The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1897-01-22
A TREASURE SAVED.

A TREASURE SAVED.
We sat in the little frontier hotel 40
Pine Ridge agency that stormy Decem-
Der night in 1850. There were II number
of us-all newspaper correspondents
and few interpreters officers and res
ervation employees. The days previous
had been full Of excitement. for the
Brule and Ogalalla Sioux were engaged
i'll the ghost dance or messiah craze.
About the agency General Miles had
grouped some 1000 troops. Beyond
thoir white tents clustered the dingy
tepees Of the Indians. some 500 Of them.
We greatly enjoyed those evenings i'll
the hotel. They brought back to memory
pictures Of the old west-staging, buf-
falo hunting, Indian fighting. And
what fund of information the scouts,
Interpreters and ''old timers poured
into our willing ears! Each one could
have talked al night and get left the
narration Of his experiences unfinished
then. We were especially interested i'll
the singular career of b. He had left %
homo i'll Connecticut, ana after varied
cxpcrinces i'll iowa and Nebraska Joined
accompany Of miners, and with them en-
tered the new mining camp of Dead
wood. He was then but II years old.
That same winter he carried the first
mail out of Deadwood to tho Missouri
river.
| b. Joined our circle while u scout was
relating some experiences with stage
robbers i'll the early seventies and i'm
mediately entered into the conversation.
So far rs | know, the smoothcst trick.
prompted by u desire to save money,
ever played upon stage robbers occurred
near Miles City i'll 1873 \ load of pas
scngers was almost within sight of the
town. They had been travelling all day
ana were worn ont, for the roads were
awful bad III those days and all coaches
bounced and swayed very much. HAY
ing come near their journeys end, they
were congratulating themselves. Hold
ups had been frequent Two heavily
armed messengers accompanied each
coach, with orders TO fire on any person
acting suspiciously.
Dear me, said an elderly man near
the door, i IN glad we are safe. / have
about $500 and if | lost it don't know
where | could get more.
. l can get plenty of money, said :.
travelling salesman, but the loss of
Z what | have would put me to much
/ trouble out here among strangers
Two miners and IL prOspector, each
with large rolls, expressed their salts
faction at passing dangerous points
safely. Tho next speaker was "a little old
woman, kind and mothcrly i'll her ways.
My boy has started restaurant in
town and is doing we'll. He wanted me
to come and help, so here / am good
ness knows far enough away from dear
old ONO. | thought he would need his
mother, for these mining towns arc
wild, hear and full of temptations. I
have only got 5000. It's al the cash [
/ have in the world. Fearing robbers,
have put it IN place where 10 one
| would think Of locking. You cannot
1 guess where OF course the gucsscs
Were all wrong.
Wen, | have four 500 bills against
the solo of my foot inside my left shoe. ,
Capital said the elderly gentle
man. No one would ever think of look
| ing for money in your shoes. III IL far
corner at the front sat small, slender,
black haired man. He kept between his
, feet little black valise. No one spoke
TO him during the journey, and he made
no sound save occasionally to cough III
IL peculiar manner. Some of the passen-
gers thought him to be consumptivc
Even when general good fellowship pre-
| vailed he took no part i'll the conversa-
ton. Making bold, the old lady said
And you-what would you do if
you were held up
"a hollow cough and Il shrug of the
| shoulders WAS all his reply.
What mean fellow . thought tho
old gentleman. At this instant the coach
| lurchcd violently to one side. and bang,
bang, bang came the sudden reports of
guns. One messenger was shot, the other
compelled to throw up his hands before
time for resistance, and CONSERVATION
and terror prevailed within the coach.
Lord. Lord!' prayed tho elderly
man.
"'oh, dear. oh, dcarr cried the
Eorlan.
Hustle up here; git outH and ono