Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-02-28

Drivers Presentiment-It Proved True,
and Came in Time to Save the Over
land Stage and PassenGers-Fierce
Fight With a Mississippi Panther.
GA few very old people remember
Jim Call, who was an overland stage
driver way back in the fifties," said
Ansel Newman, of Washington, who
revisited New Mexico recently after an
absence of thirty years. Jim Call
was first-o class man who had held the
reins for three years on the overland,
which was pretty good while for a
driver to keep alive in those. days.
His route was the last stretch east of
Las Vegas at the time I speak of, and
on June morning 1 was sitting be-
side him on the box as the stage rolled
westward, due to reach Las Vegas that
evening at o'clock. There was a full
load of passengers-ten men and two
women, as L remember-and three
men besides myself were on the out
side.
81 had known Jim Call for years
and noticed that he was distracted
and silent this day. He attended
carefully to his driving and said little
to me until we stopped at noon at a
stage station for dinner. After we
had eaten and while the horses were
being hitched up he spoke to me of
what was in his mind.
Give got the queerest notion about
the next station-the Red River
Station he said with sort of shame
faced air, for an overland stage driver
hated worst of anything to confess to
a feeling Of apprehension. I've been
looking for Indians every time 1 drove
up there for the last three trips. I've
dreamed about 'em nights-that I was
| driving up to the station, with Fred
richs, the keeper, waiting for me hold
ing the relay horses by the heads
and then when I'd got to where I'd
seen him standing there was nothing
but Indians-bad ones, in war paint
and hostile. This is in confidence,
and not to be repeated-but do you
believe there's any truth in dreams;
that there's such thing as foreknow-
ing something that is going to come
about that you don't know by your
reason or any ones information?
II reckon not, jim I answered,
'and so far as dreams signify I've al
ways heard that they go by contraries.
Look at your dreams through this and
see if they don't take on a brighter
color and l passed him my whisky
flask.
"Call nodded to me, took moder-
ate pull at the flask and passed it back
to me. The effect of the whisky was
to make him trife more cheerful,
but he looked grave and anxious as
we approached the Red River station,
which came into view while we were
two miles away. There was some
thing little odd in the appearance OF
the place. The relay horses evident
ly had been driven to the corral, for
they were not grazing anywhere in
view, but Friedrichs, the station keep
er, who at our coming should have
appeared leading them out in harness,
was nowhere to be seen. The driver
was silent and watchfuf as we drew
near the station, holding the horses
carefully in hand, and even l began to
feel something omnious in the utter
silence and loneliness of the place.
''The stage had crossed a gulch
that led round the rear of the corral
to the river, and was about 200 yards
from the station when q little dog
came out of the hollow and made for
the stage, running as if badly fright
ened. Call pulled up the horses.
That's Friedrichs dog he said.
There's something wrong at the sta
tion. or he'd never act this way.s I'll
get on the safe side of the gulch again
before I try to find out
'"The dog was covering under the
stage, looking fearfully back as Call
swung the horses round. Hardly had
he turned their heads when from be-
hind the station and corral twen1y five
or thirty Indians streamed out into
view, armed with bows, with a gun OF
two among them, and ran for the stage.
At the same time as many more that
had been concealed in the gulch sprang
to their feet and ran to head us off.
Call knew his business, and he put
the stage and horses across the gulch
in hurry, but there was not thirty
yards between us and the nearest La
dians as we came up on the further
bank, and the arrows were flying thick.
A half dozen arrows struck the coach,
and passenger got one in the arm,
but fortunately none of the horses was
disabled. We had a ride and three OIL
four revolvers among us, which we set
to going, and we had the pleasure Of
seeing one Indian go down fiat on his
face before the horses pulled us out Of
danger. We went back to the station
where we had had dinner, and from
there courier was despatched to Las
Vegas with tidings of what had hap
pened, and next morning an escort o
citizens arrived to guard the stage
through. No Indians were to be seer
along the route.
cat the Red River station Fried
richs, the keeper, and his helper were
found dead and mutilated, and tn,