by Brian Hunhoff

“Captain Jack” Crawford was one of the original Black Hills Rangers. He survived many Old West adventures and was called “The Poet Scout.” This is the final stanza of his 1889 poem, “Truth”:

Truth may sparkle like diamonds,
But some men will cast it aside.
Instead they will treasure the mica,
And say to the truth, “Let her slide.”
But truth is the old rock of ages
Upon which our forefathers stood.
Without it there may be corruption,
And wit...