Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1900-08-14
THE OVERLAND TRAIL
BY M. Quad
copp70nt, 1900. BIZ c. B. Le,pts.

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In the old days of the overland trail,
the pony express and the numbering
stagecoach stage stations had been
erected at distance OF 10 miles apart
Throughout the length of the whole trail.
After the first 30 miles from the Mis-
souri, river no coach was safe from at
tack until it reached San Francisco. 1t
was misnomer to say the stations
were erected" Most of them were
dugouts-that is, hole or cellar four
or FIVE feet deep was dug and then
covered with slabs of timber to sup
port two feet of dirt. The stables were
made in the same way, while the hay
was stacked. There was generally an
underground passage leading from the
house to the stables. House and sta
bles were loopholed Tor rifles, the doors
constructed of timber or covered with
boiler iron, and there was not one of
them which was not attacked dozen
times over. The Indians could not use
fire as weapon. nor could they carry
a station by assault, but they captured
many of them by trickery or siege. In.
no case was the life of company en-
ployee ever spared. TIE distance be-
tween stations. with the feeble garri-
son maintained at each, prevented any
hope of relief in case of attack. Indeed
the orders We're: Defend your own
station Only the last man alive is to
break through the Indians If he cam
Never were greater hardihood and
bravery exhibited than by the men Sc
lected to drive the coaches. Knowing
what the risks were, 1t seems strange
that any passengers could have been
found to fill them. but in the last two
years preceding the opening of the Pa
cific road the coaches averaged five
passengers each way. and many of
these were women. at Il few points on
the long route guard rode for few
miles with the coaches, but for most
of the distance the driver and passen-
gers must take care of themselves.
There was hardly week without its
tragedy. AS the stage toiled through
the heavy sand of some strip of desert
or met several miles of stony and up
hill trail a band of a hundred yelling
warriors would suddenly appear. The
driver must fight as well as guide his
excited team. The passengers fired
from the open doors, and If the attack
was beaten of 1t was case of luck. 1t
was when the Overland company final
ly appealed to the government to clear
Its route through Kansas that General
Custer was sent out with q brigade of
troopers. Fourteen stations had been
attacked and wiped out, and stages
had ceased to run over a distance of
almost 200 miles. Custer could not
hope to strike a telling blow against
the hordes in the field, but Ire laid his
plans to open the route and drive the
Indians back from it. As we followed
the trail to the west we picked up sta
tion after station showing grewsome
sights. In each and every case stout
defense had been made, but the Indl-
ans had prevailed. Kegs of powder
bad been used to blow open the doors
or tear out the roofs, and even though
the warriors had lost ten to one they
Hill was n relay station, with eight
men to guard it and care for the extra
horses The last stage from the east
had come in after race of five miles,
with the driver and three male passen.
gers wounded-some of them twice
and three times. 1t was one of the lar
gest and most defensiblc stations on
the route, and there was no thought
of anything but beating the Indians
of, no matter what their force.
Clusters whole command witnessed
the arrival of the last stage from the
west, the last for several weeks. From
a hilltop three miles from the trail,
with impossible gullles between, we
saw the coach come up the trail with
100 Indians pursuing it. 1t was n run
ming fight. which aroused every man
to the highest pitch of excitement, but
we We're helpless to extend aid.
Through the clear air of a summers
afternoon we saw the stage horses
shot down and the coach OYertaken.
The passengers made a brave fight to
the last, but not one of them escaped.
1t was night before we had made our
detour and reached the station, and
the Indians had departed long before.
They had captured the station two
hours before they attacked the stage.
1t had held out against them for three
days, and it was not until 40 Indians
had been killed or wounded that they
got possession of 1t by digging under
the walls and using a keg of powder.
If Burning Bill had failed to hold
out. how would It be with Pawnee
Flat, the next station to the west, and
with White Horse. the next after t11at2
The first was fonr man station and
the next a relay with eight. AS we
rode away through the night not a
man had the slightest hope for Paw
nee, though we knew it would have
been defended as long as one of the
four could lift a gun We reached It
at about II O'Clock. II was as we had