Kearny .function.— A lively, enterprising
town. 195.3 miles from Omaha, with an elevation
of 2,150 feet It is the junction of the Burling-
ton and Missouri Railroad only, and owes its
rapid development to this fact more than to any-
thing else. For rly the St. Joe and Denver

Railroad ran trains to this place, using the track
of the Burlington and Missouri from Hastings,
a smart, little town twenty-four miles south of
Grand Island. But this has been abandoned and
it is supposed the road will build an independent



TSE ggGIFIG T0V3M8T,



33



line to some point on the Union Pacific. Grand
Island and Kearny Junction both hope to get
it. Kearny Junction was laid out by the town
company in September, 1872, about the same
time the Burlington and Missouri Railroad ar-
rived ; the first house was built in August,
1872, and the town has grown very rapidly
ever since; it now has a population of 1,000
souls, six church edifices, one daily newspaper,
the Press, one weekly, The Times, two brick
bank buildings and other brick blocks, with
hotels, numerous stores, school-house, court-house,
etc. It has a daily stage line to Blooming ton, a
thriving town some sixty miles south in the Re-
publican Valley, and i|iiite an extensive trade
from it and the South Loup Valley on the north ;
some of the stores here do quite a wholesale
trade The town is finely located on a gradual
slope, and from the hills or bluffs on its north
side the land in seven counties can be distinctly
seen; it has the vim and energy which usually
characterizes Western towns; it is an aspirant
for the capital if it is ever moved from Lincoln,
and has ground on the hill reserved for the loca-
tion of the .State buildings; it also expects a
railroad from Sioux City, and one from the Re-
publican Valley; altogether its future prospects
are bright. Splendid crops of wheat, com, oats,
barley, broom-corn, potatoes, cabbages, and
onions are raised in this vicinity during favorable
seasons, but we regard the stock business as the
best paying and surest investment for settlers;
the buffalo grass, to our mind, is a sure indica-
tion of it. Kearny Junction is very healthy,
and invalids would here find an agreeable resting-
place.

Stevenson — has an elevation of 2,170 feet,
and is 201.2 miles from the Missouri River. It
is simply a side track with a section-house near
by. The way settlers have pushed up this valley
during the last five years, is marvelous.

Elm Creek — is 211.5 miles from Omaha,
with an elevation of 2.241 feet. In the first 200
miles of your journey, you have attained an alti-
tude more than a thousand feet above Omaha,
where you started, and yet the ascent has been so
gradual that you have scarcely noticed it. Elm
Creek was so named after the creek whieh you
cross just after having the station going west.
It was formerly heavily timbered with elm, ash,
hackberry and a few walnuts and cotton-woods ;
but the necessities of the road when it was built
required it all and more too. The town has one
or two saloons, stores, school-house and a few
dwellings. The creek rises in the bluffs north-
west, and sluggishly worries through them and
t'a • sand, till it is finally swallowed up by the
Platte. But little timber remains in this vicinity.
The next station, some nine miles west of Elm
Creek, called

Overtoil — has the usual side track, school-
house, a store and some few dwellings. This



valley, to this point and be} r ond, would have been
thickly settled long before this but for climatic
reasons which we need not name. The Platte
Valley extends on either side here nearly as far
as the eye can reach. The town is 220.5 miles
from Omaha, at an elevation of 2,305 feet.

J onset if II, — Aside track; will eventually be-
come a station ; named after the pay-master of
the Union Pacific Road. It is 225.1 miles from
Omaha, with an elevation of about 2,330 feet
above the sea.

