The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-08-09

Mr.. George MCGUIRE. of the Interior
Department watch force, has not always
followed a safe. easy. and agreeable /
calling. He used to be a soldier, and he
worked in the West and helped 10 make
the country fit 10 live in He was IN the
West in the high old days OF the stage
Tobber, bad Indian. reckless ranger. anu
Bill Nye The meek-cyed but deadly
mule Of Nye's time was far toward the
front OF the peaceful and the song OF
the ix-shooter was about the gentlest
music anywhere on the plains. The
regular soldiers of those days bore
great deal and made for the calling a
reputation-not theatrical. as that OF the
volunteer sometimes is made, but i'm
meusely valuable. The teTse, Apologize
self-eulogium OF the general-'only
reEular'-carries a weight Of honor not
fully appreciated generally, but which
is beginning TO be recognized
Nh MCGUIRE is a native OF New 1ork
State. but went to the West II early me
He was of an adventurous disposition,
and soon found his way to an army post,
where he enlisted He was assigned %
the Twenty-third Infantry, which did
good service all over the West and
which contained in the rank and 11le
many Of the best soldiers the country
has ever had. Col. JEFF G Davis was the
commander OF the regiment and Colonel
Crook. afterward general, was the sec
ond in command,
The regiment was kept busy for many
years on the frontier and far beyond IN
the wilderness, and all Of its members
led & decidedly interesting life. One OF
the officers over Mr.. MCGUIRE was Lieut..
". c. Manning, later given higher rank
and retired. The first time the New York
boy ever went cut looking for somebody
10 shoot he encountered some Indians,
who were out on the same business The
shooting commenced. and Mr. Mcclure
dropped an Indian at the first shot
There were sensations on that occasion
that are not TO be forgotten The young
soldier found then that killing people
was not funny.
For eight years Mr.. Mcclure served
the country in the regular army. IN that
time he saw a great deal Of active serT-
ice but was never hit by a bullet or
otherwise disabled There were nUmer-
Gus fights with the savage tribes. partic-
ularly with the Sioux. the largest, mean
est. and most desperate race OF all the
redskins. The service Of the Twenty
seventh was ii many Of the Territories,
and ambush. massacre, pestilence, and
starvation were not uncommon
Mr. Mcclure was mounted scout foc
four years, and as such saw Western
life n its deaGIiest and Hveliest forms.
There we're train robbers. horse thieves.
escaped conyicts, Indians. and every
other species Of scoundrels abroad N
the land, and riding over the country
was attended by danger
When Custer and his men were massa-
cred in the Big Horn, Mr. MCGUIRE was
guarding the mills. The Government
had undertaken 10 transport the mails
from Fort Laramie TO Red Canyon, il
the Black Hills. and guards were neces-
sary. The escort" to the mail wagon
was composed of four men 10 half q
company. owing to the wickedness OF the
people then along the route. The au-
thorities were not always certain as 70
who might be waiting for the wagon. and
the escort was generally large Il
should not be COMPOUNDED with any holi-
day or political escort, for the whole
itinerary was run on strictly business
lines The position OF member Of the
escort was not an enhancing one In
dams abounded along the way. and a
every mail station there was a grave
yard II disquisting prominence. All tht
boards IL the gTsveyards bore names ant
dates. indicating that some guardian Of
the mall had somewhere this side o.
Laramie been used for a target by a bad
Indian behind big TOcA- me SiOu1
generally ofhcIated at these ambush par
ties.
among the most trying experiences o
Nr- Mcclure was the trip across the
deserts OF arizona One tine he va.
forty-fiye miles away from water anS
very thirsty. Nearly all the men were
delirious VIXEN they reached the well a
The end OF The desert The Southern
Pacific row runs across the desert, fol
lowing almost the Identical route pur
SIZED By the soldier pioneers. No sucl
experiences are probable now. Yumi
vas already known IS the hottest pIac'
In the worl7. and the little detachmen
d the Twenty seventh, chasing Indians
arrived there at shutdown, and found tn
thermometer rs ii the shade.
Since his army service, Mr.. McGuiri
mas been living in Kansas. and Missouri
He came 70 the watch force three year
sgt.