The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-05-20
SCARED THE RED MEN
HOW CROWD OF cATTLEMEN BROKE
UP A GHOST DANCE.

Stampeded the Three Hundred Braves
and Started Them on Run That Last
ed Into the Next Day.
.sWe never called Rooney by the
name of Jack, although his Christian
name was John, and in the cattle coun-
try they was few men named after
Christ's chief disciple who was not
known as Jack. We always called him
John Rooney. The last I ever heerd of
him he were living up in Nebraska, not
far from Ogallala, on the south fork of
the Platte, just after the stream leaves
the Colorado line. y
Thus discoursed former cattleman,
who is now pursuing peaceful and
commonplace life in Kansas City, the
other evening. He was talking of life
on the big cattle range in the days when
the fame of Dodge City, Abilene, Hayes
City and Ellis was on the wane as tough
towns of Kansas and their upbuilding as
law abiding communities had begun.
In them days" he continued, "our
openings for fun was less frequent than
national holidays are at present. It was
mostly hard riding, and lots Of it. It
gives us all sorter yearning to bust
loose the cinches and raise hell at the
first opportunity, and sometimes the
way we did it was as unique as they
was startling. The time / speak of in
this pertickler yarn we was grazing
big bunch of cattle, mostly long horns in
the Cherokee strip, along the north
fork of the Canadian river, within a
days riding of old Fort Supply. The
Osages and some other tribes used to
come in there for their green corn and
harvest dances and have highfallootin
ole times in general. We all remarks
this and speaks of it sorter scornful be-
cause we did not like Injuns much no.
how. When l say this, don't mean
that Rooney was the one to put the
quirt to the Injuns. He was overquiet
on the subject. He generally was peace
fullike and ca m. He was a thinker,
Rooney was, and with some schooling
and little politics would have been a
great man in the city low.
About this time the camp begins to
get short on grub, and some four or five
of the boys was sent to Medicine Lodge,
across the Kansas line, with wagons to
bring back supply of necessaries. Kan
sas was not a prohibition state then,
and you could get most any kind Of
stimulant in Medicine Lodge-that is
to say, they had rye and Bourbon whis-
ky, and suppose they also had beer.
In them days never could see the vir-
tues of beer.
As l was saying, you could get
about any kind of liquor you wanted in
Medicine Lodge, and so we kept pretty
we'll wet. Rooney here displayed his
sagacity. While we all had forgotten
all about them pesky Injuns he comes
in one day we was to leave and puts in
to the wagon about 20 of them big ro-
man candles that shoot ten times. you
know, each shot big ball of yellow,
red or blush fame
What you going to do with them
Fourth of July fixings now?' we all asks,
seeing as how it was getting closer to
Thanksgiving.
Never you mind that, said John,
kinder winking his eye southeast.
$50 we all was mighty curious during
the trip back to the Canadian, but says
nothing. A few days after we gets back
them Injuns begins gathering for an
nual feast of some kind, and then one
night they prepares for one of them
dances. OF course, all of the boys what
could be spared wanted off to see the
monkey business of them redskins.
Then John Rooney, he called council
of war and unfolded the secret of them
roman candles what he bought at Med
icine Lodge. He tells all the boys some
15 in number, to stay with him, and
leads the way to the timber, where the
ghost dance was going on. We all takes
one of them roman candles and no one
speaks word or coughs or makes any
loud signs.
When them 300 braves was tearing
up the ground and yelling at the height
of the dance, we gets the word from
Rooney and lights up them candles
simultaneous, and they begin shooting
fire and birthstone into them Injuns
sure enough. The boys wasn't used to
shooting off them things and was about
half scared themselves at the devilish
kissing and the sparks, but them Injuns
well, I can't say what they thought,
but it was plain how they acted. Some
of 'em took to the other side of the
woods some jumped straight up, lot
went for the north fork of the Canadian,
running SO fast it 'ud take four men to
see 'em. Stop then? Well, guess not.
They jumped right in and swum for
dear life. They never stopped to see
that the blamed fire had quit, and fell
lers working on the range the other
side of the fork said they saw them
running the next morning when they
was just starting their day riding.
That night devilment like to got
us all into trouble, though, and the
most of us discreetly struck out for