Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-07

again did I set eyes on the gallant
lieutenant.
It was a passenger on that same
southbound coach that brought me
news of the finish of my good friend,
Peach. For real friends the wild pair,
he and Cox, were to me. They were
always doing their best to keep me out
Of their worst scrapes, training me to
face death with steady nerves, and thus
schooling me in what turned out to be
my lifelong occupation, battling with,
restraining and experimenting the most
desperate outlaws that infested the
stage roads and mining camps OF the
far West
have always felt myself the debtor
of those two rougH., courageous knights
Of the far West, and it was sad day
when they passed out Of my life.
Strangers to any color of restraint
of themselves. much less by others,
neither could stand army discipline,
and so were in perpetual hot water
with their company commander. Moth
ing prevented their being cashiered, or
worse, but the fact that for any desper-
ate emergency that called for straight
shooting, reckless courage backed by
always cool heads, they were worth
any ten men in the regiment.
However unworthy and reprehenst
BILE his life out Of the service before
the war, and even in the service.
Peach's finish was worthy. For nearly
a year after his enlistment terminated
he did splendid service as scout for
the troops along and west Of the. Mis-
souri,.
But at last. one day, he went as most
of his kind did in those days.
At the time he was scouting ahead
Of wagon train, near old Fort Phil
Kearney, through a section where the
Ogallalas let few trains slip through
without attack.
Scouting couple of miles ahead OF
his command, carefully working along
and spying out the belt Of timber that
lined the stream he overlooked de-
tachment of a large war party which
had hidden itself in deep, dry water
course that wound across the broad,
level valley.
The first inkling he had of danger
was when a band of yelling warriors
charged him from the rear, and still
larger band dashed out and down upon
him from their ambush higher up
stream. e.,s ,s-a ..- .rs>.
Cut off from his command, all he
could do was spur across the valley for
the hills. But he had run less than
half mile, showered about with the
illaimed lead of his pursuers, when it
became plain to him he could not es.
cape the rapily converging lines.
Help was coming from the right-a
detail of the cavalry escort was racing
toward him-but it would be too late
unless he could hold his enemies at
bay. .s...., .. .....a.
There was only one chance-a stand.
He took it.
Seeing no buffalo wallow near which
he could use as breastwork, he leaped
to the ground, cut his horses throat,
and dropping behind its quivering
ready circiing enemy.
On came the cavalry, closer and
closer. Already they were beginning
to fire atslong range. It almost seem.
ed his %plscky fight was Won when,
wholly l,naheltered from the rear, a
shot drilled his head.
Cox! Well. since both Of US re-
manned royers Of the western wilds,
for some years our trails now and
then crossed.
When at length. the term Of enlist
ment of the First Veteran Volunteers
ended, the military posts lining the
Rio Grande and scattered through the
mountains of New Mexico were gar
risoned again with regulars, freed
from service in the South by the
gradual pacification of the more tur-
bulent centers of reconstruction.
With few Of my mates I drifted
north up the old Santa Fe trail, thence
east to the Missouri, fetching up ul'
timately, stone broke. in Chicago.
Work must have, but get it I
couldn't, or at least didn't until I got
hungrier than like to think of now.
With all the industries Of the coun-
try disorganized by the four years Of
civil war, few now living can realize
the distress and hardship suffered by
thousands, as from day to day of that
period one after another of the regi-
ments was mustered out Of service.
Work was not to be had. High into
the thousands ran the number Of the
discharged volunteers youngsters
who. like myself had gone to the war
wholly unframed in any form Of trade.
The breakup OF the Northern and
Southern armies set them adrift, and
for many of them the late sixties hold
memories Of little but want and misery.
At last, after I had starved down so
thin l could not tell whether I had a
stomach-ache or backache, I was
taken into the canvas gang of circus
and found it little less bloody work
than fighting Navajos.
Fights more than a plenty were the
lot Of circus-men in thise days among
themselves when an unusually dull day
left nothing doing with outsiders. For
the first few weeks did not fare so
we'll, but once got my weight back
never once was whipped while !
stayed in the show business In fact
I made such a reputation that quit,
jumped. for once a man gets a proper
rep" as a fighter, men are far too
plenty who will come miles to call him
down.
It was in Philadelphia I graduated
from the circus. Hearing General
Sherman was in town, l made bold to
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