The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-02-22
NO. 1.-THE pAYMAs7ER,s CASE.


NO. 1.-THE PAYMAsTER's CASE.
Al the outbreak OF the great civil
war In 1861 Nj. Jack Cheney was sta
ton agent and facto factotum of the
Pennsylvania railway at Me~adesburg,
Pa. He WAS 10 years old, full of gin
ger and an ardent patriot. When Lin
coin made his call for $1,000 volunteers
Cheney threW his position to the winds,
wended his way To Pittsburg and en-
listed in the famous Duquesne Grays.
Nature had favored this lad to "A de-
gree. He was about ; feet 10. straight
as an arrow, weighed 145 pounds. had
browrish red hair, blue eyes, which
under excitement or emotion became
steely gray, and his face e%ternally wore
a faint suggestion of u smile.
He came of q military family. many
OF his ancestors having written their
names high on the Country'S ron of
honor. For the first three months
Cheney was assiduous in his attention
to duty. and when his time was out
he was an original n!nety-day man
he was discharged corporal. The next
day he re-enlisted IN another regi-
ment and was quickly appointed ser
seant, then first sergeant. and a
short time later Governor Cur-
tin commissioned him second lieu
tenant. In the Peninsula he was
Il captain, at charlottesville major and
later lieutenant colonel. In the Will
derness fights his conduct was so dis
tinguished that he was commissioned
colonel, and as such commanded his
regiment until mustered out in 1865.
Several times during the war he had
been on detached duty and rendered q
good account of himself in connection
with Pinkerton's secret service. He had
been twice wounded and numerous
~ FnaA- - e,-4,- i, - l.--@1 $500,
with the scythe." -Four years and six
months of actual soldering made him
unit for the quiet humdrum life in a
small Pennsylvania and when he
was offered a chance to enter the Unit
ed States secret service he did so.
At this time the duties of a secret
service man We're numerous and oner-
BUS. and Colonel Cheney had enough
exciting adventures To fill several vol
umes. Thievery, graft and crime We're
rampant from one n of the country
to the other and life was one continu-
Gus round of pleasure for Colonel Che
ney, it being understood that pleasure
In his case meant the solving of an in
tricate problem or running some crook
to earth.
Shortly after the great t%ransconti-
Mental Pacific o was completed
Cheney was operating in the west CEN
trail department with headquarters at
y =. i"1iie9 h"a oSoii ~
quiet for a few weeks II he became
restless, when one morning he found n
note in his mail directing him person
ally to assume charge of a paymaster
case in Nebraska. 1t seems that a
MAJOR anu master % 'ie army en-
,ou.e 10 pay ole t5oops ~ Spille Oh lhe
robbed of $4,000 in current coin of the
realm. Most of the troops at this time
were busy keeping hostile Indians in
snsch anu PloIeVlHts tne oNtilaiI"
y ~ ~ So1tu nv M " " Spaleu %
1u1i aoM'i tae gang. ne loopery hau
seculisu llsai ~9iaeupuis, tSep.; q
opp penn, pet"ettI 1i"ilu is'"llo
w 3>olln ll"N.e. Nlstey Wa IN.
formed Ihal a certain gang neaded 10y
I Img i nuth VIZ" NY y ~ rf. spPposea TO- ue
illSiIellsu ~ ~ iiidlt' wv conclusive
plool va iot d. Il'llC, re WAS TO go
= MN d OoupIe VI 500 iMeh' !cl-
, e H. - In = 20. + r @tt =, .iI 't the
was ripe can Tor troops TO make the
~ va .aNa,1s WIZ, tn.a nun FL Mr., nv" | am
s,,a no Lpn@lshth' aMp l,.'sl,ul opera
oIs On MON NJ eoIio uppena IN any
nr4e tssilssi 70 =, InNl,ts I've .@nJ1
~ 9 +ba 49,. da,(a+ -, 1aef oWlli,,'a han
ms lAe caValfH aebol aj Joiiefsol! par
uuclto'i 10 .'elle,S'l >; ., Ky iiolaS' VINO
49, n coll,i'ai'p oi roit -Niu2ia'a. the
alse.l PooI IN t9h'i. ! iiS it'tel
kaS ele oilS laece OF wtluhg 1neleN
r oi ms person. ~ mercy pom OF
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: 'o alalii.9 ~. ui"iI,h, ali'.
.oili,i'giiecu nii4 u HV'Si3i iSSN iloiis
~ ~
re ,lip 70 oli"llt aliu from mere
oJrs ;,,e+ I iao@ o man ~ a,op-
pm Juse o,as stous'i a. 80 Mpsol
lalSpor.''loh .heneN Illu ms Two men
,ohsIHueu on 10 slled''ufs' feaeiills
Nieie M. iislt ABOUT uuSh, ~
aileapu:s Mas u NileiI lfohtler
. y Isls pti m nI''ulais pgIils ~ So
,ooli, ua1iee ,ii anu stVilpIlllS mouse
.o,hNlneu- me liilapl'ahls We're lnose
usaatis ioultu II, suoh ll'a'es, no pet
ses. no Molse: !. mere Mas: us u RUE
sulte Il transient popuIillon que TO