The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-06-18
HAWK-EYE ] ACK.

& Every one who has crossed what used
to be known as the Great American
Desert, embracing the plains that lie
between Atchison, Kan, and Denver,
Colo, will recall easily the well known
ford of the North Platte river, at
Hawk-Eye Ranch, where, in the early
days, wagon trains used to stop to re
new their buffers stores, and where
lightning whisky was sold by the glass;
The ranch was kept by one Jack Reed,
a literal type Of the adventurous from
tie1sman, who bore the name of Hawk
Eye, from the wonderful blackness and
brightness of those orbs with which ma
ture had endowed him. Jack Reed,
though forty-eight years old at the time
OF which ] write, could see farther over
the >prairies than the best Scout that
ever squinted along the barrel of a
rifle M
. No one knows this mans history pre-
vlous to the spring of 1860, when he
arrived and established himself at this
ford of the North Platte which place
has since come to be named after him.
from time to time he strengthened into
a miniature fort to protect himself and
family against the hostile Indians
Hawk-Eye Jack was wonderful shot,
and especially at long range, his ex-
cellent sight giving him peculiar adj
vantage. I have never seen but one
man his equal as a marksman, and his
specially was tie pistol Sometimes
strangers would stop at the ranch and
BOAST of their being good shots. and
perhaps challenge Hawk-Eye Jack to
trial of skill. He let them select their
own distance and target; then, when
they had fired, he would bring his rifle
to his eye with rapid motion and fire
instantly. His ball was always found
to have entered the same hole which
Ills opponents bullet had made!
Your bullet is my markT' he would
say, coolly.
'You can't see bullet hole that dis
tance," was frequently the rejoinder.
Fifty dollars against twenty cover
the two balls by another shot!'
But the strangers found they had
got a man with whom they could only
bet to lose, and so they acknowledged
beat and went on their way.
Several years ago I was taking a
large surveying party to Colorado, and
we made up our train at Atchison, con-
sisting of fourteen mule teams, hay
ing some heavy machinery to transport
in the wagons. 1t was before the iron
horse had crossed that arid route or
rail had. been laid west Of Kansas.
We could not make more than twenty
miles day in the way Of progress,
corralling our teams at night and max
q +~
the rowing Indians, who were the lit
eral banditti Of the plains AS we had
broken down with one of our teams
just about couple of miles before
reaching Hawk-Eye Ford, ordered a
halt for a whole day to repack the wag-
ons and leave the broken one behind.
During the performance of this duty
by the men, mounted my sturdy lit
tie white saddle horse and went for
ward to visit Jacks establishment. It
happened to be a very quiet day, and
there was scarcely a soul about the
premises save the family itself, The
ranch was fully twelve miles from
any other, and it was only when the
Halliday mail-Wag CONS passed, or an
occasional mule-train camped near by,
that any one came there at all. Now
and then buffalo or antelope hunters
dropped in, and occasionally some two
or three ventureS0me miners, who,
trusting to their Spencer rifles and
good horses, crossed the plains without
escort. AS I rode up to the ranch I
heard some pistol shots, and loosened
my own revolver, thinking I might need
it for self-defense.
rode round to the rear of the adobe
to see what the shots signifed which
seemed to be fired there, and beheld
singular sight. A tall, slim, wiry-built
man was stading by the side of young
girl, who could not be more than four
teen years of age. The child, for she
seemed but little more, was firing at
mark some thirty PAGES distant, with
a bright-barreled navy revolver, and lis
tening to the criticisms and suggestions
of the man by her side. He turned to-
ward me, and knew in an instant, By
those large, piercing black eyes, that
it was Hawk-Eye Jack, though I had
never seen him before .
"That'n do, Minette,'' he said to the
child. ''You will shoot as well as your
father by and by"
The girl seemed pleased with the COM
pliment, and left us as she turned to
60 into the adobe. She was decidedly
pleIty, Will uef ldInerS eyes, ana q
round, well developed figure, clothed in
a boyish style, vet in no respect i'm
modestly dressed. She wiped the re-
volver carefully as she walked away,
and returned it to the leather sheath
hanging from belt at her side. r
You camped just below, last night,
stranger" said the man to me, land I
saw you coming up .
Eyes, we have laid over for REPAIRS"
Walk in and have something, strang-
er ~
Thanks said 7, following him into
the dwelling. y...1 -
At my request he prepared
couple of very large mugs of
punch, and then accepting one of
from the East, we sat and smoked and
chatted very socially together for a
long while. He enjoyed the cigar
hugely" as he said, it being of so
much finer flavor than the Virginia
weed which he used in his pipe. Jack
warmed up over the punch and tobacco,
and was full of stories of frontier life
and adventures.
r What family have you here?' I
asked.