Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-01-12

" NTTN VI = u ~ -
her turned scout, and Is said to Ghaye
done yeoman service for Uncle Sam
in some of the fighting that followed
that memorable massacre.
When that little unpleasantness had
been settled, and '.he'' concluded that
1t was up to him to be good. until next
time. Kate Maher turned her atten-
ton to stake driving. On several oc-
casions she had TO protect her stage
from Indians and ~highwaymen, Once
she a no passengers but a couple of
pretty girls when her stage was at
| tackled by Indians. She rose nobly to
the masculine duty of protecting the
weaker sex from danger. One of her
charges was almost in Mysteries, but
the other one kept her head sufficiently
TO be of some use in the emergency.
The slight, imperturbable driver hand
ed his n a Winchester and a big
six shooter, with instructions as to
their use, and a calm Are you man
enough to save the last two bullets for
yourself and her, If 1t ONE to the
pinch; or must / do that?' The girl
responded gamely that she'd try, where
upon the doughty driver old her that II
wasn't coming to a pinch, but 1t was
just as well to b ready, all the same.
Fortunately 1t didn't come to that finsd
pinch.
From stage driving she drifted to
prospecting, and from that TO cow
| punching, and eventually to working In
the mines. Naturally in the fast, ex-
citing life OF those years she lost all
that was left to her Of wntnanly sweet
ness and grace. Her associates We're
for the most part rough, uncouth, dis
sipated men, n she naturally enough
fell into their ways, and acquired their
habits. First she took to smoking.
Drinking and gambling followed IN q
matter of course. She lost such good
lOoI.. -, I.,l InAV, Aatsa INAAtaH she Aru%
| appeared as a III man she seemed
n pleasant, comely looking fellow, clean,
honest, clear es ed, But in the middle
aged woman who died a few weeks &
there was as little to suggest Ed Dono-
van of thirty odd years ago ms Kate
Maher, except, perhaps, a quick wit,
honesty, good nature, and an abiding
pluck.
Her life knew many changes, many
ups and downs. She changed her name
almost as often as she changed her
clothes. But never once Is 1t recorded
of her that the change was made TO
escape the penalty Of anything h had
done or TO avoid the payment OF an hon.
est debt. Though she drifted through
the west for the space of a natural life
time, she never stayed long In one
place, n no one set of friends knew
her for long. Which may be why her
secret remained her own.
Once in a brush with the Indians,
when she was freighting, she was shot.
She dug the bullet out Of her thigh
herself, and the wound healed without
medical attendance. Soon after she
was taken prisoner by a band OF In
dams. She was given up for lost by
other members of the ~freighting OUTFIT
But one night she succeeded in eludingi
the vigilance OF the savages, and
| mounting one OF their fastest horses
made her escape II reJoined her
frtends.
On another occasion, Up in the Black
Hills, she was singled out and chal-
IlenGed to mortal combat by a young In
diaa ckieftain, anxious to win his spurs.
He recognized the young paleface as
! 4 Csaok shot of great nerve. and ar
| Eued s.at Il he could get the scalp OF
SO worthy q Zoe his place among the
cEtsfs az his tribe would be established
on "A Grnl foundation. The challenge
p.o@aDIy accepted. The Indians
FIRST sed IRE. lie had no Sec
/ I.atc Makers shot was
irac. and he Immediately ~qualifled as
te only eoqt Of good Indian" recog-
mixed ca Ia frcatier.
Ea Is sail 10 have driven the IA
moss DcadWcod coach. and or one oc-
| casion TO have been held up In IL by
bandits. she mortally wounded one of
l. AtiNfA1 IL nv ~
| wounded. Bat that sort of thing was
all in Il days work out there. Stage
robberies were OF frequent occurrences
in those days, and the occupation of a
border stage driver was q strenuous
onc attended with great hardship and
not a little danger. But his woman
was Injured to hardship, and rather en-,
joyed a spice of danger; and the pas
sengers who Travelled the oad fire.
quently, and got TO know this intrepid
young driver. never felt safer than
when they knew that he held the
reins.
She knew the country as few knew It,;
she knew its dangers and where they
were most likely TO crop UP. And she
never hesitated To meet them half way,
with enough courage and hrmness for
half n dozen men In a more peaceful
country.
One night a lone outlaw attempted
to hold up her stage. He stepped out
from behind a large tree by the road
side his face covered with a mask and
a revolver In each hand, and CON-
handed her to stop. He was a novice
at the business and Kate Makers prac-
ticed eye instantly saw it. AS quick as
a flash she whipped out her s~ix-shooter
and took a shot at the bandit, at the
same time cracking her whip n CIV
ing rein to the horses. The outlaw fell
Will ii fIlOIL WOutu III HiS IlcdQ Thu
his dead body was found the next day.
Those were days not only of holdups
and other crimes, but of lynchings as
well, and Kate Maher did her part as
a citizen to punish offenders against
the law. No man in the hills was more
intolerant of crime M of criminals
than she, and few did more to stamp
out the one n put down the other.
When q l%ynching was necessary she
stood ready to do her part, and on
more thar one occasion took a hand In
%stringing up to a tree criminals OF the
| type that then infested the west. But
II she was quick to punish the guilty
| she was equally quick to defend. with
her life II need be. the innocent.
Kate Makers life on the range was
no less picturesque than her life on the
| road and in the camp. She was q SUI
| perb horseman and soon became one OF
the best known cowboys In the west.
But 1t was the mining camp that h
loved best, with It's perpetual hope OF
| some day striking II rich. She never
did strike ii rich, but the instinct OF
the gambler was strong with her. and
the mountains with their hidden riches
called strongly to her. Finally when
the hope of finding untold wealth had
| faded she went into the mines and
worked for q miners scanty wage. 4
1t was not a particularly successful
| career hat came to Kate Maher as a
man. 1t brought neither riches o
glory. But probably IL she had it to-
do over again she would say unhesi-
tatingly that on the whole 1t had been.
worth while-or, at any rate. better
worth while than anything that was,
In the clothing that custom has pre-,
| scribc1 for her sex.