1'lnm Creek. — So named from a creek on
the south side of the river, which flows into the
Platte nearly opposite the town. The stage-
station, on the old overland road was located
on this creek and in those daj's it was considered
quite an important point. It was the scene of a
number of conflicts with the savages — in fact one
of their favorite points of attack; eleven white
persons were killed and several wounded during
one of these attacks. Four miles west of the
present town-site they captured and burned a
train of cars in 1867; one of the train men was
scalped and recently was still living in or near
Omaha; one was killed, and the others, we be-
lieve, made their escape. The nature of the
bluffs here is such that they had a good oppor-
tunity to attack and escape before the settlers
and emigrants could rally and give them battle.
The creek rises in a very bluffy region, and runs
north-east into the Platte. Plum Creek is
the county-seat of Dawson County; has about
500 inhabitants ; a tine brick court-house with
jail underneath, one church edifice, school-house,
two or three hotels, stores, warehouses, etc. It is
a point where considerable broom-corn is pur-
chased and shipped ; has a semi-weekly stage line
across the Republican Valley to Norton, in the
State of Kansas, and a weekly newspaper. There
is a substantial wagon bridge across the Platte
River, nearly three-quarters of a mile in length.
It is located in the midst of a very fine grazing
country, though in favorable seasons crops have
done well. With irrigation, perhaps they might
be made a certainty. This town also enjoys
quite a trade with the upper Republican Valley.
It was formerly a favorite range for buffaloes,
and large quantities of their bleaching bones
have been gathered and shipped by rail to St.
Louis and places east. It is 231.4 miles from
Omaha, with an elevation of 2,370 feet.

Battle with tlte Indians nt Flum
Creek. — While the railroad was being built,
the engineers, graders and track-layers were fre-
quently driven from their work by the Indians.
Not only then, but after the track was laid and
trains running, it was some times torn up and
trains ditched, causing loss of lives and destruc-
tion of property. One of these attacks took
place near Plum Creek, as we will now relate.
In July, 1807, a train was ditched about four
miles west of the above-named station. It



34



TME &&CMWMC FWEISW.



was by a band of southern Cheyennes, under a
chief called 'J'urki'y Leg. who now draws his
rations regularly from Uncle Sam, at the Red
Cloud agency. He is a vicious looking fellow,
his appearance naturally suggesting him as a fit
subject lor a hanging i>ee. At a small bridge,
or culvert, over a dry ravine, they had lifted the
iron rails from their chairs on the tics — raising
Only one end of each rail — about three feet, pil-
ing up ties uiiiler them for support, and firmly
lashing the rails and tics together by wire cut
from the adjoining telegraph line. They were
pretty cunning in tins arrangement of the rails,
and evidently placed them where they thought
they would penetrate the cylinder on each side
of the engine. But not having a mechanical
turn of mind exactly, and disregarding the slight
curve in the road at this point, they missed their
calculations, as the sequel shows, as one of the
rails did no execution whatever, and the other
weid straight into and through the boiler. After
they had fixed the rails in the manner described,
they retired to where the bench or second bottom
slopes down to the first, and there concealed
themselves in the tall grass, waiting for the train.
Before it left Plum Creek, a hand-car with three
section men was sent ahead as a pilot. This car
encountered the obstacle, and ran into the ravine,
bruising and stunning the men and frightening
I hem so that they were unable to signal to the
appn caching train. As soon as the car landed at
the bottom of the ravine, the Indians rushed up,
when two of the men, least hurt, ran away in the
darkness < >f the night- — it was little past mid-
night — and hid in the tall grass near by. The
other, more stunned by the fall of the car. was
scalped by the savages, and as the knife of the
Bavage passed under his scalp, he seemed to
realize his condition partly, and in his delirium
wildly threw his arms out and snatched the scalp
from the Indian, who had just lifted it from his
skull. With tins he, too, got away in the dark-
ness, and is now an employe of the company at
Omaha.

But the fated train came on without any
knowledge i if what, had transpired in front. As
the eugine approached the ravine, the head-light
gleaming out in the darkness in the dim dis-
tance, fast glowing less and less, tl ngiiieer,

Brooks Bowers by name, but familiarly called
"Bully Brooks" by the railroad men, saw that
the rails were displaced, whistled "down
brakes," and reversed his engine, but all too late
to stop the train. The door of the fire-box was
open, and the fireman was in the act of adding
fuel to the Barnes within, when the crash came.
Thai fireman was named Hendershot, and the
boys used to speak of him as "the drummer boy
of the Rappahannock," as he bore the same
name, and might have been the same person
whose heroic deeds, in connection with Burn-
side's attack on Fredericksburg, are now matters



