Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-12-03

uldT airs. we udu Three uTSC CLASS
violinists and we had jig dancers and
clog dancers, Irish Mike being pro-
| fessional in the latter We cleared
away the puncheon benches in the bar
room and Stanley, the agent and Scott
Irwin retired to back room only to
reappear shortly as three full fledged
Ethiopians from the south land and
soon an embryo minstrel troop was in
full swing Those who were not in the
fun on the inside were enjoying them.
selves elsewhere as all hands were
waiting the arrival of the midnight
overland
Our agent was going to take the
overland west to Fort Union and I'M
known to us he had ordered the mid.
night supper for twenty-five. All Of us
boys from Lawrence wrote letters to
our girls we left behind us. Every
thing went merrily on till near the
midnight hour, the notes of the lookout
bugle sounded clear and distinct and a
quick inspection showed US that a light
was seen coming from the east and it
proved to be the overland with it's coal
oil lamps shining in the darkness. AS
the lights burst into view, with five
dapple gray mules on home run, the
major took instant charge of affairs
and as the stage drove up, we were all
standing in open order and our band
struck up The Star Spangled Banner.
The stage was loaded to it's full capac-
ity and among those alighting was a
large portly looking greaser, whose
name was spelled with two coughs and
o1~I T. H.
was just like the other fellow and no
distinctions were made, neither would
a man dare to refer to any. The greas-
er mentioned above was a Mexican,
and an extensive sheep raiser and a
merchant in Las Vegas N. NJ, and was
just returning from the states where he
had disposed of his years crop of wool
and purchased years stock of Mexi-
can merchandise.
The passengers brought the word
that the Pawnees, which we met at
LarEed, were sent north under escort
of soldiers and this news dissipated all
hopes that I had of ever being able to
perforate the corduroy vest worn by
the satanic chief described in former
letter.
The east bound overland did not ar
rive on time, but most of us waited
up to see it arrive, which it did three
coaches strong and an escort of fifty
cavalrymen. All the passengers dined
as did those of the other coach and
the night was waning rapidly into an
other day when all were ready for a
start and with a bright silver moon in
the starlit heavens, the coaches once
more resumed their journey along the
old Santa Fe trail. The major was a
good slayer and remained with us all
through the exercises but before retir-
ing. he requested our drummer to
sound the reveille with a bugle accom-
paniment at dawn, hence some spent
the remainder of the night in social
games and stag dancing till the wee
hours of the October morn, when the
fife and drum and bugle broke the still
ness of the early dawn. All hands we're
soon in motion preparing for the duties
of the day. I ate breakfast with the
major and his outfit was soon in the
saddle and once more headed for the
land Of civilization. Four of us rode,
as escort, with the troopers about a
mile on their way. This was custom
on the plains and the custom was so
deeply rooted that it almost became an
obligation. AS to this custom, or cour-
tesy of the plains, will say something
later.
James King