Liver-Eating Johnson
Photo credit: Montana State Historical Society
Born in 1824 in New Jersey, Jeremiah Johnson is known for the legendary dark stories attached to his name. Johnson served during the Civil War as a logger, trapper, scout, and sheriff. However, he is better-known for the 15-year-long war he waged with the Crow Native Americans who killed his wife.
It’s believed that in 1847, his wife, who was a member of the Flathead Native American tribe, was murdered, and he sought his revenge. According to history books, he scalped more than 300 Crow and cannibalized their livers. It wasn’t long before his reputation grew, and he became known as “Liver-Eating Johnson.” Eating the liver was an insult to the Crow, as it was believed to be vital for the afterlife. Johnson avenged his wife and died in 1900 at a veterans’ home in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 75.
While I can understand how much Johnson must have been hurting, I do think that his methods of revenge were over the top and a bit extreme.
Coffee out on the patio this morning...again!
