Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-05-04

Pa He was 19 years old, full Of
ginger and an ardent patriot. When
Lincoln made his call for $4,000 vOlun-
teers Cheney threw his position to the
winds, wendell his way to Pittsburg
and enlisted in the famous Duquesne
Grays. Nature had favored this lad
TO degree. He was about five feet
ten, straight as an arrow, weighed 145
pounds, had brownish red hair, blue
eyes, which under excitement or emo
tion became steely gray, and his face
eternally wore a faint suggestion OF a
smile.
He came of a military family, many
of his ancestors having written their
names high on the country's roll of
honor. For the first three months
Cheney was assiduous in his attention
70 duty and when his time was out
che was an original 80 day MANI he
was discharged corporal. The next
day he reenlisted in another regiment
and was quickly appointed sergeant,
chen first sergeant, and a short time
later Gov. Curtin commissioned him
second lieutenant In the Peninsula
ne was a captain, at Charlottesville
major, and 7a+e~ III tenant colonel. In
the Wilderness hsats his conduct was
so distinguished that he was commits
stoned c0iOne, NJ; 5 such commanded
MS re giment ClI mustered out in
1868 Several times during the war
he had been on detached duty and rem
dered a good account of himself in
connection with Pinkerton'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 soldier
ing made him unfit for the quiet hum
drum life in a snail Pennsylvania
town and when he was offered a
chance to enter the United States
secret service he did so.
At this time the duties of secret
service man were numerous and oner-
Gus, and Col Cheney had enough ex-
citing adventures to fill several vol
umes. Thievery, graft and crime were
rampant from one end of the country
20 the other and life was one continu
II being understood that pleasure in
his case meant the solving of an
intricate II en- or running some
crook to earth.
Shortly after the great transconti-
mental Pacific road was completed
Cheney was operating in the West Cen
trail department with headquarters at
St Louis. Things had been somewhat
quiet for a few weeks and he became
restless, when one morning he found a
note in his mail directing him person
ally to assume charge of a paymaster
case in Nebraska. 1t seems. that a
major and paymaster of the army en-
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 Indians in
check and protecting the overland
trains and could not well be spared to
run down the gang. The robbery had
occurred near Smedburg, Neb, a
stopping point between Grand Island
and North Platte Cheney was in
formed that a certain gang headed by
one Buck Ewing was supposed to be
implicated in the affair, but conclusive
proof was not at hand He was to go
there with a couple of good men, fer
ret 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 LOnergan, two faithful opera
tors on whom he could depend in any
emergency Before leaving he called
or Gen. B. H. Grierson, commanding
the cavalry depot at Jefferson bar
racks, and obtained letter of intro
ductiOn to Gen. j. j. 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. 1t merely spoke of
Cheney's being In the government
service, not stating the branch, and
commended him to Gen. Reynolds
good offices.
The trip TO Omaha and from there
70 North Platte was uneventful. Stop
ping just long enough to get wagon
transportation Cheney and his two
men continued on to Smedburg. reach
ing there that night about dusk.
Smedburg was a typical frontier
town, every other building being sa-
loon, dance hall and gambling house
combined The inhabitants were those
usually found in such places, no bet
ter, no worse. There was. as a rule,
quiet a transient population due to
overland caravans stopping to rest be
fore continuing further towards the
land of the setting sun.
Cheney, Guthrie and Lonergan were
dressed in rough western style; they
we're quiet. well behaved and did
nothing to attract any special at
tention. They walked around the
town, sizing things up. looked in
one or two places and saw the
games going on. incidentally, they
saw Mr.. Buck Ewing and a few
companions half-seas over "bucking
the tiger" They We're all well heeled