Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-03-30


to date OF payment.
Mr.. A. NJ Clarke was with the outfit,
and being unable 20 find and recover
the stock. when the next day and
bought Of BauvOa, at Bauyoa station,
cattle 10 move all but three wagons,
and ! presume some parties may have,
some few days or weeks later, been able
to buy some OF our stock Of the same or
other ranchman, they having been trad.
ed them for a small price, or received a
payment of old accounts OF whisky.
The following year, at an indian coun-
ell, at Fort Laramie, the Sioux chiefs
acknowledged robblng us and were VIII
ing to pay for the same. The United
States superintendent Of Indians, Judge
Cooley said the claim was good, but he
had no money belonging to the Indians
with which to pay It. This is a copy Of
tho treaty.
In the matter OF the claim Of Clarke
& Co. against the government of the
United States OF America for the loss
Of stock taken by the Sioux Indians at
Sand Hill station in the Territory Of
Nebraska.
We, the undersigned chiefs and head
men Of the Sioux nations, acting for and
In behalf OF said tribe, and In open
council, acknowledge and admit, that on
or about the 3rd day Of November. 1866,
at Sand II III station, In the Territory OF
Nebraska, a band OF the said Sioux took
and drove away eighty-fve head Of oxen
and killed one mule the property Of
Clarke & Co., and the said stock or any
part thereof has never been returned to
the said Clarke & Co., or paid for by the
Indians.
Done at Fort Laramie, d. T.. this -
day Of A. D., 1865 In presence OF Valet
Jaut, United States Indian agent.
To this document the following In
dians affixed their signature by making
their mark Spotted Tail, Swift Bear,
Boy Hawk. Hawk Thunder, Tall
Thunder, Sharp Nose. White Tail, Big
Mouth. The Man That Walks Under the
Ground The Black War Bonnet,
Standing Cloud, Blue Horse, Big Head,
These signatures were secured In the
presence Of Chas. r.. Bowes and Frank
Lehmer, who signed as witnesses, and
both OF whom are old Omahans,
The United States court of claims Of
ficers allowed our bill some years ago
but we did not get our money until
| July, 1898.
We were quite successful in the selec-
ton Of goods. In frelghtlng and selling
the same. seldom having anything but
what paid good margin, Merchants In
the mountains would pay we'll when
they wanted goods, but woe to the man
who had to sell when goods were not in
demand.
HIGH PRICES THOSE DAYS,
Eggs, at times, would sell at $3.50 a
| dozen One year we had large quantl-
| ty Of butter and sold II at 81 a pound,
wholesale, in packages Of 100 and 100
| pounds, 0otagon steel and rope were ar
ticles that brought good prices when
| wanted, 80 cents q pound readily but
| one half Of that when a good supply
was in. Sometimes -four would get
scarce and sell &c $40 to $50 sack, aud
so with coffee, sugar and candles Cove
oysters, peaches, canned corn and wax
candles were like gold dolars-always
| staple.
In 1865, in closing out our stock at
| Denver, we traded TO Bartle & Metz,
| formerly merchants from Bellevue,
| canned turkey and chicken, spices, etc,
valued at $1,000, for 800 acres Of land
in Sarpy county, and later sold the
same for $4,000,
| Ii took a four-horse stage six days
and nights to make the trip from Dem
/ yer to Omaha, and the fare one way
was sl25 Our food was hot bread, ba-
| con, or side pork. corn bread, dried ap-
! pies unpeeled dried peaches, beans,
coffee and sugar
The stage driver would commence TO
whoop a mile or more from town; and
| by the time we arrived at n station.
| breakfast, dinner or supper would be
under way, and a team ready to hitch
| on.
With the competition Of the Union
! Pacific the freghting on the overland
| route, from points on the Missouri rIv-
er to Denver and Salt Lake ceased, and
the base Of supplies was from points
| on the railroad to army stations and
other points north and south Of the
road Among those east OF the noun
tains was Sidney. in Nebraska, AIS
| miles west of Omaha where Pratt and
| Farrls and other freighters in 1876 were
! hauling with large cattle, mule and
| horse outfits, from Sidney and Fort
! Sidney 10 Camps Robinson, Sheridan
and the Black Hills mining centers,
| such as Custer City, Deadwood Lead
| city and Rapid City, and other points,
| fording the North Platte some forty
4
/ Clark was at this time.
HOW CLARKE BUILT HIS BRIDGE.
In the winter Of 1875 and 1875,
Stephens & Wilcox Of Omaha and other
merchants requested that ] should look
over the North Platte line 20 Camp
Robinson and Sheridan They and 9TH
! er Omaha jobbers wanted TO make a
! sidney and the
| military stations and the Black Hill
! gold country, which was then going az
| far west as Cheyenne, and crossing the
! Platte at old Fort Laramie, ninety
| miles west Of Camp Clarke, and see II
| II was practicable 90 bridge the Platte
! at that point. ] did So and reported
! favorably. The bridge would be some
| 1000 feet or more long. Ttey then un-
| dertook to form a bridge company and
put in a bridge but found Omaha peo-
pie we're not willing to put money In
so large an undertaking In the Sioux
and Cheyenne indian country, and had
10 give IL up. Then they came to me
| and wanted 10 know II would put In
toll bridge and accept a bonus. |
answered. Yes" and the amount
named was satisfactory. They soon
made UP the amount and placed one
OF my bridge foremen In the lumber
yard OF Katers & Son. Moline, Ill, and
schruker & Miller, Davenport. Ia, to
construct the bridge.
The Chicago Rock Island and the
Union Pacific railroads saw the I'm.
| portance Of the move and freighted all
material free OF cost from those points
to Sidney-consisting OF three large
wagon train loads and teamed Il from
Sidney 90 the river
The iron was manufactured at MIL
waukee and piles secured in the hills
! southwest from the bridge site. This
/ bridge was completed in June. ls76,and
was one Of the strongest and best OF
! the Platte river bridges; the seventh
/ one built, and IL still standing. II !
was strong enough 10 carry mining /
machinery over, on short coupled wag.
ons drawn by seven 20 ten yoke |
OF cattle, being In fact. strong enough |
! TO carry a railway train.
This bridge Is some nine miles east !