The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-05-01
Correspondence Of the EAGLE.
FROM FIT. SILL.
FoRr SILL, INDIAN TERHITORY, I
April 18th. 1873,

H
April 18th, 1873.
EDITOR EAGLE: After so long q
time l will cndeavor to comply with
your request.
We left your busy little city on the
morning of the Sd, expecting to come
directly through, but owing to some
misunderstanding on the part of Agent
Brown we were detained at Yelling
ton until Tuesday, the 4th. when we
took the stage out from Wichita. An
afternoons ride over the beautiful
prairies Of the southern part of Sum-
ncr county landed us in Caldwell in
time to see the king Of day sink h m
seff beneath the western horizon.
Caldwell is truly frontier town, as
. sign on the last house we passed be-
fore passing into the Indian territory
would indicate. On one side the sign
reads "last chance" OH the other
''first chance" As saw nothing very
inviting about the appearance of the
house or the surroundings, l was at
loss to know what it meant. and SO
Intercepted the driver. His reply
was that it was the last chance to get
drink.
We entered the territory on the old
cattle trail, which is very wide, we'll
beaten road, and seemed to be as much
travelled As any road in the states. As
the first fifty miles of the road was
passed over in the night, | was not
able to form much of an idea respect
ing it. We passed Sewell's ranch
about midnight, which, with the ex-
ceptiOn of a stage station on Polecat
creek, is the only habitation until we
arrived at Skeleton creek, where is an
other stage station. This morning We
saw our first wild buffaloes, and dur
ing the day we saw hundreds of them
lazily grazing on the wide stretching
prairies. and with the exception Of an
occasional wolf and the little harmless
prairie dog, seemed to be monarchs of
the plains. We took dinner at Bakers
ranch, where the up-bound stage pass
ed us. B. NJ. Tcrrill, the gentlemanly
agent of the Southwestern
stage company, was on board. He had
been down over the line arranging for
runs. And just here al
low me to speak of the attention shown
us by all. both agents and employees of
company, assuring al who may con-
template making this trip during the
that everything is done by the
company that can be done to make the
trip pleasant.
During the afternoon Of the day we
crossed the Cimarron and 9 O'Clock
night found us at the Chcy-
enne agency, about one hundred miles
in the territory. Here we saw the
first Indians. AS we had heard of the
the Chcyennes had been
making on the surveyors, we felt a lit
lie shaky. But after getting supper
md n change of horses, we started,
crossing the north fork of the Canadi-
IN river soon after leaving the agency.
The night was dark and threatening a
storm, the road for some distance
rather rough, and so the ride was
rather unpleasant, but next morning,
lfter a nice shower of rain, the sun
zane out, lighting up all nature anew,
md at o'clock we arrived all safely
It Wichita agency. on the Washita
liver. Stopping only long enough to
get breakfast and a change of horses,
we were soon on our way. The day
was so pleasant and the country SO
beautiful that I, Henry Ward Beecher
ike. got up and rode with the driver
10 admire it. We soon came in sight
Of the Washita mountains, and for
twenty miles our road lay along the
valley Mt their base. The mountains
ire not very high, vet the scenery is
1ery fine indeed. The soil in the val
ey is very rich, and there seems to be
IN abundance Of timber and good
water.
We arrived at Sill on the evening of
he 9th all safely, having enjoyed the
tide very much. am very agreeably
in the general appear
.nce Of the country here. 1t is very
inc. Indeed, the country all through
he territory is much better than
to see. The new agent, J. NJ.
seems to be giving general
and the affairs of the agen-
" are all going along smoothly. But
nv communication is long enough this
lime. At another time | will write
rou more about these things.
Respectfully, YOURS,
o. G.. GIVEN, NJ. d.
Correspondence OF the EAGLE.
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