Evening star., 1898-12-24
A LONESOME CHRISTMAS,
Maj. Sylvester's Experience While on
the Ute COmmisxjOn,


''The lonesomest Christmas I ever spent"
said Major Sylvester to Star reporter in
answer to a question, was that of 1882
During the winter Of that year l was
paymaster for the Ute commission. That
was commission that was sent out by the
government to pacify and locate the Ute
Indians after the Meeker massacre At
Christmas the command was located on
White river, in southern Utah. 1t was my
duty and pleasure to ride from the can't
of the commission to Fort Thurnburgh, a
distance Of thirty-five miles, twice a week
to get the government mail from Wash
ington.
Il rode gray pony and wore a buffalo
overcoat, with cap and gloves of.the same
material. In my trail going and coming
were about twenty miles of mesa-that is a
plain Of land covered with sage brush and
grease wood. The remainder of the route
lay across the Rocky mountain divide into
Ashley valley, where the fort was located
The fort was established as a rendez-
vous for detachment of the 9th Infantry
then under the command of Captain Haw-
kins, who was wounded during the recent
war at san Juan, but who meantime had
risen to be brigadier general Just before
Christmas all the soldiers who had been
stopping at the fort, except a detachment
OF thirty-hve which had been left to qua rCi
the quartermaster and commissary stores,
". F.
tachment consisted of some of the worst
men OF the regiment, and was under COM
nland of Second Lieutenant L. B. W. Ken
non' now captain, and who was the first
man TO place the United States flag on the
block house at San Juan during the recent
war.
Lieutenant Kennon had just entered
upon ms career as soldier. He was fear
less and intelligent in the performance of
ms duty and was educating brother in
the east AS he was corresponding with a
young lady whom he intended to marry
ana was engaged in similar delightful
pressure We became very sympathetic and
close friends.
Il would ride all day through the snow.
half frozen. to reach the camp at Thorn
burgh, which consisted of a nuns,er of
adobe houses-that is, houses made of mrd
bricks and straw-one of which We occu-
pied we had soldier cook and little to
do except keep up our accounts.
Christmas night arrived at last and
after writing letters home and eating a
Christmas dinner, made I'D mostly of
canned goods, including canned butter i'm
our lonesomness we sat in our little room
played the guitar and he sang songs. in
cluding Christmas carols and parodies
thereon. Suddenly the monotony was
broken by the crashing of the window
frame and the glass therein, and a huge
boulder which had done the work fell near
the stove between US, of course producing
CONSERVATION.
Greatly alarmed as both of us were.
Lieut.. kennon buckled on his pistols and
leaving me in charge of the premises he
went in search of the miscreant who had
attempted this assault upon our lives All
ne could learn was that a soldier one of
the thirty-five composing his command, who
had been confined in the guard house dur
ing the day had escaped, and that it was
probable that he had attempted to kill the
lieutenant In revenge because the latter
had ordered his arrest and confinement
Knowing that the command was made up
Of hard characters we conjectured that the
mad had been aided to escape and this
theory subsequently proved to be correct
The mans ofense consisted in stealing
bunalo overcoats and stores belonging to
the government. which he sold to Mormons
living In the vicinity, and for this he was
arrested by Lieut.. Kennon in person.
The thief had been a government clerk
and telegraph operator, who was charged
with sending all my messages, official and
personal, to Washington. To most of these
messages never received a response for
the reason that they never reached their
destinatlon. This dishonest operator would
take the messages prepared by me, work
his telegraph instrument in my presence
apparently sending the same, but he had
SO arranged the wire that the messages
instead of going to Washington were sent
into the ground underneath the building
However, he did not fail to collect the toll
for each message, which ranged from one
dollar to five dollars.
THE boulder incident and what followed,
OF course, took from our minds all thoughts
OF home. relatives and Santa Claus.
Determined not to be outwitted, Lieut.
kennon next day renewed the search for
the escaped prisoner, and day after day he
Kept up the hunt, until finally at dusk some
evenings later he discovered moving
figure in the brush In lonely spot far
away from any human habitation. He at
once ordered the figure to throw up its
hands, which was done. and 1t proved to be
the dishonest soldier. At the point of the
pistol Lieut.. Kennon brought his prisoner
to the post. Soon afterward the latter was
sent TO Fort Bridger. go miles distant
where he was tried. convicted and SEN
fenced to q long term of Imprisonment at
Fort Leavenworth for his several crimes
including the attempt to injure Lieut.. Ken
non and possibly myself"