La Junta tribune., 1898-10-29
OVER THE TRAIL.

II took ride in one of them palace cars
while l was gone" said Hank us he
took 4 scat on n box in the shade OF the
big mesquite tree in front of the cook house
where the boys of the day shift generally
congregate after supper to smoke and talk
over the incidents Of the day.
1.-The first mornin we was clippin
along through country that knowcd
every foot of; used to drive II stage over it
for Uncle Ben Halliday matter CT 40
year ago knowed every valley, crick,
foothill and mountain butte / knowcd
we was comm TO the head of DEVILS gulch.
where .lumpnp Johnny used to live before
the 'Rapahocs got him, and ! begin to
wonder If they would go down the trail Mt
the gait we was knockin off then. | sort
OF grabbed the seat and held on, but, sir,
they dropped over tho hill easy that II
I'd n shet my eyes I would not have
knowed it. He grabbed the scat. and
yet day after day down that same gulch
on n worse trail" he had sent six thor.
oughbreds on dead run. dragging after
them u swayipg stagecoach, where the
fall of horse or the slip of u wheel would
have hurled all to destruction.
THE last time pulled Uncle Ben Hal
liday over that trail we was jumped by
Rapahoes. We didn't happen to have any
outbound passengers that mornin, only
me and Uncle Ben and his niggers, md
the express and mail We was a-sailin
along when noticed some pony tracks in
the trail, and says to Uncle Ben, Get the
gun ready, for we are apt to be jumped by
Injins Just then we topped "a little rise,
and there was a band of 'Rapahoes about
400 yards away. Take shot at EN-, !
says had good Henry ride, and Uncle
Ben blazed AWAY. but for some reason
missed, and they come for us. Uncio Ben
got sorter white about the mouth but set
tl.s' down in the sat and says quiet like;
- i guess we'd better move along
Hank.
AN right, snys. Hold tight.
There was nothin but thoroughbrcds on
Uncle Ben's lines through the Injin coun-
tries wouldn't have n hoss that could
not do his mile in less than two minutes
on them runs. and l IL bet he thanked his
God for it that day Maybe we tlidn go
You bet kept my foot of the brake and
made that go foot lash whistle and snap
over them thorouRhbreds' backs This.
with the Injins yellin and shootin behind,
sent us into the Willows ahead of time. !
begun to blow my horn long before we got
to the station, and the stock tenders and
guards knowcd there was somethin wrong
and come out to meet MS -Nhenth lnjins
saw them, they went the other way
well, sir. the 'Rapahoes used to run
me into the stations time and ayain. We
had the coach riddled with bullets and ar
rows ard once | went into a station with
an arrow in the flank of the nigh wheeler
One time 1 remember had an army colo
mel and his wife and children, captain
and his wife and their servants. all bound
~ q L..
jins and piled the mail and cushions about
the women and children in the bottom Of
tho stage and started in to make runnin
fight Them officers was dead game, you
bet, and for miles and miles we put up the
prettiest runpin fight that u man would
want to see. 1t was touch and go through
lots of time, but as we got close TO a sta
ton they heard US a-shootin and come
out. At first the Injins thought they
would come on, but the stock tenders had
long range rifles and knowed how to use
em, and them lnjins was soon a'huntin
for thick hill a long ways off. I've for
got them officers names. but bet II
they re a-livin they remember me and that
days 8 ride on the Laramie trail An army
officers life was no picnic them days.
used to throw of the brake, put the
bud to the six horse team, tie the lines to
. seat brace, take my Henry and drop on
my knees in the front boot and shoot over
the seat Many and many's the single
banded runnin fight I've put UP that way.
sometimes I'd be jumped by Injins two or
three times IN one day q drive Of IS miles.
1t was about all the excitement there was
In them days that feiIer could really en-
Joy We'd drive over our division Of 75
miles in one day and back the next Gem
orally there waz four or i've stations with
changes Of horses on the run.
"But as we whoopcd 1t along in that
palace car reckon 1t come to me- moro
than ever that times il changin and that l
ani gcttin old. but pinched myself to see
n was awake Over ON that hill Is where
Ewenecked Smith and his gang Of bull
whnckers was oorralled by Cheyennes and
lost all their stock and over two-thirds Of
the men before one Of the boys got back
from Fort Laramie with the soldiers. I
eee there's . schoolhouse on the hill now.
| Up that little gulch runnin on the valley
yonder was where the vigilantes rounded
up Wartnosed johnson and his crowd and
lynched the whole gang. There's farm
house now At the mouth of the gulch and
big crop Of corn In tho valley below. At
. town whore we stopped for noon drove
up to once alone 70 find the only house
then In the town, . stnRe stntioD, burned
down, the station keeper and the stock
tenders killed, scalped, half roasted and
chopped up and tho stock drove Oh. had
70 drive 70 the next station without change
Il hosses Now IT'S big town with troll