Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1908-12-26

headdress. His name | never
iearned Here is the story:
My parents. with their seven chill
dren, had moved from Iowa to Kan
sas three years earlier. My father
had taken up claim in Salt Creek
vsafay and built a comfortable home.
Kue he was not to enjoy the good days
shat seemed to be dawning for us.
Kansas just then was torn by the
slavery feud, and in the bitter strife of
the time my father, after making an
antislavery speech at nearby post
traders store, was mobbed and his
Mfe threatened. On this occasion one
Of my fathers irate audience man,
Charles Dunno by name-stabbed my
loved parent in the side. At the time
Of the attack | stood unarmed over
my wounded fathers body and tried
with childish strength to fight off his
assailant; but, though he escaped with
life in him from the place where he
was assaulted, he subsequently sue
cumbed to his injuries. and in the fol
Rowing spring he died This calamity
deprived my mother and our family
of worthy and esteemed head of the
household, his death being an incident
In the horrid internecine strife that
ayentuated in the tragedies of the civil
war. | was then ten years old.
I could ride any horse alive. I had a
knack Of shooting straight, and knew
something about herding cattle. !!
thought these qualities might earn me
4 living They did
A firm Of overland freighters-Rus-
sell, Majors & Waddell-were at Leav-
snworth. One of them Mr.. Majors,
Rad been a friend of my father
asked him for job as extra on one
Of his wagon trains. The pay was $40
a month-a fortune it seemed to me
then. The work was the sort usually
Entrusted to a grown man. and it
meant not only perpetual hustling, but
a lot Of danger as well, for the plains
In those days were anything but free
from Indians. This latter thought
frightened even my brave mother
Boylike. was delighted at the idea
Mr.. Majors said he would take me
on as extra for one trip. If l did
well | could have regular job re-
solved TO do miracles as an extra
The train" was made up of twenty
five loaded wagons, each carrying
1000 pounds, each drawn by six yoke
Of oxen and guided by "bullwhack
err driver with long, loud cracking
whip. Then there was bunch OF
aoose cattle. On this occasion the
train was made up of only three
wagons, and we were driving large
herd of beef cattle to Fort Kearny for
che use of Colonel Albert Sydney John
st0n and his command. who were on
&hefr way to Salt Lake to fight the
&ormons. I was only one of several
extras. Though we always set guard
no Indians had appeared.
One noon, however. when we stopped
for dinner and were loafng about on
che grass waiting for the pot to boil
we heard a scathing volley of shots
from a copse. Some bullets and a
dozen or more arrows whistled into
camp. Everybody had jumped up at
the first shot. But three Of our men
tumbled over at once. IS ;f they he'd
been tripped up. Then a number of
describe
Two bands Of Indians were GALLON !
ing. toward us. One band stampeded |
md ran off our cattle, while the other I
rushed" us. Our men gave them a I
warm welcome and sent them back on
The run. But the fight was not over
The braves" only cantered out of /
'ange. There they were joined by 9TH
,Es They outnumbered us eight or
EN- to one. We could not hope to t
stand against such multitude We
1olted for the South Platte river with
he savages at our heels and found
shelter behind the steep banks From
here we opened fire again and drove
he following redskins once more out
If range. i
Frank Mccarthy, our boss, said our
me chance was to follow the Platte
liver to Fort Kearny. keeping out Of
wight under its banks So the thirty
I've mile march began through knee
Keep water and quicksand. Half day
we kept it up, was dead tired, but it
vas no time for rest or complaining.
lust the same, by nightfall my short
egs wouldn't keep up with the process
ion dropped back, little by little.
till Flooding on as fast as my aching
eet could move We thought we had
siven the Indians the slip. but still
ugged my short, heavy rife. It was
/ muzzle loading mississippi Jaeger"
Ind carried a slug and two buckshot
% each charge.
The moon had risen, and was try
ng to catch up with the rest. Sudden
y. In front of me and at the top of the
high bank, saw against the moon the
,ead and high war bonnet of an In
Ian chief He was bent double The
men ahead could not see him. but he
lad his gun leveled at them | knew
t he fred he could scarcely miss at i
hat range. Some one of my friends
must be killed had halted at sight
~ him and l,a didn't COO mo bod +