Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-07
PROLONGED HIS TRIP.
He Went for Two Days and Was Gone
Six Weeks

81 have had many funny experiences In
my life," said a weu-known Washington
correspondent who has travelled all over this
| continent and all the others, "but the read
| ing of an item in paper here about some
| cowboys brings back one that can never
correspondent who has Travelled all over this
time, but was good telegraph operator. L
was in the employ of the Sante Fe road as
an extra man. Whenever an operator at
| any distant point grew sick, or had to go
| away, 1 was among the men sent to take
his place. At the time 1 speak of Dodge
City, Kan, was nothing but a cattle town;
| place where the cattlemen took cattle to
load for the Chicago and Kansas City mar
kets 1t was wild place with the usual
| frontier frills
"One day in Kansas City received orders
| to go and relieve a man at Dodge City.
was something of a dresser in those days.
and although l knew the dislike of the
cowboys for too much swell attire, I wore
fine silk hat on the train. There were a
number of cowboys aboard on their way to
Dodge City. 1 noticed that they did not
| take kindly to that hat, and in a short time
| they began to make remarks about It. Then
one of them took it off my head and asked
that he might inspect it. They passed 1t
from one to another, and when we were
down near Dodge City they told that
such a hat was not the proper thing for
young and good-looking man.. They ac-
cordingly placed 1t in window of the car
and shot 1t full of holes.
Il didn't bother about that or care much.
and this seemed to please them. Come with
U.S.. they said when we got off the train at
Dodge City, and 50 they took me to a store
and bought me the finest regulation western
hat they could find in the store. We are
going down In the country for few miles,
they told me, and would like to have you
go with u.s. told them 1 would see about
that. 1 reported my arrival to the station
agent, who told me 1 would not be wanted
until Sunday morning. 1t was then Friday.
Thought that if the cowboys Were Just going
for short run out into the cattle country
as they had fntfmated, 1 would go along
with them. We set out and had lots of fun.
When Saturday afternoon came around I
began to get uneasy and asked them when
we were going to start back. They told me
not to be worried they would take me
| back all right. 1 didn't know where / was,
| and so just had to go with them. When
Sunday had passed began to realize was
a sort Of captive with them. and that they
had played a trick on me. So 1 stayed with
them then just to see the result. I had no
fear, because they were fine lot of fellows.
and had just concluded they were having
fun with me by getting me off that way.
The upshot was that they kept me with
them for six weeks, having gone down into
Texas for A roundup of cattle to be brought
back to Dodge City 1 was so ashamed Of
the exploit that didn't know what to do.
told the station agent, but he wouldn't
believe me, and told me was not wanted
on the road any more. / went to Kansas
City and explained the situation to the gen.
eral manager, who was mighty mad at first.
but finally began to see the joke that had
been played and Joined in the laugh on me-"