(Earlier text describes a February 28, 1858 raid by a group that included Jennison.) On this trip the word, Jayhawker, originated. Jennison had with him a regular all-around thief named Pat Devlin. After the boys went into camp north of the Osage, the next morning (which would have been March 1, 1858) after visiting Van Zumwalt, they noticed Pat coming in riding a yellow mule loaded down with all sorts of plunder. In front of him were hanging from the horn of the saddle, a big turkey, three or four chickens and a string of red peppers, behind him a 50-pound shoat, a sheep-skin, a pair of boots and a bag of potatoes.
"Hello, Pat, where have you been," asked Doc.
"O'ive been over till Eph. Kepley's a-jayhawking."
"Jayhawking? What in thunder do you mean? What kind of hawking is that?" said Doc.
"Well, sor, in ould Oireland we have a birud we call the jayhawk, that whin it catches another birud it takes deloight in bullyragin the loife out ov it, like a cat does a mouse, and, be jasus, Oi bethot me Oi was in about thot same business mesilf. You call it 'foraging off the inemy,' but, begobs, O'ill call it jayhawking."
"All right," laughed Jennison. "We'll call it 'Jayhawking' from this on." And so it was.
This same Pat Devlin took a claim on the Osage some time before the incident related, laid a foundation for a cabin on it and prepared for pre-emption. But his inclination to jayhawk overcame any desire he may have had to become a farmer, and, in consequence, he was away so much "on thot business" that he forfeited all right to his claim. John Hinton, of the Osage, then jumped the claim, built a cabin and moved his father and mother and family into it. Among the family was the old grand father, a man about 85 years of age, who was bed-ridden and helpless from rheumatism. One day Pat was riding by the cabin, and on examination, he found that the family were all away from home except the old man. What did he do then but turn in and first tearing the roof off the house he rolled the logs off one at a time clear down to a level with the old grand pap's bed, leaving him there in the weather, alone and utterly helpless.