The sea coast echo., 1898-03-26
The Brakeman and
the Squaw.
BY CY. wARMAN,

the founder of Creede camp, had
located the Madonna mine at Monarch
camp, and created necessity for the
branch road. They had rushed the
work, but the first snow caught them
still three miles from the booming
silver camp. A wandering band of
Indians, hearing of the excitement,
and not understanding it, had strayed
into the Monarch county, aud down
the gulch as far as Maysville, then q
wild and thriving village at the edge
of the Arkansas valley. One day,
when it was storming, an old squaw
came to Mcclure, aud wanted ride
up the hill. 1t was n cruel day. and
the kind-hearted conductor carried the
Indian to the end of the track.
1t was month later when one of
McGuire's brakemeu, named Bowen,
who had been hunting in the hills,
rushed into the caboose with the start
ling announcement that his partner, the
head brakeman, had been captured by
the Indians,
"Look here, jack" said Mcclure,
'are you lying?"
"Honest Iniun," said Jack, "if
there's one there's n million; and
they've got Mickey tied to stake.
We had become separated. 1 was
standing on a precipice, looking for
Mickey, when l saw the Indians sur
round him."
Now, Jack Bowen had lied so frequent
Y and luminously to the conductor
that the latter was slow to believe this
wild tale; but finally he was persuaded
that it was true. Returning to Mays
vile with the engine, he gave the
alarm, and the sheriff of Chaffee
county made up posse and set out
in search of the brakeman.
The sun was going down behind the
range when the engine and the
caboose full of amateur Indian fighters
returned to the end of the track. TAX
ing Bowen as guide, the sheriff
secured the hills, but found no trace
efoasosr- -v'Iris- "s.s ~, .iEba. ,staeuo in
sherltf's posse was forced to return to
camp. 1t were useless to put out again
IN the face of such a storm. and the
sheriff was about TO return to Mays.
vile, when the old squaw, whom Nc
Guire had helped up the hill, put her
head in at the door of the way car and
signaled Mcclure to come out. She
could scarcely speak word of Eng
tlsh, but. pulling at the conductors s
sleeve, she started as though she would
lead hm into the hills. As often as
Mcclure would stop the squaw would
stop. He tried to persuade her into
the car, but she would not. Now the
sheriff came out, and when he saw the
signals of the squaw he guessed that
she would lead them to the captive.
and when Mcclure had told how he
had helped this Indian on her way ND
the hill in storm, he knew that the
Indian was trying to repay the CON
ductor for his kindness. The unfor-
tunate brakeman, Mcclure explained,
had given the Indian tobacco and
whiskey; therefore, she would not see
him die without making an effort to
save him.
The sheriff called his deputies, ami
taking half-dozen volunteers from
Garfield camp, made sign to the In
dian and followed her away into the
wilderness of snow-hung pine and
cedar. Now aud then the squaw would
pause to get her bearings. The snow
had ceased falling and the stars were
out. After tramping for an hour or
more, the Indian signed to the sheriff
to stay, and then disappeared into a
cedar grove. Presently she returned
and led them to the edge of a preci-
pice. just below them, in a little
basin, they could see pine fire burn
ing and Indians dancing in the light
OF 1t. Sitting upon the snow hard by,
they saw the brakeman with his fet-
tered hands over his knees and his
head bent forward like man nodding
in pew. The sheriff asked the In
dian to lead them on and she made
sign that they must go far around for
the bluff was steep, aud they followed
her. They had been half hour out
of sight of the Indian camp, but
always going down aud down, so they
knew now they must be near. When
they had gone within 100 yards of the
Indians, who had not heard them walk
ing upon the muffied earth, they
stopped to discuss the work that was
before them. The Indian, putting her
hand on the sherif's rife pushed it to
the ground and shook her head, mean
ing that she would not have them kill
the Indians, whom they outnumbered
two to one. The sheriff was at loss
to understand how he was to capture
this band without firing, for he had no
doubt the Indians would fire upon him
the moment they caught sight of him.
But the squaw was equal to the emer-
gency. She began to form the men
in two lines. Taking hold of their
coats she would place a man on the
right flank and another on the left.
until she had divided the sheriff's
posse. She then placed the sheriff at
the head of one column and the con-
ductor, whom she regarded as sort
OF captain, at the other, and then
made sign to them to go forward. one
half TO the right and the other to the
left. Then she made it plain to them
that she would have them surround
the Indians. She brought her two
bouy hands together slowly, with the