The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-03-17
AT LONE PINE.

west and eleven from Big Rock to the
east. The names of these stations,
together with dozens of others, have
since been changed. At the date I
write of man named Clark had Big
Rock station. had Bad Creek and a
new agent and operator had just taken
possession of Lone Pine. That station
had been vacant for a week. It had
been held by a young man named
Reed for about three months, but one
night he was found dead and robbed
the work of the lawless element then
overrunning the West The first
news | got from the new agent came
from herself over the wire one after
noon, and this is what she said:
''Allow me to introduce myself as
Mrs. Hadley. the new agent at Lone
Pine. | am just out from Chicago.
Charming place this, and | know /
shall like it. Hope to become better
acquainted"
1t was in May when the little wo-
man took possession. In describing
her l did not say that she was little,
but such was the fact. Her weight
was not over 100 pounds and she
looked more like girl of Is than a
woman of %. got chance to run
up and see her one afternoon in the
month and found her nicely settled.
She had been more or less annoyed
by roughs, but there had been no oc-
casion to test her nerve as yet. /
found her double-barreled shotgun
loaded with buckshot and her navy
revolver ready for business, she as
sured me that she would not hesitate to
fire upon any man who menaced her
safety.
The first alarm came one night
early in July. In the forenoon of
that day two very rough looking men
had come up the track from the West.
They halted at my station, sized me
up. and then demanded something to
eat | might have given them bite
had they requested instead of de-
manded: but When | saw that they
meant to pick, quarrel and have an
excuse for assaulting and robbing me,
| brought out my shotgun and obliged
them to walk on. AS soon as they
We're out of sight | notified the little
woman at Lone Pine to look out for
them. She replied that she would,
and up to 10 o'clock at night / heard
from her every hour, but the tramps
had not put in an appearance. 1t
was 1880 o'clock, and | was sound
asleep, when [ heard Lone Pine call
me over the wire. / rolled off my
H. =
asked what was wanted.
1.-The tramps are here!'' was the re-
ply. ''They are knocking on the
door and asking for food and shelter. -
But don't let them in. Get down
your shotgun, lay it across the table,
with the muzzles pointed at the door,
and if they break in pull both trig-
gers.
''They are cursing me and declar-
ing they will set the cabin on fire if |
don't open the door!::' telegraphed the
little woman moment later.
eff you open the door they will
murder you! You have sliding
window to the right of your door if l
remember rightp"
Yes
''Take your revolver, slide the sash
back and fire upon the fellowsr'
''But / may kill one of them!"
That's what you want to do-both,
if possible! If you show any fear of
them they will batter the door in and
then God help your
Its awful to shoot
Then came a break. | knew that
the fellows were making some dem
onstration which obliged her to act,
and during the next sixty seconds
heard every beat of my heart. Then
came the tremulOus message:
Give shot one of them, and
what-what-sh do about itp''
Ibid you fire from the Window"
Yes
Don't do anything except wait
and watch. If you've hit one the
other will likely make off. If he
tries to get in. however, give him the
same dose. Do you hear him about?''
mo; think he's moved off, but
the one | shot is grooming and taking
on awfully."
''Let him groan. You'll have a
train from the East In thirty-tive min
utes. Keep me advised
| had two more messages before the
train reached her. One was that the
man had ceased to groan and was
probably dead, and the other was that
the other tramp had tried to burst
open the door, but had been driven
off by her firing one barrel of her
shotgun into it from her side. When
the train rolled in a dead man was
found at the door and a wounded one
lying on the ground few yards away.
There wasn't any inquesting on the
dead The body was carried a few
miles and dropped into a gulch, and
the wounded man, who had half q
dozen buckshot in his shoulder, was
turned over to the first sheriff. The
little wOman's adventure made her q
heroine for many weeks, and / was
not mean enough to let on that had
been obliged to brace her up and di-
rect operations from a distance oil
thirteen miles
Everything went we'll at Lone Pine
until the 18th of September. That
fall there was a regular army OF
tramps headed for the West. and the