The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-12-10
(CONTINUED.)

CHAPTER w.
The winter came on early at old Fort
Frayne Even as early as mid October
the ice was forming in the shallow
pools along the Platte, and that eccen-
trio stream itself had dwindled away in
volume until it seemed but the ghost of
it's former SELF Raging and unfordable
in June, swollen by the melting SHOWS
of the Colorado peaks and the torrents
from the Medicine Bow, it spent it's
strength in the arid heat Of a long, dry
summer and when autumn came was
mild as mill stream as far as the eye
could reach and fordable in a dozen
places within rifle shot of the post.
Many time did old Fenton wish it
wasn't. Frayne's reservation was big
and generous; but. unluckily, it never
extended across the river. Squatters,
smugglers and sharpers could not in
trude upon it's guarded limits along the
southern shore, and tho nearest grog-
gery-that inevitable accompaniment
of the westward march of civilization
was long two miles away down the
right bank, but only pistol shot across
the stream.
In his day Farrar had waged war
against the rumsellers on the north
shore and won, because then there were
only soldiers and settlers and no lawyers
outside the guardhouse-within 90
miles Of the post. But with the tide of
civilization came more settlers, and a
cattle town, and lawyers in abundance,
and with their coming the question at
issue became no longer that of abstract
right or wrong, but how jury would
decide it, and a frontier jury always
decides in favor Of the squatter and
against the soldier. Fenton strove to
take pattern after Farrar and very nearly
succeeded in landing himself in Jail, as
the outraged vender went down to Lara
mic, hired lawyers there, swore out
warrants Of assault and appealed to his
countrymen. The fact that no less than
four of the Twelfth within six months
had died with their boots on, victims of
the ready knives or revolvers of the
squatters across the stream, had no bear
ing in the eyes Of the law. Fenton had
warned the diveleeper a dozen times to
no purpose, but when finally Sergeant
Hannifin was set upon and murdered
there one fine April evening within easy
range, and almost within hearing of his
comrades at Frayne, Fenton broke loose
and said impetuous things, which reach
ed the ears Of his men, who went and
did things equally impetuous, to the
demolition of the "shack'' and the de-
struction of it's stock of spirits and gam
bling paraphernalia, and it was proved
to the satisfaction of the jury that Eel
ton did not interpose to stop the row
until it had burned itself and the
''shack' inside out. The people rallied
to the support of the saloon keeper-he,
at least, was man and a brother, q
voter, and, when he couldn't lie out of
it, taxpayer. The officers at Frayne,
on the other hand, in the opinion Of the
citizens Of that section of Wyoming,
were none of the four, and Bunko jim s
new resort across the Platte was a big
improvement in point of size, though
not in stock or sanctity, over its prede.
cessor. Jim ran ferryboat for the ben
eft of customers from the fort. 1t was
forbidden to land on the reservation,
but did so, nevertheless, when the sentry
on the bluff couldn t see, and sometimes,
it must be owned, when he could.
The boat was used when the water
was high, tho fords when it was low,
and the ice when it was frozen, and it
was curious thing in winter to see
how quickly the new fallen snow would
be scanned with paths leading by
devious routes from the barracks to the
shore and then across the icebound
pools straight to Bunko Jim's. Bowling,
as became the soldier of the republic, to
the supremacy of the civil law, Fenton
swallowed the lesson, though he didn't
the whisky, but Jim had his full share
of customers from the fort, and the
greatest of these, it soon transpired, was
the big recruit speedily known through
out the command as Tough Tom Graice
Joining the regiment at the end Of
September, it was less than month be-
fore he was as we'll though not as ia
vorably known as the sergeant major
There is more than one way of being
conspicuous in the military service, an(
Graice had chosen the worst. Even thu
recruits who came with him from thu
depot, the last lot to be shipped from
that once crowded garner of flood TO
powder" could tell nothing Of his an
tecedents, though they were full O
grewsome details of his doings since en-
listment. He was an expert at cards ant
billiards, said they-for they had fount
it out to their sorrow-and demon
when aroused by drink. Twice il
drunken rage he had assaulted compar
atively inoffensive men, and only tn
prompt and forcible Intervention Q
comrades had prevented murder on tn
spot, while the traditional habit Of tn
soldier Of telling no tales had save
him from richly merited punishment
Within the month Of his arrival Graic
had made giant strides to notoriety. H
was powerful fellow, with fine com
mand Of language and an education ia
| sunc,.ior Tn that IF tho ooreral RIM e