John “Liver Eating” Johnston – Mountain Man and Constable
John “Liver Eating” Johnston – Mountain Man and Constable John “Liver Eating” Johnston, aka: John Garrison (1824?-1900) – Primarily known as a mountain man, Indian fighter and lawman, New Jersey born John Johnston’s birth name was actually John Garrison. He joined the Navy during the Mexican-American War, but after striking an officer, he deserted and changed his name to John Johnston. He then traveled to Montana where he worked as a trapper, miner, wagon master, scout, tour guide, whiskey peddler, and supplier of cord wood to passing steamboats. He also served with the Union during the Civil War. Johnston is purported to have married a Flathead woman named the Swan, who was said to have been killed by the Crow. He then supposedly waged a personal war against the Crow, killing any Crow warrior he saw. Neither of these legends actually occurred because Johnston’s military records tell us he was a sailor, onboard ship, during the Mexican American War. Similarly, Johnston never did e...