The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1907-01-04


ton agent and facto factotum of the
Pennsylvania railway at Meadesburg,
Pa. He was 10 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 a 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
ton became steely gray, and his face
eternally wore faint suggestion of a
smile.
He came of 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 and when his time was out
Che was an original 80 day mani he
was discharged corporal. The next
and was quickly appointed sergeant,
then first sergeant, and a short time
later Gov. Curtin commissioned him
second lieutenant In the Peninsula
he was captain, at Charlottesville
major, and later lieutenant colonel. In
the Wilderness fights his conduct was
so distinguished that he was commits
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
1.-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 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,
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 at
St. Louis. Things had been somewhat
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 paymaster
case in Nebraska. 1t seems that
major and paymaster of the army en-
route to pay the troops at some of the
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 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
on Gen. B. H. Grierson, commanding
the cavalry depot at Jefferson bar
racks, and obtained a letter of intro
duction to Gen. ]. 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
to 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 typical frontier
town, every other building being a 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 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
were quiet, well behaved and did
nothing to attract any special at
tention. They walked around the
town, sizing things up, locked 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 were all well heeled
~, Nf I,a t.,