The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-25
OLD BANJO And BANJGS BOB


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''on'y the conp'ny's goin' to pull off this
route. 1t sure seems like sellil' my
own father to sell Ole Banjo,
but yuh kin hev him fer two hundred
even plunks. More'n tibet. the game don't
perceei less'n yuh hire Banjo's Bob fer his
hostler.n
On the way back from Helena. a. we sat
In the cupola OF a caooose. looking ont over
our trainload Of horses. Bsnio's Bob told
me of his namesake.
HE amt much for purity, Banjo amt,
but he's gosh awful fer good. Fer twenty
year now I've he'd him ia my string az he
amt day older in his feelin's than he was
In '63 down in Kansas. He's thet proud
spirited reckon he'd die right thar eff be
felt the whip. Twict Ole Banjo an me bed
= race weth Injuus. Onct down on the
Ntobrary they he'd my station held up fer
twelve hours, an ms a peckln' away weth
my Sharp's 50-lo0. an mi glin' lead with
their caroassss mighty free, an then he'd to
make break for it with old Banjo. l lest
give him the word, an he went through
them Comanches like a hunters
teeth through a butler hump. / got
this finger shot off, an Ole Banjo got
bullet through tho tip of his ear tibet
makes him look eZ though he was swaler-
turked The Injuns chased US twenty mile
but they couldn't ketch Ole Banj,. His
head au' tail was up, an be jest nachully set
the yearth on fire. sure set a heap o
store by tibet boss. Another time | was
hostler at an eatin' station on the Cheyenne
route to the Black Hills an the Sioux got
over there on a scaIpin' tower. Ole Banjo
was nigh led-hoss in six team Of the I'M
bustedest brJncos tibet ever was strung out
ahead of stage. Well, 81, one day We
heard the clue eUy-cluck Of the stage wheel
about an hour before tins, an we knowed
from the way the clucks was a-cDmin' 80
frequent theC somethin' was the mat
ter. In another minute here she come
around little 0u te. Ole Banjo jest a-paw>
In the air on a level trot, an all the broncos
on a dead rul. Tn v want no driver on
the box, but Ole Banjo jest started a-crclin'
round the station an milled 'em TIL they
come to stop right in front Of the door
Thets on the dead thievin' square. / hain'C
tryIn' to run no wheeler on yuh, fer |
learned him tibet trick way back In the sos
Wnen the coach stopped we seen the driver
In the front boot all dobbled weth blood.
He'd ben shot in the head from one o. them
rifles the guvment donates TO the Iniuns fer
SIGH amusement. We jest started to
git him out when round the butte
come a hull war party of Sioux, a-yelin'
an maxim medicine mot oumusical. We
hustled the team inter the station dinin'
room. au' begun urniu' loose on the Iniuys
They was me an the comD'ny blacksmith
an the eatin' house ma an his wife an
baboy an Vic Smith, an ole buffer hunter.
We made it plenty .onpleasaut for the Ia
1uns, an Vic he got his man evefy time but
onct, an then he got the Injuu's caYuse.
But the house want much pertectiol .. an ez
the lnjuns KEEP pervadin' 'roun we s0r err
agreed thet one on US must 60 fer help Ole
Banjo he'd jest come in fun an eighteen
mile route. an the last six mile "A keepin'
ahead of a gang of Injuns, but knowed he
was good fer forty mile more, an begun
Gittin' him ready. His backbone au' ribs
did &c stick out so free in them
days, an | jest thought | would
go il BAREBACK an weth ony a
hackamore roun' his nose. Yuh see. the
hackamore was on'y hair rope weth no
buckles to jingle. Well, it come along dark
purity soon, an | tore up pair O. pants an
wropped 'em aroun' Ole Banjo's feet so his
shoes wouldn't clink agin the gravel. When
it come plum dark got on Ole Banjo in
in the diuin' room am rode out toward
Cheyenne. We hadn't gone far when see
an IRjun not five foot a0ssd. He hadn'tno
idee they was any one On the boss back mn
he jist bought things was a-comia' too easy
when good stage bosses walked into him
hathaway. He put up his band b. ketch
time layin' along his neck weth NV gun
til &c inches ahead Of Oles Banjo's nose.
want two foot away wbsn | let the
lnjun hev it right be ween the eyes. Well,
they amt much more to tell. | lest rod.
Ole Banjo like the devil a-baatin' tansbark
fer the forty mile iuter Cheyanne. Istarte 4
fun the station at jest o'clock, an rode
inter Cheyenne at l.. la half an hour we
was on our way back weth a squad of cav
nly-yr ntn1 la or~fn 4 A..
station. All the Injuns was gone cepti'
the one l he'd located permanent az three
others whica Vic ned made good, an which
the other lnju he'd kerried off But [
want Yuh to notice thet Ole Banjo went
that eighty mile In seven hours an never
missedh regular trip over the route either.
"Banjos got heap more sense than some
folks has got, hay. LoJs O. times be has
saved a coachful O. passengers fun goin'
into washOut when the night was so dark
the driver couldn't sec the leaders. One
night up in Montanny it was jest nachully
stormin' pizen, and Ole Banjo was on the
Deer Lodge trail. o. course he was in the
lead, but the driver was new one, an
hadn't been told tnet Ole Banjo sawed his
business better'n airy driver thet ever He'd
a rein over him. The road WANT nut eight
foot wide in places, weth a mounting
straight up on one side an a precipics miles
over the road but once, an then in the dark,
and he felt mighty prayerful when a flash %
lgntnln' would come an let him look down
in the yearth about seven mile. He sure
didn't feel none gay at the vistas. But all
at once Ole Banjo stopped, an the rest o.
the team knew enough not to make no bluff
when Banjo asked fer a show down. The
driver done his best tub git the team tub
move, but they all waited t. see Banio's
hand. Finally the driver walked up a pas
senger who was sleepIu' in the front boot on
the mail sack an give him the ribbons to
bold while he went ahead to spy out the
trouble. He found a plenty, fer he was
almost touchin' big grizzly bar when a
flash o. llghtnin' showed him his mistake.
Well, yuh see, the driver hadn't lost no bar,
and the man s-holJ o the lines swore he
never touched but one high place tell he
jumped on the box The driver tole me he
ali to once weighed three ounces lighter'n a
straw hat, an Jest flew over the team. They
WANT no clance tun turn the team, er the
coach an the hull outfit he'd ten stay thur an
shiver tell it was light enough TO see. Then
they shot the tar an found it had busted an
inside surcingle or somethin' a-tumblin'
down the mounting. But all the same.
want yuh TO notice tibet airy other boss in
the lead would s-iack-knited the team, an'
carried the hull OUTFIT TO kingdom come
down the precpice. He's sure boss, an
the man tibet ever throws silk inter him er
treats him bad hez got tuh make some
medicine weth me, Joe Bush. He amt
49,. en1.