Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-05-14

Slf anu NntcGPu tt disappear. y OIL
fellows tall; about your horseback rid
ing and the diltancea that you cover,
just as il you were doing something
worth mentioning"
There WAS another long pause, dur
Ing which The man from Wyoming
puifcd vigorously nj his cigar, as if
by its very difference-it reminded him
of the Old "alliaii filters" that he used
to smokc down around Carbon and
Rawl'ns. SAYS Il Helena, Mont letter To
the Washington Post Some Of the
youngsters had been telling about their
horseback rides, all unwilling that
they were stirring in the breast of the
man from Wyoming some reminis-
cenccs of rides that were rides. But
they held their peace when he spoke.
for they knew that his crouch would
wear OFF anu he'd have something to
tell them.
"Yon never knew Joe Rankin,
reckon" the man from Wyoming re-
Snmed when he had rounded himself
mp and snubbcd himself chnck up to
the fact thai the boys were not To
blame the man from Wyoming ucca-
sinnally forgets how old he is. and
that The kids" can't be expected to re-
member What took place before they
any Will West.
He Could Ride Some.
Well. Joe Rankin could sure ride
some. He wasn't much for fancy. hut
he WAS always there with tie goods
when they were needed. Those were
the days when they used to scrapc M
aikaii dust for baking powder. and all
The water there was in Carbon was
thought there in little tank cars TINT
looked like the wind had blown the
sides ont of Il EoX car and let the roof
down on the iioOr. And that water
was the cause Of-but that has moth
Ing to do with Joe Rankin.
Joe Rankin lived in Rawlins then.
lie had been plugging around on the
frontier ever since they showed the
line west from the Missouri. and he
knew morc'n n lot of the expert Indian
lighters ihat they had sen, out To sup.
press the tltes. These ltcs had been
trying TO stir up trouble for ten years,
aud this time they dll il for sure The
Indians were Of the Saguachc country,
and they turned loose in 1879 and kill
rd LOT Of settlers near their rcscrvn-
tion In Utah
Maj. Thornburg, with some Of his
command was sent to suppress the
utes and Rankin joined him rs guild"
when lie reached RawlinS Joe had
been United States marshal and sheriff
and almost every hing else around
there, and he knew tho whole country
Whites Almost hnnihilated.
doc slipped up on his estimate Of
the strength Of The Indians. AMI AT
Milk riHer in Utah. the Utea cloacl i'll
on Thornburg3 troops, and when tile
smoke cleared UP Mai Thornmrg ami
thirteen OF his men were dead and
every horse in the command was either
killed or wounded
'"fnt Rankin made good. all right.
That hight he volunteered TO re.
through the indians aid take word 10
the railroad, 40 miles away lie took
one Of the wounded horscs and rot
through the Indians TN tie tar side
Of the camp. lie had TO ride Ions
way around. and il was morning be.
fore he struck the hack OF the trail z
miles from where the Utes had the
soldiers penned in
"liia wounded horse soon gave out
and he tried another thai he sol from
a little cattle camp. and This one, too
broke down before he'd ridden far. Tie
struck out afoot aud came. TO one of
the supply camps that Thornburg had
gave him II new horse This captain
tried to break through to rescue the
major, but he lost all his horses ana
some of his men.
RANGE.
With the horse from the supply
camp Rankin made the rest OF The ride
TO Rawlins, where was The nearest
telegraph instrument. no miles from
the men he had left lie hal crossed
three mountain ranges. had led his
horses for miles where the trails were
so rough that he couldn't ride in the
dark or else when his horses were too
tired 10 carry him. That's what he
had done. and he had done it in
twenty-four hours. Now, that's riding
some"
Somebody wanted to know what be-
came Of Thornbrgs command, and
the man from Wyoming walked up
again. "What became Of them? What
do You suppose? They were saved. Of
course. Joe Rankin just telegraphcd
from Itawlins, and before daylight next
morning Colonel Merritt was moving
with six companies to entrain from
Fort Russell Mt Cheyenne. Fort Steele,
which is some east Of Rnwins, was
reached before midnight Joe Rankin
had rested himself and his horse, and
was there to mset Colonel Merritt. The
soldiers rested bit and. then struck
ont for Milk river across the country,
with Rankin guiding and setting the
pace. 1tt
Desperate Ride of Troops
And they pounded over those ITO
miles at q pace that would make you
IL rlx In,