The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-04-07

tien agent and facto factotum VI the
Pennsylvania railway at Meadcsburg.
Pa lie was 10 years old, full OF
ginger and an ardent patriot When
Lincoln made his call for as 900 volun-
teers Cheney threw his position TO the
winds. wended his way TO Pittsburg
and enlisted In the famous Duqucsne
Grays. Nature had favored this lad
20 degree. lie was about hye feet
ten, straight as an arrow. weighed li5
pounds had brownish red hair. blue
eyes. which under excitement or emo
tion became steely gray. and his face
a'ernally wore a faint suggestion Of
/ 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
| 20 duty and when his time was out
| The 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 a short time
| later Gov. Curtin commissioned him
second lieutenant In the Peninsula
/ he was n captain, at ChancellOrsyille
major. and later lieutenant colonel. In
| the wilderness fights his conduct was
80 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 Pinkertons 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 n
chance to enter the United States
secret service he did SO.
Al this time the duties OF secret
service man were numerous and oner-
Gus, and Col Cheney had enough ex-
citing adventures to Ill several vol
umes. Thievery, graft and crime were
rampant from one end of the country
] 10 tilt Quiet anu lll' WtAH NAl' ''hAihh-
Gus round Of pleasure for Col. Cheney
It 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 somewhat
quiet for few weeks and he becam'
restless, when one morning he found (
note in his mail directing him person
ally to assume charge of a paymastel
case in Nebraska. IL seems that I
major and paymaster OF the army Ell
route to pay the troops at some OF thu
frontier posts and camps had beer
robbed Of s75. 900 in current coin of tn,
E realm. Most Of the troops at this tint
, were busy keeping hostile Indians II
check and protecting the overlan,
trains and could not well be spared Il
run down the gang The robbery hat
5 occurred near Smedburg, Neb..
n stopping point 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 conclusiv
l. proof was not at hand. lie was to g
I there with couple Of good men, fer
n ret out the case and when the tim
was ripe call for troops to make IN
arrests. lie left St Louis the sam
- evening taking with him Sid Guthri
and Ed Lonergan, two faithful opera
) tors on whom he could depend in an
D. emergency. Before leaving he calle
ON Gen. u. II. Grierson, commandin
the cavalry depot at Jefferson bal
It racks, and obtained a letter of Intro
a duction to Gen. J. J. Reynolds, VIII
!, was in command Of Fort Niobrara. III
" largest post In Nebraska. This lett,
was the only piece of writing Chene
had on his person. II merely spoke ,
+. Cheneys being in the governner
& service, not stating the branch, m
A. commended him 10 Gen. Reynold
good offices.
The trip to Omaha and from thei
to North Platte was uneventful. Stol
u ping Just long enough to get wage
transportation Cheney and his tV
men continued on to Smedburg. reacl
ing there that night about dusk.
t. Smedburg was a typical fronti
Of town, every other building being a s.
loon, dance hall and gambling hou
combined. The inhabitants were tho
usually found in such places, no be
" ter, no worse. There was, as a rul
le quiet transient population due
overland caravans stopping to rest b
fore continuing further towards Il
MS land OF the setting sun.
re Cheney, Guthrie and Lonergan we
dressed In rough western style; tn
were quiet, well behaved and d
nothing to attract any special a
10 tention. They walked around Z
st town, sizing things up, looked
one or two places and saw I
games going on. incidentally. tn
=, saw Mr.. Buck Ewing and f