Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-02-17
GARRISON IN
4 ROUND HOUSE.

y ROUND HOUSE.
smoky Hill was the end of the track
at that time" said the old engineer,
shifting his lame foot to an easy posi-
ton We had built a round house-a
square one-wth two stalls and room
at the back for three or four hunks and
work bench To protect ourselves
against the Sioux we had lined, or
waiHScuated. the house up To about five
feet from the ground and filed in be-
hind the lining with sand.
Indians were thicker than grasshop
pers in Kansas in the days of the build
ing of the Kansas Pacific, and scarcely
II day-never week-went by without
IA fight Al first they appeared to be
awed by the locomotives but in a little
while their superstitious fear had van
ished and they were constantly setting
lures Ia capture the big hoss,' as they
called the engine. One day We were
ont at the front with train of steel
-. some eight or ten miles west of the
nerIC Hill. Il had been showing all day in
rfam:ll,ue fits aud spits, and near nightfall
-sy urthe clouds became thicker and darker
u, and before the sun had gone down the
snow was falling fast. By the time
the last rail had been unloaded it was
pitch dar rk and as the engine was head
ed west. we were obliged to back up all
the way to Smoky Hill The conductor
and tile captain of the guard, composed
of government scoutsf took stand on
the rrarmost fat-car. and when l got
signal / opened the throttle and be-
gan 10 poke the blunt end of the con
struction train into the darkness. Or
dinarfly | hate running backward at
night but in a case of this kind ii is a
real relief 10 know that there are a
dozen or more wellarmed soldiers be-
tween you and whatever the darkness
holds Three or four men with white
lights We're stationed at intervals along
the tops of the ten or twelve cars that
made Up the train The house car or
caboose was next the engine, and upon
the top of this car stood the foreman Of
the gang and from him was supposed
to take my tokens
I'VE had been in motion less than ten
minutes when l saw the conductors
light I've were going with the storm
stand out. and following this move
ment all the lights along the trains top
pointed over the plain, and began to
slow down. Instantly a dozen shots
were fired from the darkness. Muffled
by the storm the sound came as II
pack of frecrn ckers were going of un-
der a dinner pail, and we all knew what
we had run into. Injuns.' shouted the
fireman. leaping across the gangway.
and they're on my side Keep your
sent said /, they're on my side, too
Now all the white lights, following
another signal from the conductor, be
gan to whlrl furiously in q short circle.
That was my notion precisely. II they
had prepared to ditch us we might as
well go into the ditch as to remain on the
tops OF tho cars to be picked OF by the
Sioux so | opened the throttle and be-
gan to back away again as fast as pos
sible. The Indians had prepared to
ditch eur train. They had placed .
great pile of cross-ties upon the t:aGk,
expecting that when we struck then
our train would come to dead stop.
This small party which had fired upon
us was the outer watch, the main band
being huddled about the head of ties
where they expected US TO halt, and
where most of the amusement would
occur. The track was newly Laid, and
as bilowy rough sea, but this was
no time for careful running.
The old work engine soon had the
empty train going at thirty-mile gait
ana JutH We Alt Tie tie Pile Ine Lies
on the rear car, which was now the
front. had anticipated a wreck, and re- |
tired in bad order to the center Of the |
train The Indians, who had only a |
faint notion of the power and resistance |
OF a locomotive stood close together |
about the pile of ties. The falling snow |
had made the rails and timbers SO wet !
and slippery that when we hit the stack |
of wood the ties flew in all directions. |
Some of them were thrown to the tops
of the cars and others flew into the mob
sf redskins, knocking them into con-
fusion. fine buck who must have
been standing on the track, was picked
up in the collision and landed upon the
top of the second car right at the con-
ductors feet The fellow was consid-
erably stunned by the fall, and, taking
advantage OF his condition, the scouts
seized and bound him with q piece Of
bell cord, taking care to remove IN ugly
knife from his ia Wilde belt. Tho baad
we're so surprised to see tho train plough
through the Wreckage that they forgot
20 fire until we had almost passed them
and great food OF fire from the en-
giEc Stack was falling among them
They then threw up their guns, those
who were still on their feet, and let go
at US, but none of the bnllets Affected
)ur party,