The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1907-02-14

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 5000 volun-
teers Cheney threw his position to the
winds, wended 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 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 and when his time was u
Che vas an original 80 day mani he
was discharged corporal. The next
day ne reenlisted In another regiment
and was quickly appointed sergeant,
her first sergeant, and a short time
later Gov. Curtin commissioned him
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 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 a 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 n 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-
Dantal Pacific road was completed
Cheney was operating in the West Cen
trail department with headquarters al
CT I npiC Thinoc had haan Cnnoauha t
quiet for a few weeks and he became
restless, when one morning he found a
note in his mail directing him person
ally to assume charge of a paymasteI
case in Nebraska. 1t seems that g
major and paymaster of the army Ell
route to pay the troops at some of the
frontier posts and camps had beer
robbed of $75, 600 in current coin of the
realm. Most of the troops at this time
were busy keeping hostile Indians il
check and protecting the overland
trains and could not well be spared t.
run down the gang. The robbery hat
! occurred near Smedburg, Neb., +;
stopping point between Grand ISLAND
/ and North Platte. Cheney was in
, formed that a certain gang headed by
one Buck Ewing was supposed to b,
implicated in the affair, but conclusive
proof was not at hand. He was to g
there with a couple of good men, fer
ret out the case and when the tim,
was ripe call for troops to make tn,
arrests. He left st. Louis the sam,
evening taking with him Sid Guthri,
and Ed L~onergan, two faithful opera
tArn IN uyhA., In zD,,1l laN,~ T., -,
emergency. Before leaving he Gale,
on Gen. B. H. Grierson, commandini
the cavalry depot at Jefferson bar
racks, and obtained a letter of intro
duction to Gen. j. j. Reynolds, VIII,
was in command of Fort Niobrara, tn
largest post in Nebraska. This lette
was the only piece of writing Chene,
had on his person. 1t merely spoke @
Cheney's being in the government
service, not stating the branch, an
commended him to Gen. Reynolds
good Offices.
TIE trip to Omaha and from Their
to North Platte was uneventful. Stop
ping just long enough to get wagol
transportation Cheney and his tw
men continued on to Smedburg, reach
ing there that night about dusk.
Smedburg was a typical frontie
town, every other building being a sa
loon, dance hall and gambling hous
combined. The inhabitants were thos
usually found in such places, no bet
ter, no worse. There was, as a rule
quiet a transient population due t
4 overland caravans stopping to rest be
. fore continuing further towards tn
land Of the setting sun.
2 Cheney, Guthrie and Lonergan wer
! dressed in rough western style; the
were quiet, well behaved and di
nothing to attract any special at
tention. They walked around tn
town, sizing things up, looked i
II or two places and saw tn
games going on. incidentally, the
saw Mr.. Buck Ewing and a fey