Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-12-06

should be located as right where we
were camped. Our homesteaders were
almost purSuaded to go no farther, and
l, too, thought of giving the dingy
types and little hand press of the Fldette
the slip and settling down on the banks
of Sand Creek. But it was seventy miles
from railroad on the north and thirty
five miles from the nearest post-office
(Wichita) and we thought it better to
have claim few miles from town
which had already an existence, than
on the edge of a town whose future ex-
istence was problematical. Blythe way,
our homesteaders soon found that they
could not get claim in less than fifteen
miles of Wichita, although three months
before there was not house in that
place.
So we went on to Wichita down. the
valley of the Little Arkansas, broad
green prairie bounded on the east by
gentle swells that were called hills in
that country, with thin fringe of
cottonwood or box-alder along the river
Far away to the west across the great
Arkansas, could occasionally be seen
black glimpses of the herds of buffalo
which still fingered in that region. On
coming within twenty miles of Wichita
we saw an occasional homesteader's
cabin of cottonwood logs or sods.
We found Wichita to consist of eight
or ten log cabins with dirt roofs. One
OF these cabins was soon to be a print
ing office and another was a Catholic
church. But before the first frosts sent
the yellow leaves of the cottonwoods
rustling into the broad, shallow, muddy
waters of the Arkansas which flowed
near, there was street half mile
long, lined with struggling board
houses, most of which seemed to be al
ternately store and a saloon. 1t had
over all the state hard reputation
which it we'll deserved. 1t was here
that the cowboys on their long northern
trip struck the first whisky-shop and
had the first faithfully-used opportunity
to s'paint town red" The little town
was the headquarters of numerous
and desperate gang of horse-thieves.
The Sheriff, Charley Leland, and the
marshal, Curly Kid, were high in the
councils of the gang. Everybody knew
it but nobody could help.it.
Finally it was Uncle Sans strong
arm that brought them to grief. They
stole some horses from Fort Sill. The
government sent detective to Wichita
to see about it. He was last seen alive
playing poker with Curly Kid. He
was next seen dead, half hidden in the
sand on an island in the Arkansas Then
the commander at Fort Sill sent a squad
of cavalry to arrest the ringleaders.
But the gang were too much for the
squad, and the latter were driven out.
Then whole company of the blue
jackets came riding up out of the In
dian Territory, and a right lively little
LATHE took place about the log cabins
o. the embryo city. The rafting vol
leys from the troopers carbines were
answered by the rapid crack of half a
hun dred big navy revolvers. But
Unc o Sans boys were too many for
the border toughs. Charley and Curly
were killed and the gang entirely bro
kenuo
But the gang of spectators and
sharpgrs who remained were little hon.
ester end much shrewder than Curly s
gang. Among their other tricks were
to voto bonds into each others pockets
and inao the treasury of the railroad
compa .y-railroad bonds, court house
bonds, school-house bonds and what
not bon, s. They voted 100000 bonds
on the county to have the a. T. g. S. f.
built into Wichita, which was off in the
south part of a large county. The rail
road grant lay through the middle of the
county and the company must build
through the county, bonds or no bonds.
So it will be seen that the 100000 was
clear steal. The homesteaders out.
side and the inhabitants of the embryo
cities to the north clicked and squeal-
ed" but with no effect. The successors
of Curly Kids gang had the election
machinery in their hands and they
nonnfad vof "a ON the bond question ff