of history. He was thrown against the fire-box

when the ravine was reached, and literally
roasted alive, nothing but a few of his hones be-
ing afterwards found. The engineer was thrown
over the lever he was holding in his hands,
through the window of his cab, sonic twenty Eeet
or more. In his flight the lever caught and rip-
ped open his abdomen, and when found he was
sitting nil the ground holding his protruding
bowels in his hands. Next to the engine were
two flat cars loaded with brick. These were
landed, brick and all, some thirty or forty feet
in front of the engine, while the box cars, loaded
with freight, were thrown upon the engine and
around the wreck in great disorder. After a
time these took fire, and added horror to the
scene. The savages now swarmed around the
train and whooped and yelled in great glee.
When the shock first came, however, the con-
ductor ran ahead on the north side of the track
to the engine, and there saw Bowers and Hender-
shot in the position we have described them.
He told them he must leave them and Hag the
second section of the train following after, or it,
too, would be wrecked. He then ran hack, sig-
naled this train, and with it returned to Plum
Creek. Arriving there in the middle of the
night, in vain did he try to get a force of men to
proceed at once to the scene of the disaster. No
one would go. In the morning, however, they
rallied, armed themselves and went out to the
wreck. Bythis time it was near ten i .'clock. The
burning box cars had fallen around the brave
engineer, and while the fiery brands had un-
doubtedly added to his agony, they had also
ended his earthly existence. His blackened and
charred remains only told of his suffering. The
rescuing party found the train still burning — the
Indians had obtained all the plunder they could
carry, and left in the early morning. In the first
gray dawn of the morning they manifested their
delight over the burning train in every possible
way, and their savage glee knew no bounds.
From the cars not then burned they rolled out
boxes and bales of merchandise, from which they
took bright^colored flannels, calicos, and other
fancy goods. Bolts of these goods they would
lodsen, and with one end tied to their ponies' tails
or lie horn of their saddles, they would mount
and start at full gallop up and down the prairie
just to see the bright colors streaming in the
wind behind them. But the end of this affair
was not yet. The avenging hand of justice was '
on the track of these blood-thirsty villains, who,
for some inscrutable reason, are permitted to
wear the human form. In the spring of that
year, by order of General Augur, then in com-
mand of the military department of the Platte,
.Major Frank North, of Columbus, Neb., who
had had no little experience in the business, was
authorized to raise a battalion of two hundred
l'aw nee Indians, who were peaceable and friendly



TME &&6IFIG TOVWtST,



35



towards the whites, and whose reservation is
near Columbus, for scouting duty. It was the
old experiment of fighting the devil with lire to
be tried over again. These scouts were to light
the various In ■stile bands of the Sioux, Arrapa-
hoes, and Cheyennes, and assist in guarding the
railroad, and the railroad builders. At the time
this train was attacked, these scouts were scat-
tered in small detachments along the line of the
road between Sidney and the Laramie Plains.
General Augur was immediately notified of it,
and he telegraphed Major North to take the
nearest company of his scouts and repair as soon
as possible to the scene of the disaster. At that
time, Major North was about fourteen miles west
of Sidney, at the end of the track, and his nearest
company was some twelve miles further on.
Mounting his horse, he rode to their camp in
about fifty minutes, got his men together, and
leaving orders for the wagons to follow, returned,
arriving at the end of the track at about four
o'clock in the afternoon. By the time these men
and horses were loaded on the cars, the wagons
had arrived, and by five o'clock the train pulled
out. Arriving at Julesburg, they were attached
to a passenger train, and by midnight, or within
twenty-four hours after the disaster took place,
he arrived at the scene. Meanwhile other white
troops, stationed near by, had arrived. In the
morning he was ordered by General Augur to
follow the trail and ascertain whether the at-
tack had been made by northern or southern In-
dians. With ten men he started on the scout.
The sharp-sighted Pawnees soon struck the trail.
They found where the hostile band had crossed
the river, and where they had abandoned some
of their plunder. They followed the trail all
that day, and found that it bore south to the
Republican Valley. From this fact, and other
indications that only Indians would notice, he
ascertained that the attacking band were south-
ern Cheyennes. Returning from this scout, after
about thirty-five miles' travel, he reported to the
commanding officer at Omaha, and received
orders to remain in the vicinity, and thoroughly
scout the country, the belief being generally en-
tertained among the officers that, if not followed,
the Indians would soon return on another raid.
Subsequent events proved this belief to be true,
and they had not long to wait. In about ten
days, their camp being at Plum Creek, one of
the scouts came running into camp from the
bluffs south of Plum Creek, and reported that
the Indians were coming. He had discovered
them in the distance, making their way in the
direction of the old overland stage station, which
they soon after reached. Arriving here, they
unsaddled their horses and turned them loose in
an old sod corral to feed and rest. They then
began preparations to remain all night. The
scouts, however, proposed to find out who and
what they were before the evening approached.



