The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-11-01


The year l carried the mail into the
Black Hills furnishes the most thrilling
recollections of all my career on The
frontier" said Col. Jim Baker TO a. knot
of veteran plainsmen the other even
ing. Il had been in Gen. Clusters
Seventh Cavalry in the Cheyenne and
Kiowa wars in Kansas, and had tried
my hand at COW punching on the
Texas Panhandle. So had seen some
thing of a strenuous life. and had some
risky experiences. But those months
OF mafl carrying in the Sioux country
went beyond anything I had met with
before
II quit the army service in the fall OF
1875, and catching the gold fever that
then ragged in the Black Hills, struck
out for Deadwood. Two army chums
and myself located on Bear Creek in
February, 1876, and in about a month
we were clean broke and all our capital
of years of saving was gone.
Misery and detection are no name
for the way we felt. Hungry and
miserable, we walked amid snow and
ice to Custer City, and there we heard
lots of hard luck stories like our own.
After looking around for work I heard
of job at carrying the mail across
the country to the Black Hills at $50
a month.
"a dozen courageous fellows had de-
clined the job before / heard of it.
Hostile Sioux abounded. Every day
brought news of a fresh murder of
settlers and prospectors by the In
dams.
THE offer of good money to carry
the mail appealed to me, almost starv-
ing and wholly discouraged as I was.
I hadn't eaten thing then for thirty
hours, and 1 didn't know whether
was ever going to have a meal again.
$50 I went to the man over at Kee-
gan's who had the job to give out, and
said that for $40 down and $40 more in
two weeks I'd carry the mail to the
Hills A ten dollar gold piece was
thrust into my hand, and / was imme-
diately sworn into Uncle Sans SER
vice. I was ordered to report for my
first ride at that night.
with the money in my pocket, I
hunted up my two mining comrades,
and we had a great fill-up Both of
my friends deplored my acceptance
of the risky job. They felt that / had
sold myself to certain death.
II reported for duty. A carbine and
a revolver were given to me and I
started off for the Red Cloud agency.
'The first fifteen miles twisted and
turned aroun the rolling hills. 1t
was bright moonlight. AS / galloped
along Thought of every bit of recent
news I had heard of Sioux attacks on
lonely travellers among the desolate
hills. I fancied that I saw Indians
skus1ing behind every boulder and in
every clump of chaparral. A dozen
times I was cocksure that I saw In
dams lying in wait for me.
ct was past midnight. The moon
had gone down. had begun to think
the Indian massacre stories were about
: all imaginary. I let my horse come
TO a walk I had crossed Cottonwood
Creek and was climbing up the trail
among the trees.
Suddenly my horse stopped, and ]
almost fell off. I vainly punched my
spurs into his TANKS, and by words
tried to urge him forward.
He stood snorting and quivering,
and jumped off and with my shooting
iron in my hand tried to lead him. He
stood stone still.
"In the darkness felt around in the
mud and slush. My fooR struck sene-
thing a yard in front OF the horse. I
pulled off my gloves and felt human
head cold and sticky with blood.
"It was & horrible moment. No
doubt there were frenzied savages all
about, waiting for more white lives.
All my boosted nerve vanished.
was as weak as a dish rag.
ut was womans head. l knew
that the woman was settlers wife,
and that her husbands body and pos
ssbly her child's must be near in the
darkness. With trembling hands and
knocking knees. / led my horse around
the womasls body, and, climbing into
nv saddle, I dub my spurs into the
horse and rode on desperately.
..I reached camp OF g. dozen emf
grants Just at dawn. They had seen
Sioux the day before and had been W
and around all night. I told them OF
my discovery back on the trail, and
they told of Indian murders they had
known of personally
.ssI STAYED in the emigrant camp that
,day, ate jerked beef and slept. When
night came on / started for Red CLOUD
agency. With the exception OF seeing
Sioux campfire some eight miles
away. off on hillside, nothing unusual
occurred that night
II reached the agency early IN the
morning, and, having delivered my pa.
ners. had a meal and slept. That nigh'
I started on the return trip TO custer
city. 1t was safer for a person alone
to travel in the Indian country under
cover of darkness.
.eFrom that time on I was a regular
mail carrier from Custer City to the
Black Hills. We Were paid Oh cents
letter, and the Government contfacto.
made money besides. I made the roulio
trip from Custer City to the hills once
a week from April to November when
the advancing railroad put an eno 70
the profits in the job.
Something hair raising occurred OF
almost every weekly trip. Ii 1t haoii
been for the good money there was IL
II 7 wouldn't have stuck month.
lone trip was fording creek when
I was fred upon by bunch OF siouA'
who lay among the bushes over 10 lhe
west. How I ever got away is d my