The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-05-15

Pat Sherman. as he was Familiarity
called, was best known as depot master
at the Santa Fe station, which position
he had held for the past 80 years He
was born at Terre Haute, Ind, March
is, 1872, the son of Andrew and Mary
Carney Sherman. His first appear
ance in Kansas was in 1855 as a plains
man. On February s, 1865, he was mar
ried to Martha Stewart in Holton,
Kan. In the years of 1868 and 1863 he
was brigade wagon master under Col.
Henry Inman. Later he was city mar
shall of Topeka and also served on the
police force. He became depot master
for the Santa Fe in 1881 and had re-
tanned the position until his last illness
He is survived by three daughters,
Mrs Ella S. Ryan, Mrs. George Burg
hart and Mrs. r. F. HodginS. His wife
died in March, 1901.
Like other adventures of the plains.
Pat Sherman had his chain of exciting
incidents of the early days. A striking
coincidence in his career is that he. who
had for years transported immigrants
and provisions by wagon, spent the
last 80 years of his life in a position
where he continually saw the same
work being done in the modern swift
and safe way of the railroad.
Early an orphan, he had gone to live
with an uncle but ran away at IL with
a party of immigrants who took him
as far as Council Bluffs, Ia. There
later he entered the government SER
vice as a freighter and braved the dan
gers of hauling through the prairies in
Tested with Indians and bushwhackers.
One incident Sherman liked to remeni-
Der as a freighter was the fate of d
certain load of whisky. Driving oxel
up the mountains near Pueblo the lead
teams chain broke and the heavy load
dragged the wheel team down the
mountain. The team was killed and
five barrels of whisky were smashed,
the liquor saturating the snow. The
teamsters, usually restrained from
drinking, seized the opportunity and
filled up on the snow. A drunken lot
of teamsters was the result.
Sherman visited Denver in 1859,
when the town was called Cherry
Greek. He described it as a bunch of
tents, every other one a saloon or
gam bling den. During the Civil war,
while trying to get supplies to Gen
attacked his train, stole his cattle and
burned his wagons Hauling from
Fort Leavenworth to Fort Dodge, he
was attacked by Indians and was suf-
fering severe losses when rescued by
soldiers from Dodge. Once, when
camped on the North Platte near
Scott's Bluffs. he and another man set
out mule back to find five strayed cat
tie. Fifteen Indians surprised them
and shot one of the mules at the first
volley. Behind the carcass the two
men held the Indians at bay and killed
several and finally drove them off.
When Brigham Young was bent upon
annihilating a bunch of Uncle Sans
soldiers at Salt Lake, Sherman hauled
/ them supplies. Recently he had trav-
| eled over the old Santa Fe trail by
railway at seemed the old land
marks ought to speak to me-" he said
ITO no one, perhaps. were they more
familiar and none loved them better
] than he
For nearly a half century Pat Sher-
man was Mason. He was member
of lodge No. II of Topeka. and this
lodge will have charge of the funeral
services. The funeral will be held
Wednesday afternoon at O'CLOCK
from the residence of his daughter
Mrs George Burghart, 406 West Sixth
avenue