The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-01-02
WHO HE TERMS THE GREATEST
MAN IN THE WEST.
MEMORIES OF THE PAST
Story From One Of the Boys who
Years Ago Drove Stage Teams
over the country.-Before
Inauguration Of Railroads.

Lane, who was one of the first driy.
ers OF the overland stage from lnde.
pendcncc, Mo-, to California, is Wis.
iting here during the holidays. lie
was a very particular friend of James
3. Hlckok CWHd Bind, who he dcclar.
es was the greatest man that ever
lived in the wild and woody West"
He was with wild Bill when he
guided the party of vice President
Wilson over the Western country. He
was also along the Kansas Pacific
railway during its construction and
relates many thrilling incidents of
the border. It was there that he first
met Buffalo Bill, who was making his
record as a buffalo hunter.
lie knew Ben Holiday, who was
the father Of the pioneer mail route.
The closest place McLane was ey-
or in was in the Platte valley, when
a band Of Sioux warriors swooped
down upon the Concord coach and a
running fight took place until the
state station at Sidney was reached.
He says the best fighter in the
coach was woman who sailed under
the sobriquet Of California Kate. She
must have fired two hundred shots
from the coach and wounded and kill
led several Indians.
When the coach reached Sidney it
was stuck fun Of arrows. McLane
was wounded in the left leg and
shoulder and had to be left at Sid
ney
Slade, famous in frontier history
and a conspicuous figure in Mark
Twain's "Roughing It" was at the sta
tion when the stage drove up. When
he learned Of the daring of California
Kate he took her in his arms and set
her on the bar and opened the best
liuuor In the house and made every
body present drink to the woman's
health.
The woman aftorward went to San
Francisco and subsequently spent a
portion of a large fortune fer charita-
Bile purposes in New York City,
During the building Of the Union
Pacific and Santa Fe McLane drove
n stage lie was at Beaver River, on
the line of the Union Pacific, when
the citizens and gamblers had one of
the most memorable fights I'm the
West. The were offended at an ar
ticle in the paper and proceeded to
dump the press into the street and
fired the building. The citizens es-
pousod the cause of the editor and
sent the gamblers word that they
must leave or fight The gamblers
said they were prepared to fight.
Nearly every gambler in town was
killed and also several citizens.
McLanc state sthat every stage driv'
er and pony express rider fairly wor'
shipped old Ben Holiday. He was
one of the most remarkable men in
the West. Holiday was passenger
in a stage that left Fort Koarney and
McI.ane states that every stage driy-
of the worst snow storms ever eXper'
fenced on the plains came up The
darkness was intense and all signs
to 20 by and keep the road were lost
The weather was at zero. There
were eight passengers in the coach
Holiday said that the only salvation
was to keep the four-mule team NOV
ing. and that he would 90 ahead and
act as pilot. About midnight the
storm broke and the stars came out
and old Ben commenced to dance
Jig in the snow up to his knees, and
said "Do you see the north star
Well boys | know exactly where We
are" He jumped mp beside McLant
took the lines, and with a yell urged
the team ahead 1t was not long be
fore a light. was seen twinklins
through the gloom and old Ben re
marked Boys, | am somewhat OF
pilot myself God Almighty never in
tended that | should freeze to death,
or words to that effect
McLane is eighty years of age. HI
is a resident of Comanche county
Oklahoma, where he is passing tn
balance of his days with a marie,
daughter.