The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1914-10-01
The Overland Trail
Bv M. QUAD
Copyright. 1911. by Associated Lit
erary Press.
Bv NJ. QUAD

Stagecoach stage stations had been
erected ut distance of fifteen miles
apart throughout the length of the
whole trail. After the first thirty
miles from the Missouri river no coach
was safe from attack until it reached
San Francisco. The Indians could not
use fire as weapon. nor could they
carry a station by assault. but they
captured many of them by trickery or
siege. In no case was the life or a
company employee ever spared.
Never were greater hardihood and
bravery exhibited than by the men Sc
lected to drive the coaches.
AS the stage toiled through the
heavy sand of some strips OF desert or
met several miles of stony and uphill
trail a band of a hundred yelling war
riors would suddenly appear. The
driver must fight as well as guide his
excited team. 1t was when the over
land company finally appealed to the
government to clear its route through
Kansas that General Custer was sent
out with a brigade of troopers. Custer
couldn't hope TO strike telling blow
against the hordes in the field. but he
laid his plans to open the route and
drive the Indians back from it.
As we followed the trail TO the west
we picked up station after station.
showing grewsome sights
Clusters whole com mand witnessed
the arrival of the last stage from the
west-the last for several weeks. From
q hilltop three miles from the trail,
with impossible gullies between, we
saw the coach come up the trail with
100 Indians pursuing it. 1t was run
ming fight. which aroused every man
to the highest pitch of excitement. but
we were helpless to extend aid.
Through the clear air of summer
afternoon we saw the stage horses shot
down and the coach overtaken. The
passengers made Il brave fight 10 the
last, but none of them escaped. 1t was
night before we had made our detour
and reached the station, and the In
dams had departed long before. They
had captured the station two hours be
fore they attacked the stage.
If this station had failed to hold out
how would it be with Pawnee Flat, the
next station TO the west. and with
White Horse, the next after that: The
first was Il four man station and the
next relay of eight. AS We rode
away through the night not a man had
the slightest hope of Pawnee, though
we knew it would have been defended
as long as one of the four could lift Il
gun. We reached it at about l O'Clock.
1t was as we had feared. Over POO
Indians had swarmed down out of the
hills at daybreak the morning before.
and. though they had lost a score Of
men. the dugout had been carried by
assault and its defenders butchered
We waited here half an hour to give
the poor corpses burial and then push.
ed on toward White Horse. 1t was not
until we got within two miles of the
station that our fears were relieved.
Then we heard the reports of rifles and
out
The station was situated about mid
way of long, bare hill. To the west
of it was coulee, or dry ravine. with
banks twenty feet high. We had with
us Il couple of scouts. who knew every
rod of the Overland trail. and when
within a mile of the station these men
were sent forward to spy out the sta
ton. They returned after awhile to
report that Spotted Horse and about
$50 of his dog soldiers" AS the Chey-
ennes were called, were laying siege
to the station and had evidently occu.
pied the ground for two or three days
The ground around the dugout WAS SO
open that the Indians dared not rush
the place, nor was there any show to
use a keg of powder without reckless
exposure. With their allies holding the
trail to the east, the CheyenneS had Ell
tered upon Il siege i'm hopes to starve
the defenders out. Their war ponies
and most of the band were lying up
in the dry ravine for the night. This
ravine had no opening to the south and
was therefore Il cul de sac.
The first signs of dawn were in the
sky when We saddled up. mounted. and
the whole of us pushed forward. led by
the scouts. for the mouth of the ravine
We had the Spencer carbines. each
with a full magazine. and us we got
the order to charge each man began
shooting. When IL carbine WAS empty
1t was thrown away and Il revolver
used in its place When the revolver
was empty it was cast aside for
the saber Extended from bank to
bank. we swept up the ravine. and We
had nothing to do but kill Taken by
surprise. the ChPypnnes thought only
of getting away. The fight did not last
above thirty minutes. and our loss was
only three men wounded
Down in the ravine we harvested
seventy-eight dead Indians. and on the
banks above the stage men counted up
more. We got upward of
100 rifles. about 80 pistols. 100 ponies
and wagon load of miscellaneous
stuff. Every Indian lying there was a
dead one. Custer had said. Shoot to
kill!' and there was no wounded or
prisoners. Among the killed were
Spotted Horse. Big Moon and White
Bird. and that fight broke the back.
bone Of the Cheyennes Their part
In the war was to capture all the
stations west of Burning Hill. but they
had taken only Pawnee Flat. They
never rode to war again. Within a
week they were suing for peace. and
they were the first to be gathered on q