of railroads to control unfair shipping rates.