Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12
jim CALLS PRESENTIMENT.
Proved True, and Came i'm Time TO
Save Overland Stage and
pnSSenfsara

Proved True, and Came in Time to
save Overland Stage and
Passengers.
"A few very old people remember Jim
Call, who was an overland stage driver way
back in the sos" said Ansel Newman of
Washington. who revisited New Mexico
recently after an absence of thirty years.
I'm Albuquerque last month 1 met an old
Mexican named Tafoya, who used to be Il
herder of stage coach stock when
Travelled in New Mexico, and he asked me.
after a little talk. ie l remembered Jim
Call and how his dream was the means
Of saving the stage and passengers at lied
river station forty years ago. other oid.
timers spoke to me of the same SUBJECT. LOT
/ was one of the passengers on the stage
when the thing happened.
Jim Call. was a iirst-class man. VINO hao
held the reinS for three years on the over
land, which was a pretty good while LOT a
driver to keep alive in those DAYS ltls
route was the last stretch east OF Las We
gas at the time l speak of. and on this June
morning / was sitting beside MN on me
box as thu stage rolled westward, due to
reach Las Vegas that evening at y o Clock
There was a full load of passenserS-ten
men and two women, as l remember-and
three men besides myself We're on the out
side.
noticed that he was distracted and silent
this day. He attended carefully to his driv-
ing and said little to me until we stopped at
noon at a large stage station Tor dinner.
After we had eaten and while the horses
We're being h!tched up he spoke to me OF
what was in his mind.
I've got the queereSt notion about the
next station-the Red river station'-he
said with a sort of shamefaced air, Tor an
overland stage driver hated worst of any
kension. I've been looking for Indians
every time l drove there for tho last
three trips. I've dreamed about EN-
,-ir .Laf r --np ~t,k,, ,r- : - tLa 81 Tor
with Friedrichs, the keeper. waiting. for
me-, holding the relay horses by the heads
and then when 1 got to where I'd seen
him standing there was nothing but Indians
= bad ones. in wal paint. and hostile. This
is in confidence. and not to be repeated
but do you believe there's any truth in
dreams. that there's such L thing as fore
knowing something that is going to come
about that ycu don't know by your reason
or any ones information
- reckon not, Jim answered. and SO
far as dreams signify w always heard
that they &C by contraries. Look at your
dreams through this and see if they don't
take on a brighter COLOR and L passed
him my whisky flask.
Call nodded to me, took n moderate pull
at the flask. and passed 1t back to me. Thu
effect of the whisky was to make him a
trifie more cheerful. but he looked grave
and anxious as we approached the Red
river station. which came into view while
We were two miles away. There was some
thing a little odd in the appearance of the
place. The relay horses evidently had been
driven to the corral. for they were not
grazing anywhere in view, but Friedrichs,
should have appeared leading them out i'll
harness, was nowhere to be seen. The
driver was silent and watchful as We drew
near the station, holding the horses care
fully in hand. and even 1 began to feel
something ominouS in the utter silence and
loneliness of the place.
The stage had crossed a gulch that led
round the rear of the corral to the river,
and was about 200 yards from the station
when a little dog came out of the hollow
and made for the stage: running as If bad
ly frightened. Call pulled up the horses.
That's Friedrichs' dog he said.
There's something wrong at the station, or
he'd never act this way. I'll get on the
safe side of the gulch again before l try
to find out
THE dog was covering under the stage.
looking fearfully back as Call swung the
heads when from behind the station and
corral twenty-five or thirty Indians
streamed out into view, armed with bows,
with a gun or two among them, and ran
for the stage. AT the same time as many
more that had been concealed in the gulch
sprang to their feet and ran to head us off.
Call knew his business. and he put the
stage and horses across the gulch in a hur-
ry. but there was not thirty yards be-
tween us and the nearest Indians as we
came up or the further bank, and the
arrows were flying thick. A half dozen ar
rows struck the coach. and a passenger got
one in the arm, but fortunately none of
tne horses was disabled. we haQ a rifle
and three or four revolvers among us,
which We set to going. and we had the
pleasure of. seeing one Indian go down fiat
on his face before the horses pulled us out
of danger. We went back to the station
where We had dinner. and from there a
courier was dispatched to Las Vegas with
tidings Of what had happened. and next
morning an escort of citizens arrived to
guard the stage through. No Indians were
to be seen along the route.
the Red river station Friedrichs, the
keeper. and his helper were found dead
and mutilated, and the horses had been
stolen. TIL Indians. Jicarilla Apaches, had
surprised and killed them and then pre-
pared to take in the stage on its arrival.
On its appearance half of the band waited
behind the corral. while the others stole
along the gulch to shut off retreat. There
is little doubt that their plan would have
succeeded had 1t not been for the unusual
suspicion and watchfulnesS of the stage
driver. inspired by his u~naccountable pre-
sentiment of what actually came to pass
at the station. Jim Call was still driving
on the overland route as late as 1863. and
he was still alive and handling the reins
in Dakota in the time of the Black hills
excitement. in 1Sl5-"