The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-06
Copyright by S. S. Mcclure Company.

-.a FgH - X. s. i q Il
AS claim adjuster in the department of
lost, over and short freight, l was. for
the most part, ION the wing knocking
about over all divisions and branches of |
the road, at the head or tail of problems
Involving the companS's money or the
want Of it. Old Perth, roundhouse fore
man at Wandon, had helped me in fixing
!. the responsibility of shortage in the
freighting of engine oil from an eastern
firm, and perhaps on that account or.
from some sort Of affinity, we became
fast friends. OF course eX-d1spatcher
like myself and-an old engineer like Perth
could hardly escape feeling an interest In
each other; beside, Perth was man of
7 good intellect and eminently worthy Of Gull
Z tivation.
Sitting one day in his little office he
told me the story Of Katie Lyons great
!. ride during Long Blankets raid, and her
race for life in the buffalo stampede.
FL sit was the first trip I ever fired an en-
gine," he said II was then green lump
/. of a boy, only a couple of years on the
farm. Eighteen months in the shops at
Omaha had given me an ambition to push
my way toward the throttle as fast as
possible, and wipers and flremen being
( plenty In my quarter, I came on to the
mountain division and went into the
roundhouse at Ludder. That was way
back In the sixties. when the first road
was being pushed across the western HAIL
"There was some question as to whether
Ludder would continue as divisional
point, and, partly on account OF It's pos
sible removed. the roundhouse mad peen
constructed Of wood instead or orlck. Inc
building contained stalls for eight engines
and stood some 200 feet from creek
( Into the creek emptied an eighteen inch
+ drain, carrying off the waste water tutt
s we washed out the engine boiler VITA.
But for this drain it Is probable that hatle
Lyon would never have taken hef memoir
: able ride.
Jack Lyon, Katie's father, handled the
Il; throttle of the old 40. Jack was middle
n aged man then, and the 40 was young.
x Both are in the scrap pile now. goa
4 bless themI The advanced front OF con-
struotion was nearly a hundred miles west
& of us, and such rolling stock as we boosted
d was chiefly employed in hauling rails, ties,
machinery, men and supplies toward the
front, The rather indefinite homes Of the
: cornpany's employees at Ludder consisted,
& in most instances, Of sod huts and hlmsy
pine cottages. Lyons home lay quarter
of A. mile down the creek, where a Jer-
sey COW and calf and a young white mare,
brought from Iowa, found pasture close
at hand, The engineers family consisted
Of a wife and three children-Kate, IA
or IL years Of age, and twin boys IN their
tenth summer.
katie was a, restless creature, boyish
down. Il remember-you can hardly fancy
how clearly-of often looking down from
the engine house and seeing the girl and
the two little chaps playing at all sorts
Of pranks in the pasture below the mousse
One day it would be Circus with Katie
on the mare. sometimes standing up urg-
ing the animal round a circle, with one
twin as ringmaster and the other as
clown or lumber; another day it would
be Cowboy with one Of the twins or
Katie on the mare and 'roping' the Jer-
sey calf or COW or one Of the children.
Once, when years old, Katie had been
to circus, back In Iowa, and memory
of it still famed up In her mind. Lyon
occasionally asked his daughter, in teas
Ing vein, 1f'she had yet decided which she
was best cut out for, circus rider or a
cowboy But Katies equestrian weak
ness ultimately served the little communi-
tyia very good turn indeed.
During these days Indians were plenti-
full. Buffalo in uncounted thousands
grazed on the plains and in the wide en-
frances Of the mountain valleys all the
way from Texas to Montana. Wild
horses roamed in freedom, and the ante
lope and coyote were not afraid. It was
beautiful.
s.'But that order Of things had been
touched with change; the roar Of the 10
connective began to reverberate In the soil
tudes, and the first criminal slaughterers
of bison herds had begun their awful
work. The Indians grew resentful and
troublesome, and details of United
States troops had often to be called out to
guard the railroad and defenseless settle
ments. Then came the general attack
led by Chief Long Blanket on the north
and by Black Calf from the south. That
brought to light the real stuff Of most OF
us, and it WASH I found out the true
blue steel Of which Katie was made. She
used to come up to the station almost
every time that her father came in with
his engine, and would usually climb into
the cab and mount the fireman's seat anC
4 ring. the bell while I ran the engine into
the house. When Lyon wasn't looking,
I remember, used to let her hold the throt.
Il tie as we went down to the roundhouse
switch She could always do almost any
thing with me.
well, one September morning a re
: port came from the front that the men OF
q construction had been having q. warn
{ time with the redskins and wanted help
Three troops of the Third cavalry wer
/ in camp on the creek a mile or so from
4 Ludder, and a messenger was sent al
speed to notify them. Old Fort Chandle
lay off to the southwest of us about ff
d teen miles, and the blueshirts had bee
brought near the track in order that the
might strike quickly, for disturbing ru
mors had been coming in for some week
or a general uprising Oh tne SaVdses
Major Holme had gone west from For
Chandler In search of Black Calf and hi
band, leaving the troops at the fort re
duced to small number, three conpanie!
under the command Of Captain Pope
having been detached to guard the rail
road and settlement at Ludder. Blac
Calf, however, had given Holme the sill
and was making a long detour to tn
south and east to strike us at the div
sion station, but all were ignorant
this Reports had come in that Lon
Blanket, with a band Of warriors, ha