Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-06-06


stampedcd the Three Hundred Braves
! and Started Them on . Run That Last
| ed Into the Next Day.
"We 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 ever herd Of
him he were living up in Nebraska, not
far from Ogallala, on the south fork of
The Platte, just after the stream leaves
she Colorado line"
Thus discoursed former cattlemap.
who is now pursuing a 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.
I'm them days" he continued, "our
openings for fun was less frequent than
national holidays are ut present 1t was
mostly hard riding, and lots of it. Ii
gives us all sorter ye3rning to bust
| loose the cincbes and raise hell at the
first opportunity, and sometimes the
way we did il was as unique as they
was startling. The time l speak of in
| this pertickler yarn we was grazing a
| 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. Tie
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 tho
quirt to tho lnjuns He was overquiet
ON the subject. He generally was peace
fulliko and cam. He was thinker,
Rooney was, and with some schooling
and little politics would have been
great man in the city low.
About this timo 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 a supply of necessaries. Kan
sas was not 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 l 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
sagaci.y. 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 TO-
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 lnjuns begins gathering for an.
nual feast of some kind, and then ono
night they prepares for one of them
dances. Of course, all Of the boys what
could be spared wanted off to sec the
monkey business If them redskins.
Then John Rooney, no called a council
OF war and unfolded the secret of them
roman candles what he bought mt Med
icine Lodge. He tells all the boys, some
10 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 a word or coughs or makes any
loud signs.
when them 800 braves was a tearing
up the ground and yelling at the height
of the dance, we gets the word from
Rooney and lights up thom 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 ard the sparks. but them Injuns
we'll, l can't say what they thought,
but 1t 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 nd 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 fel.
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 days riding.
THAT nights devilment like to got
us all into trouble, though, and tho
most OF us discreetly struck out for
Kansas to avoid any unpleasant conse.
quences. But laugh-say. Inever laugh.
ed SO III my life. kansas City Star.