The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1907-01-26

At the outbreak Of the great civil /
war in 1861 Mr.. Jack Cheney was sta
tien agent and facto factotum of the
Pennsylvania railway at Meadesburg,
Pa He was 10 years Old full Of I
ginger and an ardent patriot. When /
Lincoln made his call for $4,000 volun-
teers Cheney threw his position to the
winds, weaded his way to Pittsburg |
and enlisted in the famous Duquesne
Grays. Nature had favored this lad
to a degree. He was about FIVE feet
ten, straight as an arrow weighed l45
pounds, had brownish red hair, blue
eyes, which under excitement or emo
ticn 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
to duty ana 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,
then first sergeant, and short time
later Gov. Curtin commissioned him
I second lieutenant. In the Peninsula
he was a captain, at Charlottesville
major, and later lieutenant colonel. In
the wilderness fights his conduct was
SO distinguished that he was commits
stoned colonel and as such commanded
his regiment until 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 small 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
to the other and life was one continu-
GUS round of pleasure for Col. Cheney
1t being understood that pleasure In
| his case meant the solving Of an
intricate problem 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 a
St. Louis. Things had been somewha
quiet for a few weeks and he became
! restless, when one morning he found |
note in his mail directing him person
ally to assume charge Of a paymaste
case in Nebraska. 1t seems that
major and paymaster Of the army el
, route to pay the troops at some of tn
frontier posts and camps had beel
| robbed of $4,000 in current coin of tn
realm. Most Of the troops at this tim
were busy keeping hostile Indians i
check and protecting the overlan
trains and could not well be spared
run down the gang. The robbery ha
occurred near Smedburg, Neb.,
stopping paint between Grand islam
and North Platte. Cheney was in
formed that a certain gang headed b
| one Buck Ewing was supposed to b
implicated in the affair, but conclusiy
proof was not at hand. He was to G
there with couple of good men, fel
ret out the case and when the tim
was ripe call for troops to make th
arrests. He left St. Louis the sam
4 evening taking with him Sid Guthrl
] and Ed Lonergan, two faithful opera
! tors on whom he could depend in an
emergency. Before leaving he calle
on Gen. B. H. Grierson, commandin
! the cavalry depot at Jefferson ba
racks, and obtained a letter of intr,
ductiun to Gen. ]. J. Reynolds, WI
was in command OF Fort Niobrara, Il
= largest post In Nebraska. This lett'
y was the only piece of writing Chene
= had OF, his person. 1t merely spoke
Cheney's being in the governmel
o service, mot stating the branch, M
y commended him to Gen. Reynol.l
good Offices
y The trip to Omaha and from thel
D TO North Platte was uneventful. Stol
% ping just long enough to get wage
transportation Cheney and his tv
. men continued on to Smedburg. reacl
ID ing there that night about dusk.
!" Smedburg was a typical fronti
town, every other building being S
J loon. dance hall and gambling hou
combined The inhabitants were tho
usually found in such places. no be
ter. no worse There was, as rul
: quiet transient population due
- overland caravans stopping to rest b
. fore continuing further towards Il
~ land OF the setting sun.
I Cheney, Guthrie and Ionergan we
= dressed in rough western style; tn
= we're quiet. well behaved and d
= nothing to attract any special q
y tention. They walked around i
os town, sizing things up, looked
~ one or twO nlaras and naw 4