The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-03-05
LIFE ON THE BORDER.
NST so PLEASANT IN KANSAS
ABOUT THIRTY YEARS AGO.
some of Mr.. W%right's Experiences-His
Ranch House Was RiddIed with Bull
lets and Arrows Stuck all Over the
walls-FamiIy Escaped Unhurt,

"0SleIu frontier, II man-kllling was
an every night occurrence. The vic
Inns were usually cowboys crazed with
liquor, who ran up against some bad
man gambler, the sure shot sheriff,
Dr. another cowboy quicker with his
gun The remains If these mis-
guided men were quite informally
buried with their boots on in a
french dug in the famous Boot Heel
cemetery on the hill, no stone being
set up to mark tthe memory or identity
IL the corpse below.
Today Dodge City is almost as quiet
Is the cemetery, and has but one
highly respectable prohibitory state
liquor saloon.
mere are many men there who can
ELL thrilling tales of those troublous
lines, but there is much interesting
material in the talk of an old-timer,
Mr.. Robert NJ. Wright, who did his
'hootlng at Indians in the defense of
lis Vile and property when Dodge City
Was put a government outpost and
cowboys had all they could do to keep
~helr scalps. The Indian and frontiers
nan are fast passing away, and Don
mere Will be no one to tell from real
lie stories of the adventurous days
liong the border, doubly interesting
because they are true and relate to
eal flesh and blood. Mr.. Wright is
low well along in years and has retired
rom active business. His memory is
good, and he is not averse to talking
u his pioneer day experiences.
Il moved to Fort Dodge in 1866"
SAID Mr.. Wright, "and soon after, with
Mr.. James Anthony, purchased the
Jlmarron ranch, about rs miles west
IL there. Just previous to this the
lrppeans had killed two men on the
'anch while busy making hay. Anth-
my was an old overland stage driver
Who a had many adventures with
he Indians on the plains, and rather
enjoyed them. We got together some
experienced men and went to making
hay. Scarcely a day passed but what
he savages were around trying to do
some deViltry. They let us alone for
4 whole month once, but that was be-
ause they hau cholera. 1t was perfect
y awful that summer on the plains,
or the cholera carried off settlers,
soldiers, government employees, Santa
Fe traders, emigrants and Indians in
great numbers. | lived through an at
ack of the disease.
In course of time the redskins killed
III all our horses, and we were COM
)elled to purchase a big span of mules
rom the United States Mail Company.
or which we paid $500. Anthony felt
very proud of the pair, as he had often
ridden behind them while he was a
messenger on the Overland route.
THE first morning they were sent
% the hay camp, Anthony was in the
corral stacking. After awhile he came
into the house looking as proud as a
peacock, and said to me: Hear that
machine! Amt Puss and Jenny max
ing it hum?' But the sound did not
seem natural to me, so l grabbed a
spyglass and assembled to the lookout
IN the top of the building. Just as ]
suspected, there were Indians on bott
sides of those mules, pounding then
with their bows, and making them
run, while the boys in the camp were
shooting as fast as they could loat
and fire, protecting the driver, VIII
was fleeing for his life, with a score O.
red devils after him, whooping, yelling
and shooting. His two revolvers wer,
strapped upon the machine, which h,
had left in a hurry and there wa.
nothing for him to do but streak it 70,
camp.
The Cheyennes Arapahoes and Kio
was were committing many depreda
tons along the Arkansas river tn,
Bottom" said Mr.. Wright. with m,
were my wife and two children. M
partner, Joe Graham, and a hired man
AS we expected to be attacked at an,
moment, Graham went to Fort Lyor
after supplies so that we could stan(
a siege. The night of his return
left for Point of Rocks, 20 miles dowI
the river, 20 take back a mule which
ne had borrowed to help him home will
his supplies. At daylight the mex
morning my ranch vas attacked b.
about 800 Indians. Fortunately, tn
folks were not Iaken by surprise an
they gave the redskins a hot reception
killing one and wounding a numbe
Of their ponies. My wife placed he
little one on the floor and covere,
them with feather beds. Then sh
busted herself loading the guns TO
the mentor those were the days O
muzzle-loaders-beside keeping
sharp lookout through the chinkini
between the logs for an attack In tn
ear. Often she detected the Indian
crawling up on the opposite side from
that where the men were firing, and
giving the alarm, they would rusl
across the room and pelt lead int,
their hides or scare them away.
The battle was kept up for abou
seven hours with the loss all on tn,
side Of the Indians. Finally they hel,
4 big pow-wow, and, after killing al
Dur horses, mules, cows and hogs, the.
rode off up the river. Satisfying him
self that the Indians had really left b,