Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1908-06-12
a PEyMhSTER,,S
FLIGHT.

[Oriyiiiai.I

| W lcil L was Il sergeant Ill lhC Ill
United States cavalry in the far west
| was detailed one day TO command
eight men acting as Il guard to Major
g., who had paid off the force at our
post and was going to pay those at
the next. He was a small. baldhead-
ed lean man. except a round stomach.
which begins to protrude upon some
people after they pass forty, with Il
crafty eye and silent tongue. The
only words he spoke were directions
as to handling his safe. u small affair
that could easily he lifted by two men
and for which Il place was arranged
on a blackboard wagon which the majni
| always used to transport the treasure.
/ His clerk drove The horse, while the
paymaStcr sat beside him, the safe be
tween his legs.
/. The country through which We es-
/, corted the paymaster contained wild
and lawiess people. l thought at the
| time that eight men. though drilled
soldiers and well armed, were small
guard for such purpose. Whether
the ma er thought so or not | didn't
know at the time. for he said nothing
about it. l learned afterward that the
colonel commanding wouldn't give him
any more. and the paymaster entered
on the trip under protest
| We We're crossing a part of what is
i called the Great American desert or
, alkali plains, with nothing there higher
than a mans waist. | rode a couple
of hundred yards in advance. keeping
sharp lockout in every direction.
For more than half day not living
thing except the members of our party
and gophers was in sight. But sud
denly i'll turning to look to our right
and rear l saw on & rise far III the
distance q mounted figure looking at
us. | judged from the general outline
of horse and man that lie was an In
dian. After what appeared to be q
careful survey If Us he disappeared
on the other side OF the l>
| | felt a Lit uneasy Turning | di
| rncted eac', nan n 600 TIA: his arm
and ammunition Wee in order and ne
tilted the paEn.aster Of what had
sce: It Didn't seem to trouble h:n,
much. We logged O. for y few miles
and when e,},e"gins rsa,n low .rot.n1
suddenly heard :; Eai,:gli2g Of yels ;..sa
saw on c;r right g ,aat!2. crew sev-
| eral times as large as our own COMING
down on us. The s'ere evidently a
! mixture Of read agents and cowboys.
| with srrinklin" Of Indians Their
leader rode in advance. a revolver il
i each hand. the only one of the lot who
was not yelling
| had just time 10 draw my men III,
IN line between the oncomers and the
blackboard before they came within
close range. and told each man to
pick one in front Of him as nearly as
he could estimate My men We're armed
with repeating rifles. while the attack
ing party had some guns. but mostly
revolvers. l waited till they came
within 200 yards before | gave the
order to fire. Nearly every one of my
troopers brought down his man. The
gang hesitated. and | gave second
order to fire. This halted them: but.
rallied by their leader, they came on.
bringing us within range of their re-
volvers, and my men began to get hurt.
For some minutes there was contin-
ued firing on both sides, several of my
men being put out of the fight, though
but one was killed. Ny effective force
was reduced to four men besides n.y.
self, Major 3. and his clerk. 1t began
to look as though the robbers were go
ing to get the safe.
Suddenly l was astonished to see
Major B., who had stood in the buck
board using rife, jump down from
the wagon. cut the traces, spring on
the horses back, and away he went
like an arrow. The act demora]izel
my force so that they broke. failed
to rally them, and we were all soon
tumbling after the paymaster. His
clerk mounted the horse of the man
who had been killed and joined in the
fight.
Never have l been SO incensed in nv
life. The paymaster, a commissioned
officer, by his cowardly act had cast
dlscredit on me and my men. had
the modification to see the bandits
ride down on the safe and caper low
fully about it. All could do was to
help the wounded men of nv com.
mand along, supporting them bv turn
in their saddles
But what surprised ne was the feet
ness of the majors horse. am no
judge of horsefesh, and l had mis-
taken the animal that drew the buck
BOARD for mere beast OF burden.
Looking ahead, could see the nav.
master miles in advance, fleeing as for
dear life, and in time he disappeared
altogether. For once in nv life |
placed money before human life and
wished he were in the safe and the
FUNDS were on his horse. l thought
with some satisfaction how | world
prefer charges of cowardice against
MIN as soon as We reached the post wc
were making for.
The bandits, having secured the safe
paid no further attention to us. and We
rode ON to our destination. What vas
my aStOniShment on r;1;oc ;,,. Al,