Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-12-31
CHAPTER VI.

The members of the court bad scat
tered to their posts, all save the veteran
president and Colonel Turn bull, the de-
partment inspector. Lieutenant Blake,
to his disgust, had been sent scouting
up the Hassayampa, where the ApaChes-
had been some days before, but couldn't
be found now, it being the practice of
those nimble warriors to get far from
the scene of their deviItries without
needless delay, and the rule Of the pow
ers shat were, until General Crook
taught them wiser methods, was to
promptly order cavalry to the spot
where the Indians had been instead of
where they had presumably gone. A
blackboard en- route to Date Creek, with
two of the array that had sat in judg-
ment on Nevins, had been ''held up at
night by gang of half dozen desper-
ADDE'S and the three passengers relieved
of their valuables consisting of one
gold watch and two of silver, one seal
ring, three revoIvers, three extra sized
canteens, a two gallon demijohn and in
the aggregate three gallons of whisky.
The victims had submitted to the in
evitable, SO far as their gold and silver
were concerned, but pathetically point
ed out to the rObber chief the hardship
of being hereft at one fell swoop of the
expensive and only consolation the coun-
try afforded, and despite his wrath and
disappointment at finding that the gen
tlemen had already been robbed-twO Of
them having spent four nights hand
running at the post poker roOm-the
leader was not so destitute of fellow
feeling as to condemn the hapless trio
to the loss of even the necessaries of life,
and mercifully handed back half gal
Ion.
eve hope TO catch some of you gen.
tlemen when you haven't been playing
poker, said he. striving to stifle his
-chagrin. Who got it all, anyhow" he
asked, with an eye to future business.
''Ah, yes! Might have known it, - he
continued in response to the ruetul adj
mission of one of the party. wonder.
fully smart outfit that at Cooke, Won
derfully-most as smart as some of our
people at Sancho's. Well, so long, gen.
tlemen. If any of your friends are COM
ing this way, recommend our place,
won't you? We've treated you as we'll
as we know how Drive on, Johnny.
Nobody else will stop you this side of
Date. They know we got here first
Arizona was an interesting region in
those days of development that followed
close on the heels of the war. Hundreds
of experienced hands had been thrown
out of employment by the return of
peace, and the territories overlooked
with outlaws, red and white, male and
female. 1t was taking ones life in ones
hands to venture pistol shot beyond the
confines of military pest 1t was i'm
possible for paymasters to carry funds
without a strong escort of cavalry. The
only currency in the territory was that
put in circulation by the troops or paid
to contractors through the quartermas-
ter's department. Even Wells-Fargo,
pioneer eXpressmen of the Pacific slope,
sent their messengers and agents no far
Their then than the Colorado river, and
Uncle Sans mail stage was robbed so
often that registered package had
grown to be considered only an adver-
tisement to the covetous of the fact that
its contents might be of value.
And so, when the record of the court
was duly signed and sealed in huge Off
cial envelope, and Lieutenant Loring
even more grave and taciturn than usu-
al, went the rounds of the rude quarters
to leave his card or pay his ceremonious
parting call on the officers who knew
enough TO call ON him-which in those
crude days of the army many did not
he was asked by more than one expert
enced soldier whether he had requested
an escort in view of the fact that he
was burdened with valuables that
though small in bulk, were convertible
into cash that was anything but small
In amount.
To such queries Mr.. Loring. who had
an odd aversion to answering questions
as TO what he was going to do, merely
bowed assent and changed the subject
Lieutenant Gleason, an officer who had
recently joined the infantry and was
one of Nevins' victims, a man of unusu-
al assurance. despite his few months of