Major North first determined to go with the
company himself, but at the urgent solicitation
of Capt. James Murie, finally gave him charge
of the expedition. There, were in the command,
two white commissioned officers — Lieut. Isaac
Davis, besides the Captain — two white ser-
geants, and forty-eight Pawnees. The company
marched from their camp straight south to the
Platte River, which they crossed ; then turning
to the left followed down its bank under the
bushes to within about a mile and a half of the
creek. Here they were discovered by the Chey-
ennes. Then there was mounting in hot haste —
the Cheyennes at once preparing for the fray.
There were one hundred and fifty warriors to be
pitted against this small band of fifty-two, all
told. But the Cheyennes, up to this time, sup-
posed they were to fight white soldiers, and were
very confident of victory. Forming in regular
line, on they rushed to the conflict. Captain
Murie's command, as soon as they found they
were discovered, left the bushes on the river
bank and went up into the road, where they
formed in line of battle and were ordered to
charge. As the order was given, the Pawnees
set up their war-whoop, slapped their breasts
with their hands and shouted " Pawnees." The
opposing lines met on the banks of the creek,
through which the scouts charged with all their
speed. The Cheyennes immediately broke and
fled in great confusion, every man for himself.
Then followed the chase, the killing and the
scalping. The Indians took their old trail for
the Republican Valley, and put their horses to
their utmost speed to escape the deadly fire of
the Pawnees. Night finally ended the chase, and
when the spoils were gathered, it was found that
fifteen Cheyenne warriors had been made to bite
the dust, and their scalps had been taken as tro-
phies of victory. Two prisoners were also taken,
one a boy of about sixteen years and the other a
squaw. The boy was a nephew of Turkey Leg,
the chief. Thirty-five horses and mules were
also taken, while not a man of the scouts was
hurt. After the chase had ceased, a rain-storm
set in, and tired with their day's work, with the
trophies of their victory, they returned to camp.
It was about midnight when they arrived. Ma-
jor North and a company of infantry, under
command of Capt. John A. Miller, had re-
mained in camp guarding government and com-
pany property, and knowing that a battle had
been fought, were intensely anxious to learn the
result. When the Pawnees came near, it was
with shouts and whoops and songs of victory.
They exhibited their scalps and paraded their
prisoners with great joy, and spent the whole
night in scalp-dances and wild revelry. This
victory put an end to attacks on railroad trains
by the Cheyennes. The boy and squaw were
kept in the camp of the Pawnees until late in
the season, when a big council was held with the



tme <pg@iFiG wowmmw.



Brule Sioux, Spotted Tail's band, at North
Platte, to make a new treaty. Hearing of this
council, Turkey Leg, chief of the Cheyennes,
senl in a runner and offered to deliver up six
white captives held in his band for the return
of the boy and the squaw. After the necessary
preliminaries had been effected, the runner was
told to bring the white captives, that the ex-
change might be made. The boy held by the
scouts was understood to be of royal lineage, and
was expected to succeed Turkey Leg in the chief-
taincy of the tribe. Alter the exchange had
taken place, the old chief would scarcely allow
the boy to leave his sighl — such was his attach-
ment to him, and manifested his delight in every
possible way over his recovery. The white cap-
tives were two sisters by the name of Thompson,
who lived smith of the Platte River, nearly oppo-
site Grand Island, and their twin brothers; a
Norwegian girl taken on the Little Blue River,
and a white child born to one of these women
while in captivity. They were restored to their
friends as soon as possible.

