The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-01

he was a "sooner'-that is he had gone
into the country before 1t was legally
opened to settlement. He next drifted
down into Green county, a piece of land
claimed both by the United States and
Texas There he tried to build up a home.
He became involved in trouble with
Mexican herder, and while he killed the
cowboy, the latters friends murdered
Donald's oldest boy.
Again the restless fever caught the
mover" and he left Greer county for the
Cherokee strip. His wife, though she was
a pretty woman when she first came west
had grown old and haggard. Mike lost
his dandified manner of dressing and be-
came as slouchy-looking and as disrepu-
table as his team of skinny horses. Even
the yellow dog that had followed his for
tunes for years deserted the man now and
took up its residence with rowing band
of Comanche Indians.
Deputy marshals and Indian police came
to speak of the mover as "Unlucky Mike"
Everything he turned his hand to was
unfortunate. When the Cherokee strip
opened he made the race and located q
town lot in Perry. The next day he
learned that he had taken a lot in the
public square and that the government
owned II still Discouraged and disgust
ed he tried to find some land claim that
had not yet been taken. None such could
be found. So he hitched up his skinny
team and trundled off down into the Che
yenne country. A year or two ago when
old Whirlwinds band of Cheyennes killed
several settlers and were on the war
path, Uncle Mike" was near at hand.
and was arrested by the federal officers.
charged with selling the Indians fire
water and melting them to rebellion 1t
took him a month 10 clear himself of
these charges, and by that time his family
had nd a nh 70
On foot he trailed them over the Indian
country. Once he got track of the wag-
on 1t was no trouble to follow its meander-
ings Any one who ever saw it would not
soon forget 1t. The wheels were held to-
gether with wire and rope rapping; the
bed was splinters, and the old canvas top
was a mass Of shapeless ribbons. BY
some of the settlers the outfit was called
the Flying Dutchman," in comparison to
the old legend of the old Dutch ship of
the ocean. 1t was considered a misfor-
tune to run across "Unlucky Mike" and
his prairie schooner when out on a bust
ness trip.
BY the superstitious the man became
isolated from humanity. When he found
his family down upon the banks of the
Cimarron river they were almost starved
to death. Together they continued to wan
der over the wild country, like rudder-
less ship al sea. Mike had three old crow
bait horses when ne hrst went into his last
camp, but it is said that he killed one Of
the animals for food. On the day of his
death he found silver dollar on the
trail leading to a town near by With
this money he determined to tempt Dame
Fortune for the last time. 1t was this dol
lar that he risked at Japanese Tommie 81
tent
His little daughter Nellie told the COM
mittee of the finding of this dollar, and
n at n
TO eat. Once upon a time Mike had been
gambler in a small way, and doubtless
when he was passing the gambling-house
his desire for play drew him in. The wife
died soon after he left the little camp,
and it is probable that consumption had
something to do with her death. I'm
lucky Mike and his unfortunate, wealth.
er-beaten prairie schooner will no longer
prove a nightmare to superstitious border
officials and Indians.