Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1895-03-16


Head Of the Horse-thief---A Story
OF enc Early Days In Idaho.
Roonpefls wndman In Overland Monthly.
Il wss The beginning Of the snd. The
last tie OF the mighty Union Pacific
was the first tie in the march, Of civil.
zation into the Great West.
With the thunder OF iron wheel:
and the reverberant screech OF the
whistle, the Indian, the buffalo, the
desperate fed, the overland coach be-
came memory. the cowboy changed
his buckskins for New York shoddy,
and Mormonism received its death
blow. Later, ms the giant Pacific sys-
tenn stretched out its arms to the north
and the south and absorbed the alkali
bottoms Of Wyoming. the sagebrush
plains OF Idaho, the pine forests oil
Oregon, even the lava beds OF North.
efn California, the pioneers Of 40 and
the miners Of '63 became curiosity
and the men who had subdued the
wilderness from the back OF an I'M
tanned mustang, were styled "moss-
backs" by the "tourist coach" emf
grants and relegated 10 the back ground.
LATHE more than decade has passed
since the Oregon Short Line pushed
its way along the great valley OF the
Snake and laid Idaho tributary to its
sovereignty. yet in so short time !
became an "oid timer" and ms looked
out on the crowd that had taken the
places Of those who had greeted me as
q "tenderfoot" I mentally repeated the
motto Of the New West: Keep up
with the band wagon or fall in the
rear"
Typical Of the Brobdingnagian strides
Of this new order Of things, 80 rotting
skeletons cumber ramshackle row oil
sheds on the suburbs Of Boise. Sun
and wind, rain and snow find their
way down and through the neglected
roof upon their bodies, and az year
goes by they answer TO the age and
elements, and fall away into dust and
oblivion.
Yet they deserve better fate. On
their weather beaten forms are the
marks Of rifle bullets. within their pro-
tecting sides came the best blood OF
the East to find new homes and OK.
tend the empire OF the great republic.
These thirty leather springed, steel
ribbed overland stages were for years
the one connecting link between The
hardy miners and pioneers OF Southern
Idaho and "home." Their very sight
recall Indian fights, highway robberies
and daredevil flights. In them lives
the essence OF the fast dying "Wild
West" Their day Is past---iheir past
is but n taie-their present lie forgotten.
] asked 0wyhee Joe about them
once. owyhee Joe had been famous
driver. Wild stories are told of his
daring trip up from Winnemucca or
out from Boise with coach well
loaded with gold dust. prospectors and
government mail. Like Bon Holiday
and Yuba Bill his achievements live
in the memory and on the tongues oI
the oldest inhabitants and grow in
lustre as the years pass.
II was hot. sultry afternoon. ]
had sent In "copy" for the outside
page OF the Statesman and felt free To
lounge back in my chair and listen to
Joe's stirring II at times mendacious
account Of an Indian fight he had
been Ia near Kuna, when unaidcd be
had driven off ten Bannocks and saved
the gold bricks in the boxes of Wells
Fargo 4 Co's express. smiled pat
sonixingly when he had concluded
"And how about the lime when you
were relieved OF your bags without even
"If you pleasef" A shade OF annoy
ance and chagrin passed over his
bronzed face and he shifted uneasily
in his chair. The click-click--click
OF job press in the adjoining room,
sounded running commentary to our
thoughts while from the opposite cor
ner the splash--splasa--splash Of ar
irrigation wheel seemed to be rehears.
ing lis version OF the incident that 40
weighed on the drivers mind. The
The sun beat down ON the tin roof and
adobe walls OF the old Office with q
fierce, white intensity that awakened
the man from his his rumination.
1T wAs q hotter day nor this ouI
there on the mesa when that young
chap stepped out from behind little
ciump of greasewood and asked me
perlite enuf Ter throw up my hands
No arguments in the face Of that thar
shootin' iron. Mister Editor. He tool
took over four thousand clean dust
and made Tor Salt Lake on the back
Of my best leader. Never hern tell
how We caught himi mol Wall, We
see, I took my wheel hoss and made
for Boise. Found Bill Mcconnell,
Rube Robbins, Jim Agnew and Hank
-F4s rx4 4