The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-10-20
MD PuslIsAEp ~ SPECIAL ARRANGEAnlk

faithful clerk in conference with the
officials Of the town. Graves was soon
the center Of an eager gathering at
Rhett's quarters. BY this time too
Curran was back. coming up on the af.
/ ternoon freight. He had gone down to
! Alkali by the east-bound express the
previous evening. The escort was al.
ready there, oivouacked for the night
&C The edge of the stream. They wer.1
up beti1nes and had a hot breakfast all
ready for Grave.sySapd were surprised
TO see the train shoot past instead OF
stopping to let him off. Not until the
engine sent out from Butte came steam.
ing down at noon did they know what
had taken place at Minden. Then there
was nothing left him but to return by
the first opportunity. The sergeant
and detachment remained awaiting
orders. as the pas master might draw
funds from the bank at Butte aud come
on again. Just as he was leaving on
the afternoon freight a courier came
to AlkAIi with orders for the sergeant.
and the messenger said that the bat
TALON had reached Willow Springs and
was surprised to find no paymaster
there News from the lower valley
was so threatening that Col. Winthrop
had determined, after resting a couple
of hours, to push on for Painted Lodge,
upon the supposition that the paymas-
ter had missed No. 3. The escort was or
dered to wait for him until the next train
from the east, and then, whether he
came or not, to rejoin the battalion by
the shortest route, following down the
left bank. and bringing the extra am
munition shipped from Ransom.
Curran was utterly Disguised with
the whole affair. ''Ten chances to
one" said he. ''them fellows will never
come back to the post, and I'll never
get clint of me money! Curran, as
the party most interested, was persis-
tent in his cross-questioning of the
major, who was eager enough to ex-
plain, but not to Curran. In brief, he
said he had brought in that sole-leather
valise nearly twelve thousand dollars
with which to pay Winthrop's COM
mand. The rest of his funds, sealed in
the little iron safe. were turned over
to the express company to be forward
ed to Butte two days later on, by which
time he had expected to return to pay
the infantry at the fort and then go on
to the outlying posts to the northwest.
By evening, too, Rhett had received
telegraphic orders to hold his little
battalion of foot in readiness to take
train to Pawnee and thence march
across the range to the lower Mini Ska.
Although exaggerated, the reports of
rapine and murder were only too true.
The Sioux were indeed at their devilish
work In the subdued hustle Of prep
aration the paymasters excitement
and distress of mind created less SYM
=, ,s,t;hv than would ordinarily have been
the cas-. Eagerly he was showing his
dispatch to- officer after officer, and
asking whether as asig,one would not have
acted just as he did under the cireu1n-
stances and on receipt Of 70 genuine
message, and gentlemen Wnno under
other circumstances would unhesltat-
ingly have said yes were n n,
disposed to be a bit conserva-
tive, to look judicial and suggest
inquiries. Wouldn't it have been bet
ter to stop the train at Alkai and see
if the report we're true? The bridge
was only half a mile from the station,
and somebody would have been sure to
know. These are times when every
body's backsight is so much better
than his foresight. Everybody could
see with half an eye that had the pay
master caused the conductor to stop
the train at Alkali some OF the escort
would have been on the platform to
meet him, and they would have told
him that there was nothing in the
world the matter with the bridge, that
the whole thing was q plant. But
Graves pointed out that he didn't own
the road and couldn't make the train
stop unless he meant to get off, which
he didn't. Lieut.. Edwards had wired
him to come on to Minden. Everyb body
knew Edwards. He had escorted
Graves on the winter trip to the Black
Hills cantonment. 1t was most nat
ural Edwards should have been Sc
lected to escort him this time. He was
with the battalion, first lieutenant of
Capt Frank Amory's troop. True, as
matters turned out, Edwards had not
been sent at all. Old Sergt. Daily,
with eight troopers, was considered
amply sufficient. OF course it was a
plant, most successful plant. and
more than likely, said the paymas-
ter, somebody closely connected
with the cavalry had engineered
the whole scheme. Everybody knew
there were some very shady characters
among the men enlisting during the
centerpial year. Everybody knew
what train would fetch him out from de-
partment headquarters. The plotters
wonld not wire in time to admit Of his
making inquiries, bnt waited until the
last moment, then, dressed and
equipped as the cavalry were dressed
and equipped, they had sent two of
their number in to Minden station
with dispatch signed by an officer
whom they reported mile or two be-
hind, coming up with the wagon aud
main body Every thing looked straight
to the operator, and so It was sent to
Pawnee and there handed to the Pull
man porter What could have been
more complete? The troopers who met
q