The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1902-07-09

BLUn DUCKS DESTINY.



81. by IL l. CLEVELAND
When tAe announcement come froz
Allen Manral. then with James ]. Hin
that'a bFnuch Of The Manitoba Railroad
would be built into Blue Duck, thers
we're many Of the town who felt thai
this AGGRESSION would prove 70 be an
injury and not blessing to the COM
niunity. The time Is less than a hun
dred years distant whom the citizens oi
nlsin rose en- masse and protested
against the building OF what
is now the Chicago 4 North
western Railway. They said Il
would destroy the inns and the plank
roads. Blue Ducklans acid that their
oattle would be run down and the town
heeome but the way station OF a trunk
line Blue Duck without a railroad
WIS out OF the world in one sense. q
trading community with an identity:
With railroad 1t became q spot on 4
nap, prey TO rapid transit and com.
petition. Accordingly. the message
travelled southwark to Mr.. Marvel.
blue Duck don't want your road to
come this way. Go to Hamar. but
leave us alone"
Mr.. Marvel kept that message. sign
cd by all the traders. merchants and
cowmen Of the town. for many years
and never looked at 1t without a hearty
laugh. But he did not change his plane
nor those OF Mr.. Hill to make Blue
Duck railway point
The graders and the iron men kept
Or at their work, and day after day ths
rails drew nearer to Blue Duck. until
they were scarcely ten miles away. The
night the weary traclmen quit at thia
distance from the town Gentleman Ed.
who was an inveterate foe of railways.
acted. His brief message of the after
noon, sent by couriers to every cow
boy In the region, Como to town"
brought ready response. A hundred
sat their saddles when by the town
pump he seriously announced that no
railway must enter the place.
When a little later he mounted his
cwn black mare and gave the signal for
a start all Of the male population of
Blue Duck was with him. He rode
straight for the CT ap Of the builders.
descending on their tents and boarding
cars like a whirlwind. The devasta-
ton he and his men wrought in one
short hour was a wonder. The work.
men fed to the tall grasses and hid
When they came back they were home
less. They cursed a little, then sat
down and waited for orders from the
higher powers.
While they were waiting a myster-
ious prairie fire, favored by a strong
wind, came up through the grasses and
drove them with their horses and
mules miles southwark. The. heat
warped the rails already laid; cattle
were driven over the new dump or
grade until 1t was almost worthless. In
two days Blue Duck had stopped the
northward progress OF more than q
hundred millions Of capital. and as this
was in land where courts and law
yers were scarce. where the people Of
community willed for themselves
what should or should not be. this cap
ital was staggered. AS preliminary
to recovering from the shock 1t sent
out an emissary. 1t was his misfortune
that he wore silk hat
''Py TAM" said Halverson, when he
saw the hat and knew TO whom It be-
longed, 'he vas born to be hung. Me
tink ploog hat and a wicked heart so
together. Yump. you sucker!" he ex-
claimed. and his lively handling OF bis
pistol sent the enissary into the air
two or three feet
"Yump again." he shouted, and the
unfortunate visitor did a. he
was told. Unfortunately his hat wab-
bled this time and almost rolled from
his head. Half dozen pistols spoke
on the Instant and the silk crown was