The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-12-31
SIEGE OF 4 WAGON TRAIN

trip and Indian fight that occurred in
1860. The narrator is a man famous
among sportsmeE WHO have visited
the region where he lives. 1t may
be added that in the precinct where
he lives there were only five gold
! Democrats last week He was one Of
them. One June morning in 1863"
be said. according to the New York
Sun, "a freight train OF ninety three
wagons, each drawn by eIght yoke Of
oxen. rolled out Of Helena, Mont. to
bring up some freight which the
steamboats, had unlOaded on the Mis-
souri, al the mouth of Milk river
! Fort Benson was really the head Of
navigation. but the water was very
low that season, and few boats could
get over the shallow bars between
| that point and our destination, 800
miles below
L bad recently come to Montana
and was green tenderfoot, one OF a
host Of pilgrims lured West by the
gold fever But after prospecting
month or two | concluded that |
wasn't success as a miner One
| hundred dollars a month for driving
! eight yoke of oxen seemed a much
/ surer road to wealth than digging
hole in the ground with the chances
OF finding nothing but hare bedrock
at the bottom Of it. Thus it happened
! that | was one OF the ninety three
bullwhackers who drove the straining
cattle out Of the rocky gulch and over
/ the dusty trail through the sagebrush
| plain that hot June morning. On the
farm at home | had driven oxen to
the plough, so this work was not en-
/ tirely new to me. In a day or two |
became quite proficient with my TWEEN
ty foot whip, and thought [ could
crack it almost as loudly as the best
bullwhacker in the train.
Next to the Diamond r. this
freight ts2in was the largest in the
country; i was owned by Holmes x
Balch, the former partner being our
| wagon boss, OF train master 1t re
| qulred man of rare tact and Judge
ment to handle lot Of bullwhackers
Of that day, for no rougher, wilder
set of men ever lived. Holmes was
such man. He did not fraternize
| with his employees, but was kind and
conslderate, low voiced and pleasant
IN his speech, and consequently was
well liked by all Our lead bullwhack
er, the man who drove the lead team,
was Missouri Joe, said to be the most
expert man with a whip in the West.
He knew every one of the fifteen hun
dred cattle in the train, aud could tell
to which train it belonged and its
place in the line. 1t was wonderful
to see him handle his whip, which was
twenty five feet long and weighed
twenty SIX pounds without the stock.
| tie could hit a fore-bit piec, nine
times out of ten at twenty feet; with
a VIDE driving pepper on the end OF
It he could crack it as loud as the re
port of small cannon; pointed with
silk, 1t was terrible weapon. Balch
once bet a thousand dollars that Joe
could whip a steer to death in fifteen
minutes. A large steer was turned
into a coral, and carefully pointing
his whip with silk, and betting three
hundred dollars himself on the result,
} Oe prepared to win the n Oney Stand
! ing in Iront of the animal at the prop
er distance, he sent the long lash be
tween its front legs, and under the
belly with powerful sweep. The
slender point Of the lash cut open the
steers belly, and its intestines drop
ped to the ground; in thirteen minutes
IT was dead
From Helena to Fort Benton. about
100 miles, we made good time. Ar
rvlng at the fort we were not allowed
to proceed until an army officer had
inspected our outfit, to see that we
were fully prepared to fight any hos
tile Indians we might meet. Each
bullwhacker was obliged TO carry
revolver slung up on the outside of
h1s wagon box, within easy reach. he
was obliged to keep a rifle, powder
morn and bullet pouch. In those days
the country east Of Fort Benton. along
the Missouri, was infested by Assina-
bolne and Nanktonais Sioux and war
parties Of other surrounding tribes.
The military authorities would not
allow freight trains or less than 100
men to go down in this country; but
we were so near this number, ninety
slX of us, including the cook and night
/ herder, and passed inspection SO we'll.
that we were told to proceed, The
/ colonel, however, insisted on our tax
ing one OF his cannon, four FOUNDER.
which. heavily loaded with grapeshot,
was attached to the rear end of nv
wagon, the last ore in the train.
trelghters going into this country
/ were also obliged to hire a guide and
scout, whose business it was to see
that the train ran into no ambush. and
4 incidentally to keep the outfit supplied
with fresh meat We fortunately Sc
! cured the services of a man named
Revols, an cX emplOye of the Ameri-
can Fur company. He not only knew
the country thoroughly, but also was
married to Gros Nentre squaw. and
had lived with her people SO long that
he was up 20 all the tricks of the willy
red man. We were all very glad
that he was to accompany us, and as
1t turned out it was well for Us he
did,
From Fort Benton to the mouth
of Milk river the trail was oyer the
rolling praire, but wood and water
We're abundant, and we made good
| time. Every morning at dawn the
night herder brought in the cattle and
we yoked up and drove until 10o'clock
when we turned ont and had break
fast. At L we yoked up again and
drove until t, when we had dinner: at
$50 or 6 o'clock we were again on the
road, aud kept going until dark. In
this way, with frequent opportunities
to feed and rest, the cattle did not get
tired or footsore, and kept in good
flesh
Nothing occurred on the down trip
to hinder us. Day after day we trav-
eled through an interminable herd of