Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-02-10
The Brakeman and
the Squaw.
BY CY. WARsIAN.

Here's the story of the building of
branch line on mountain railroad.
Conductor Mcclure, being new man,
was in charge of the construction
train, with Engineer Westcott in
charge of the engine.
N. G. Creede, afterwards famous as
the founder of 3de 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, and 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 suuaw
came to Mcclure, and wanted a ride
up the hill. 1t was cruel day, and
the kind-hearted conductor carried the
Indian to the end of the track.
1t was month later when one of
McGulre's brakemen, 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 Injun," said Jack, eff
there's one there's a million; and
they've got Mickey tied to stake
We had become separated. 1 was
standing on precipice, looking for
Mickey, when l saw the Indians sur
round him. "
Now, Jack Bowen had lied so frequent
ly 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
of the missing man. The storm in
creased with the darkness, and the
sheriff's posse was forced to return to
camp. 1t were useless to put out again
in the face of such 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 III at the door of the way car and
signaled Mcclure to come out She
could scarcely speak word of Eng
lish, but, pulling at the conductors
sleeve, she started as though she would
lead IN 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 up
the hill in storm, he knew that the
Indian was trying to repay the con-
ductor fe. Lis kindness. The unfor-
tunata 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, and
taking half-dozen volunteers from
Garfield camp, made sign to the In
Oian and followed her away into the
wilderness of snow-hung pine and
cedar. Now and 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
cedar grove. Presently she returned
and led them to the edge of a preci-
pice. Just below them, in little
basin, they could see pine fire burn
ing and indians dancing in the light
of it. 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 60 far around for
the bluff was steep, aud they followed
ler. They had been half hour out
of sight of the Indian camp, but
always going down and 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 mutfied earth, they
stopped to discuss the work that was
before them. The Indian. putting her
hand on the sheritf's rifle 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.
Sut the squaw was equal t. the emer-