American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-12-07
AN "HONEST MUM.

N Telegraph Operators Remarkable Ex-
perience Out on the Nebraska Prairies.
Timely Flight from Moody Scenes.
tCor Louisville Courier-Journal.1
OKAHA, Neb., November I4.-In the
summer and autumn of 1866 was the
operstor in charge of the Overland
Telegraph Company's Office at Plum
Creek Station, Neb, about so miles
west of Fort Kearney.
Before l took charge of the office at
flum Creek a company of soldiers had
been stationed there to keep the un-
friendly Indians in subsection, and to
subdue any outbreak on the part of those
VINO pretended to be on good terms
with the Government. But affairs on
the plains being quiet, the presence of
the troops was considered no longer
necessary, and they were ordered into
Omaha.
MY QUARTERS ON THE PLAINS.
Every one else out there being so con-
fident that no danger threatened, went
to work without any apprehensious N.Y.
self of coming troubles. The com
pany furnished me with a good horse,
TWO navy revolvers and a carbine, and
my quarters were in an adobe building,
called IN the parlance of the plains
"dobey." The walls were built of sod
and the roof was built of strong cot
tonwood logs in place of rafters. and
covered with the same material that the
walls were composed of. In the sum-
mer time grass and flowers grew up on
the sides apd top of the "dobey" and
made 1t very pleasant place of abode.
My communication with people of the
world was rather limited, the only per-
SONS ever saw being travellers in the
overland stage, movers in ox-wapons.
bound for the Pacific slope, and an oc
/. casional visit from a ranchman of the
plains.
NOVELTY AND SAFETY.
For awhile the novelty of being almost
entirely alone and free from the re-
straints OF civilized life imposed upon
US was very pleasant, but when be-
came accustomed to this the silence of
the desert during the daytime was al
most overpowering, and there were
times when 1 almost sighed for a sight
at even hostile Indian. The ship
wrecked sailor who is cast away in mid
ocean alone in boat finds some escape
from the lonesome stiffness in the soft
splashing of the waves, but a man alone
on the plains has not even that much
noise to break the dread monotony.
There were no birds there to charm the
ear and lend an air of life to the scene, |
except now and then the screech of the |
desert hawk could be heard, the notes |
of which were unmusical and far apart. |
Sitting in nay little office some DAYS, ey-
cry thing was so hushed and still could |
almost imagine that every body else in
the world was dead, and that had been
left behind as sentinel guarding their
tombs. l often found myself wonder
ing what the feelings of man would be
if he knew that there was not a living
being in the world beside himself, and
he was destined to live through al. ages
TO come surrounded by an everlasting
silence. At night the scene from nv
office window was weird and ghost-Iike.
but the ravenous coyotes broke the still
ness that reigned throughout the day by
swapping and snarling at each other un-
til the morning dawned. II
SHOOTING CAYoTEs AT NIGHT.
For the sake of passing the time got {
to firing ut the creatures with my car
bine and reyolvers, and it was astonish- t