The Next Attack. — The Indians were not
willing to have the iron rails that should land
the shores of the continent together laid in
peace, and made strenuous and persistent efforts
to prevent it. On the 16th of April, 1808, a "cut
off" band of Sioux, under a scalawag chief,
named Two Strikes, attacked and killed live
section-men near Elm ('reck Station, taking their
scalps, and ran oil a few head of stock. They
were never pursued. On the same day. and evi-
dently according to a pre-arranged plan, a part of
the same band attacked the post at Sidney. They
came upon the bluffs north of the town ami
fired into it. But no one was injured from their
shooting at that time. Two conductors, however,
named Tom Cahoon and William Edmunson,
had gone down the Lodge Pole Creek, a little way
to fish. They were unobserved by the Indians
when the tiring took place. Hearing the re-
ports they climbed up the bank to see what
was going on, and being seen by the Indians,
li'"\ at once made an effort to cut them
off, though they were only a mile or so from
the post. The savages charged down upon
them, and shot Cahoon, who fell forward on
the ground. The Indians immediately scalped
him and left him for dead. Mr. Edmunson
ran towards the post as fast as he could,
and drawing a small Derringer pistol, fired
at his pursuers. Thinking he had a revolver
and would lie likely to shoot again if they came
too close, they did no! venture up as they had
done, but allowed him to escape. He got away
with some eight or nine arrow and bullet wounds
together and carrying lour arrows sticking in his
body. lie was taken to tin- hospital, and rapidly
recovered from his wounds. After the Indians

had gone, the citizens went after the body of Mr.

Cahoon, whom they supposed dead, bul to their



Surprise he was still alive. They brought him
into the post, where he recovered, and is now
running on the road.

Attack fit OgalaUa. — In September of the
same year, the same band of sioux attempted to

destroy a train between Alkali and OgalaUa.
They fixed the rails the same ;is tit Plum Creek.
As the train came up the rails penetrated the
cylinders on each side of the engine, as it was a
straight track there; the engine going over into
the ditch, with the cars piling upon top of it.
The engineer and one of the brakemen who was
on the engine at the time, were thrown through

the window of the cab. and were but little hurt.
The fireman was fastened by the tender against
the end of the boiler, and after the train had
stopped, there being no draft, the flames of the
fire came out of the door to the fire-box upon
him, and the poor fellow was literally roasted
alive. He was released after six hours in this
terrible position, during which he begged the
attendants to kill him, but lived only a few
moments after his release. All the trains at this
time carried arms, and the conductor, with two
or three passengers, among whom was Father
Ryan, a Catholic priest of Columbus, Nebraska,
seized the anus and defended the train — the
Indians meanwhile skulking among the bluffs
near the track, and occasionally tiring a shot.
Word was sent to North Platte, and tin engine
and men came up, who cleared the wreck. Mean-
while word was sent to Major North, then at
Willow Island, to take one company of his scouts
and follow the Indians. He came to Alkali and
reported to Colonel Mizner, who was marching
front North Platte with two companies of cavalry,
all of whom started in pursuit. They went over
to the North Platte River, crossed that stream
and entered, the sand-hills, where the scouts oxer-
took and killed two of the Indians; the whole
party going about thirty-five miles to a little
lake, where the main body of Indians had just
left and camped, finding the smouldering em-
bers of the Indian fires still alive. That night
some of the white soldiers let their camp tires
get away into the prairie, and an immense prairie
tire was the result. This, of course, alarmed the
Indians, and further pursuit was abandoned,
much to the disgust of the scouts. Colonel
Mizner also claimed that his rations were run-
ning short, but from all the facts we can learn,
he lacked the disposition to pursue and capture
those Indians. At least, this is a charitable con-
struction to put upon his acts.

In October of the same year (186S), the same
band of Indians attacked the section-men near
Potter Station, drove them in and run off about
twenty head of horses and mules. Major North
and his scouts were immediately sent in pursuit.
Leaving camp at Willow Island, the command
was soon on the ground. It. was evidently a
small raiding party, and Major North sent a



FME &&CMFI6 TQW ( Bl§W.



37



Lieutenant and fifteen of his men after them.
They Struck their trail, followed them to the North
Platte Biver, which they crossed, followed and
overhauled them in the sand-hills, killing two,
recapturing a part of the stolen horses, and re-
turned without loss. The Indians have made
some efforts to ditch a few trains since that year,
but have effected no serious damage. Their
efforts of late have mostly been confined to stock
stealing, and they never seem so happy as when
they have succeeded in running' off a large num-
ber of horses and mules. When the road was
first built it was their habit to cross it, going
south and north, several times in each year. They