The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-08-05
man is indebted for many
phrases of character in his

- ~SSS e~
more mature years.
The recent prominence given
1t. Col. Randall in connection
with the Cuban pay roll recalls
the writer's experience with a
labor strike-though q rather
pigmy AFFAIR carried the usual
result as frequently chronicled
vi 18th but hctle variation in
methods of procedure though
causing us IL Lnoralize on the
subject as above set forth.
La the summer of 1869 Cap
tain Randall then a young Off
Ger of the 9th U. S. Infantry,
was detailed to take charge of
the Cheyenne agency and was
duly installed as Major Ran
dali, Indian Agent.
The writer having put in
the early part of the summer
around old Berthold and the
ncighboring woodyards ,drifted
down to the Cheyenne about
the middle of July. Being
financially "put to rout," in a
newspaper investment the year
previous, and feeling the need
of rccuperation,. hired out to
Indian agent with a .niscelan-
neous group Of wood Choppers
to go up to the timber point at
Little Bend and chop logs for
the new agency buildings then
being erected. Among these
choppers wasa young English
man named Brock who had
married Il "hly Lady" of the
Unc.pah tees, and a discharged
soldier from Fort Rice named
Love or Lowe or something
akin. From the start-in they
assumed the leadership with a
verbosity of Cab and the usual
gall that sometimes finds a
substitute for brains, and US
usually succeeds in a manner
when "everything is new"
After we had all been at
work a day or two, On every
occasion night, morning and
noon. Brock aud his partner
recounted to us how foolish it
was for any man among US to
cut more than six logs apiece
any one day. "You see," said
Brock, "its government work,
and everybody beats the gov
eminent" The writer replied
to Mr.. Brock, admitting for
himself being a very poor chop
per, but as the cottonwood logs
were small-it would not take
over two hours to cut six Of
them, and we would not earn
good government grub at that
rate. A French,nan was un,
fortunate enough at this juno
ture to take the writer's view
of the matter then Brock aud
his eloquent chum "went for
ns" as enemies of the working
men,ou own class and all such
rot; yet we found the crowd
largely ON the idlers view of
the subject. ri, ding ourselves
so largely in the minority, we
partially acquiesed, by saying
we would not "hurt ourselves"
by hard work. I'M a day OF two
thereafter. MIR. Brock and his
partner had some excuse for
going to the agency and on
their return brought back word
that the Frenchman and my.
self were ordered. to report to
Major Randall" We. did so.
The agent notified us that Mr..
Brock and his companion had
reported TIA ns cutting only six
logs per day-and this amount
"f work would not justify
wages; and further to consider
ourselves discharged. Person
ally. Imade no protest and was
glad to get away from such a
crowd. boarded an up boat tor
Grand River where things were
different. The Frenchman,
however, remained there, made
an expose of the Brock party,
and turned the tables on them.
This experience with blatant,
eenseless, causeless, disturbers
among gangs or campsss of
laborers, is neither unique or
uncommon, and although the
incident was near thirty years
ago, we frequently see and hear
of Brooks fac SMILES, around
groups OF gangs of honest
workman-always fault-fnd-
ing or around his accustomed
seat on the grocery barrel or
cracker box setting forth q tale
of woe, and telling just how it