The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-09-01
lcopyright, 1905, BY W. @. chapman.)

Mr.. Jack Cheney was station agent and facto-
tum Of the Pennsylvania railway at Meades-
burg, ia. He was 10 years old, full Of ginger and
an ardent patriot. When Lincoln made his call for
$4,000 volunteers Cheney threw his position to the
Winds wended his way to Pittsburg and enlisted
In the famous Duquesne Grays Nature had fav-
ored this lad to degree He was about Hve feet
ten, straight as arrow, weighed las pounds. had
brownish red hair, blue eyes, which under excite
ment or emotion became steey gray, and his face
eternally wore faint suggestion of smile.
He came of q military family, many Of his an
cestors having written their names high on the
countrys roll OF honor For the first three months
Cheney was assiduOus In his attention to duty
and when his time was out The was an original
80 day MANI he was discharged corporal The
next day he reenlsted In another regiment and
was quickly appointed sergeant then first ser.
geant and short time later Gov. Curtin commits
stoned aim second lieutenant In the Peninsula
he was q captain, at Charlottesville major, and
later lieutenant colonel. In the Wilderness fights
his conduct was SO distinguished that he was COM
missioned colonel and as such commanded HIS
regiment until mustered out In 1866. Several
times during the war he had been on detached
duty and rendered good account of himself in
connection with Pnkert0n's secret service. He
had been twice wounded and numerous times face
to face with the old man with the scythe," Four
years and six months OF actual soldering made
him UNIT for the quiet hum-drum lille In q small
PENNSYLVANIA town and when he was offered q
chance to enter the United States secret service
he did So
AT this time the duties of secret service man
were numerous and 0nerOus, and Col Cheney had
enough exciting adventures to I'LL several volumes
Thievery, graft and crime were rampant from one
end OF the country to the other and life was one
continuous round of pleasure for Col Cheney It be-
Ing understood that pleasure In his case meant
the sowing OF an intricate problem or running
some crook to earth.
Shortly after the great transcontinental Pacific
road was completed Cheney was operating In the
West Central Department with headquarters at
81. Louis. Things had been somewhat quiet for
rev weeks and ne became restless when one morn.
Ing ne found note In his mail directing him per-
sonally to assume charge of q paymaster case In
Nebraska. 1t seems that q major and paymaster
OF the army en- route to pay the troops at some OF
the frontier posts and camps had been robbed of
$4,000 In current coin OF the realm Most OF the
troops at this time were busy keeping hostile In.
dams In check and protecting the overland trains
and could not well be spared to run down the gang
Inc ROBBERY mao occurred near Smedburg, Neb. a
stopping point between Grand Island and North
Platte Cheney was informed that a certain gang
headed by one Buck Ewing was supposed TO be i'm.
pcated In the affair." but conclusive proof was not
ut hand. He was to 60 there with a couple of good
men, ferret out the case and when the time was
ripe call for troops to make the arrests He left
st. Louis the same evening taking with him Sid
Guthrie and Ed Longeran, two faithful operators on
whom ne could depend In any emergency. Before
leaving ne called on Gen. B. II. GriersOn, command
Ing the cavalry at Jefferson barracks and obtained
letter OF Introduction to Gen. ]. ]. Reynolds who
was In command of Fort Niobrara, the largest post
In Nebraska. This letter was the only piece of
writing Cheney had on his person II merely
spoke OF Cheneys being In the government ser.
vice. not stating the branch, and commended him
to Gen. Reynolds good Offices. n 11-.
The trip to Omaha an0 from there to North
Platte was uneventful Stopping Just long enough
to get wagon transportation Cheney and his two
men continued on to Smedburg, reaching there
that night about dusk. .s5u
Smedburg was typical frontier town. every
other building being saloon, dance hall and gam.
bling house combined. The inhabitants were
those usually found In such places. no better no
worse There was, as a rule, quite q transient
population, due to overland caravans stopping to
rest before continuing further towards the land of
the setting sun. 90
Cheney, Guthrie and Lonergan were dressed In
rough western style; they were quiet well behav.
ed and aid nothing to attract any special attention
They walked around the town, Sizing things IN
looked In one or two places and saw the games
going on. incidentally, they saw Mr.. Buck Ewing
ana q rev companions halfseas over ''bucking the
gnRn nlIx .,nn