The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-08-31
over THE TRAIL.

II took ride in one Of them palace cars
while was gone" said Hank as he
took seat on box in the shade OF the
big mesquite tree in front of the cookhouse
where the boys Of the day shift generally
congregate after supper to smoke and talk
over'the incidents Of the day.
"The first mornin we was clippin
along through country that knowed
every foot d; used to drive stage over it
for Uncle Ben Halliday matter Of 40
year ago. l knowed every valley, crick,
foothill and mountain butte. / knowed
we was comm to tie head of DEVILS gulch,
where Jurnpup Johnny used to live before
the 'Rapahoes got him, and I begin to
wonder If they would go down the trail at
the gait we was knockin off then. / sort
Of grabbed the seat and held on, but, sir,
they dropped over the hill So easy that if
I'd a.. shet my eyes would not have
yet day after day down that Same guloh
oughbreds on dead run, dragging after
them swaying stagecoach, where the
fall Of a horse or the slip of wheel would
idN0 IuTlCu dll w OcouIuCoiOl
1.-THE last time pulled Unole Ben Hal
liday over that trail We was jumped by
Rapahoes. We didn't happen to have any
outbound passengers that lnornin, only
me and Uncle Ben and his niggers, and
the express and mail. We was a-sailin
along when noticed some pony tracks in
the trail, and says to Uncle Ben, Get the
gun ready, for we are apt to be jumped by
Trt ~ Skor, MI
and there was band of 'Rapahoes about
says. had a good Henry rifle, and Uncle
Ben blazed away, but for some reason
missed, and they come for us. Uncle Ben
got sorter white about the mouth, but set
tied down in the seat and says quiet like:
@ Il guess we'd better move along.
Hank
g All right / says. Hold tight
There was fothin but thoroughbreds on
Uncle Ben's lines through the Injin coun-
tries. He wouldn't have boss that could
not do his mile in less than two minutes
on them runs, and I'll bet he thanked his
God for it that day Maybe we didn't go.
You bet kept my foot off the brake and
made that 30 foot lash whistle and snap
over them thoroughbreds backs. This,
with the Injins yeilin and shootin behind,
sent us into the Willows ahead Of time I
begun to blow my horn long before we got
to the station, and the stock tenders and
guards knowed there was somethin wrong
and come out to meet us. When the Injins
saw them, they went the other way.
swell, sir, the 'Rapahoes used to run
me into the stations time and again. I've
had the coach riddled with bullets and ar
md INT CT with
an arrow in the flank of the nigh wheeler.
One time remember had an army colo
mel and his wife and children, captain
and his wife and their servants, all bound
for Fort Laramie. We was jumped by In
jins and piled tho mail and cushions about
the women and children in the bottom of
the stage and started in to make runnin
fight. Them officers was deed game, you
bet, and for miles and miles we put up the
prettiest runnin fight that a man would
want to see. twas touch and go through
lots of time, but as we got close to sta
ton they heard us a-shootin and come
out. At first the Injins thought they
would come on, but the stock tenders had
long range rifles and knowed how to use
'em, and them Injins was soon a-huntin
for thick hill long ways off. I've for
got them officers names, but I bet If
they re alvin they remember me and that
days ride on the Laramie trail. An army
officers life was no picnic them days.
II used to throw off the brake, put the
bud to the six horse team, tie the lines to
a seat brace, take my Henry and drop on
nv knees in the front boot and shoot over
the seat. Many and rnany's the single
handed runnin fight I've put up that way.
Sometimes I'd be jumped by Injins two or
three times in one days drive of rs miles.
II was about all the excitement there was
in them days that Teller could really en-
iov. We'd drive over our division of rs
miles in one day and back the next. GEN
orally there was four or five stations with
changes of horses on the run.
"But as we whooped it along in that
nalace car reckon it come to me more
than ever that times is changin and that /
am eettin old, but pinched myself to see
II T was awake Over on that hill is where
Ewenecked Smith and his gang of bull
1ghaokers was coITalled by Cheyennes and
lost all their stock and over two-thirds of
the men before one Of the boys got back
from Fort Laramie with the soldiers. l
COO there's o schoolhouse on the hill now.
In that little gulch. runnip off the valley
vonder was where sthetvigilantes rounded
IN Wartnosetl- johnson and his crowd and
lynched the whole. gang. There's farm
bouse now at the naouth Of the gulch and
n big crop of corn In the valley below. AT
a town where we stopped for noon drove
mn to once alone to find the only house
then in the town, a stage station, burned
down, the station keeper and the stock
tenders killed, scalped, half roasted and
chopped up and the stock drove off. had
ro driys tcthe next station without change
of HOSES Now lisa big town with troll