Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-09-28
OVER THE TRAIL.


II took n ride in one OF them palace cars
wb,le I was onne. " said Hank as he
- -, l., +ho s,odo - Tho
-, - .t.,aeo,. -
'iS i"i'' '''o ~ II On "a ',u
"here inc boys Oh the aas shlie seher"iiy
congregate after supper to smoke ana talk
over the incidents of the day.
Tho first mornin We was clippin
along through country that l knowed
o,-or,, foot ~. ,e,,, .o d-;ve n st,va oyer II
Co.. T,o,o De-, uo,,;a,r a.tar ~ 40
year aeo' No"eu o'oi' '"ie!'
ioothlli ana mountain ouoee' kho"eo
ewas comm to the head OF DeSll's gulch,
where Jumpup Johnny used to live before
the 'Rapahoes got him, and begin to
wonder if they would go down the trail at
the gait we was knockin of then. sort
of grabbed the seat and held on, but, sir,
they dropped over the hill SO easy that II
I'd "a shet my eyes l would not have
knowed 1t. He grabbed the seat, and
yet day after day down that same gulch
on worse trail" he had sent six thor
oughbreds on dead run, dragging after
them swaying stagacoach, where the
fall OF horse or the slip OF "a wheel would
have hurled all to destruction.
THE last time pulled Uncle Ben Hal
liday over that trail we was jumped by
'Rapahoes. We didn't happen to have any
outbound passengers that mornin, only
me and Uncle Ben and his niggers, and
the express snd 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 he jumped by
1njins Just then we topped little rise,
and there was band of 'Rapahoes about
400 yards away Take shot at EN-, l
says, had a good Henry rifle and Uncle
Ben blazed away, but for some reason
missed, and they come for us, Uncle Ben
got sortfr white about the mouth, but set
tied down In the seat ana says quiet Ike:
guess we'd better move along
HANK
All right, L says. Hold tight
There was nothln but thordughbreds on
Uncle Ben hhes through the lnJln coun-
tries. He Wouidn have boss that could
not DO his mile IN less than two minutes
on them runs, ana IL bet he thanked his
God for 1t that day. Maybe we didn go.
fon bet Kept my foot oil the brake and
made that 10 loot lash whistle and snap
over them thoronghDreds backs. This
with the lnJins yellih and shootln behind
sent us into the willows ahead OF time.
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 lnjins
saw them, they went the other way.
We'll, sir, the Rapahoes used to run
me into the stations time and again. I've
had the coach riddled with bullets and ar
rows and once went into station with
an arrow IN the HANK OF the nigh wheeler
q | / q
nel and his wife and children a captain
and his wife ana their servants all bound
Tor fort Laramie we was jumped by In
Jins ana piIed the man ana cushions about
the women and children IN the bottom OF
the stage ana started In TO make runnln
fight. Them officers was dead game, you
bet, and for miles and miles we put up the
prettiest runnln fight that man would
want to see. 1t was touch and go through
lots OF time, but as we got close to sta
ton they heard us a-shootln and come
out. AT hrst the lnJins thought they
would come on, out the STOCK tenders had
long range rifles and knowed how to use
EN-, ana them lnJlns was soon a-huntin
Tor thick hill long ways on. I've for
got them omcers' names, but l bet II
tney re ALVIN they remember me and that
Gay RIDE on the Laramie trail. An army
onicer S lie was no picnic them days.
USED 10 throw on the brake, put the
ouo 10 the SIX morse team, tie the lines to
Q seat brace, take my henry ana drop on
my knees IN the mont boot and shoot over
the seat Many and many's the single
handed runnin light I've put up that way.
sometimes q be jumped by Inlins two or
three times In one day 8 drive OF rs miles.