TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS IN GOLD DUST.--A STAGE ROBBERY.--
ANOTHER TRIP TO CALIFORNIA.--MEETING WITH GEN. CROOK.--CHIEF OF
SCOUTS AGAIN.
After the goods were unloaded and the stock rested up for a few
days, the train was started back to Salt Lake City to load with
flour and bacon. After it had been gone five days Mr. Boone and I
started to follow it, expecting to get to the Mormon city ahead of
the train and have the cargo purchased by the time it would
arrive.
Mr. Boone took with him on this trip twenty-two thousand dollars
in gold dust, on pack-horses. But in order to get away from
Virginia City with it and not be suspected, we packed up three
horses one night, behind the store, and I started that night with
a pick and shovel tied to each pack, as if I were going
prospecting. I went to where I thought would make a good day's
ride for Boone, and camped. He overtook me the next night, and he
said he would not have had it known how much dust he had with him
for three times that amount.
We made the trip to Salt Lake all right, however, but in a few
days after we learned that the stage-coach that left Virginia City
at the same time we did was robbed and every passenger killed.
These passengers were seven successful miners that had made all
the money they wanted, or rather what they considered a handsome
little stake, there being eighty thousand dollars in the crowd,
and they were on their way home somewhere in the East.
The driver was the only one that escaped, he claiming to have
jumped off from the stage. I saw the stage when it came into Salt
Lake City, and it was riddled with bullets and blood spattered all
over the inside of the coach.
There was a man by the name of Brown driving the stage at that
time, and many people believed, in fact it was the general
impression at the time, that the driver was in with the robbers.
This robbery and massacre occurred in what is known as Beaver
canyon.
During my stay at Salt Lake there came in from Virginia City a
young man by the name of Richard Hyde, to buy cattle. Mr. Boone
recommended him to me as being a fine young man and very shrewd
for his age. After having some little acquaintance with him and he
had told me his business, also what profit there was in it, he and
I formed a co-partnership for the purpose of buying cattle and
driving them to Virginia City. We bought one hundred and ninety-
two head of all sizes, and by the help of two other men, we drove
them through, losing only five head, which was considered
excellent luck.
We stopped about ten miles below town, and after setting a price
on our cattle, I remained with them while Mr. Hyde went to look
for buyers. He was gone nearly a week, and when he returned he had
sold nearly all the cattle. We were well pleased with the result
of our venture, and I am told Mr. Hyde kept the business up for
several years until he made an independent fortune, and I am told,
at this writing--1899--that he is somewhere in Iowa doing a large
banking business.
As soon as the cattle were all delivered and we had settled up,
Mr. Hyde and I struck back for Salt Lake City, he to buy more
cattle, and I on my way to California.
Near Ogden I fell in with an emigrant train of twenty-two wagons
bound for California. As soon as they learned who I was, having
heard of me back at Fort Kearney, they insisted on my traveling in
company with them, and there being some fine looking young ladies
in the train, I accepted the invitation and joined them.
These families were from Illinois and Ohio, and I can truthfully
say that I never traveled with or saw a finer crowd of people than
these were, and I never was in a company that I regretted leaving
as I did those people, for they all seemed more like brothers and
sisters to me than strangers.
The majority of them bought small farms in Solano county,
California, and settled down. I remained with them until after the
holidays, then left and struck out for San Francisco. This was the
beginning of the year 1865.
After remaining in the city a few days I concluded one day to take
a ride out to the fort and see if any of my acquaintances were
there. I only found one person that I had been acquainted with
before, and that was Capt. Miller. He showed me a number of
letters from his brother officers out in Arizona, all saying they
were having a great deal of trouble with the Indians in that
country. I returned to the city, bought two more horses and
commenced making preparations to go to Fort Yuma by way of Los
Angeles.
The day before I was to start I was walking down Sampson street
near the American Exchange Hotel, where I was stopping while in
the city, when I heard a voice across the street that sounded
familiar, say, "Hello chief." I looked around and who should I see
but George Jones, who was then coming on a run to me; and you can
rest assured that I was glad to see him, as it had been nine years
since I had met him. He told me of his trip back to Fort Klamath
the time that he accompanied me to San Francisco and returned with
the mail; of the hardships that he underwent on his way back, and
also his various speculations after leaving the service and said
that it seemed that everything he turned his hand to went against
him.
I told him my intention was to go to Arizona and secure a position
as scout, and he at once made up his mind to go with me, and it is
useless to say that I was well pleased with his decision from the
fact that when he was with me I always knew just what to depend
on.
It was in the fore part of February when we started on this long
and tedious trip, and we made up our minds to take our time to it.
From here we went to Los Angeles, and there we stayed four days to
let our horses rest, and while there we lived principally on
fruit.
From Los Angeles to Fort Yuma it is called five hundred and fifty
miles and the greater part of the way it is over a desert country.
From Los Angeles we struck across the Mojave desert, crossing the
extreme south end of Death Valley to avoid the sand desert, and
made our way to the Colorado river without any mishap, but
sometimes having to ride as much as forty miles without water for
our horses.
When we struck the river we traveled down on the north side until
just below the mouth of the Gila we crossed the Colorado, where
Jim Beckwith and I had crossed a number of years before. We had
not gone far after crossing the Colorado when we came to the Yuma
Indians, spoken of before as not wearing any clothing. Here George
Jones declared that he had gone far enough, saying he had found a
place that he had been looking for for a long time where people
did not have to wear clothing nor till the soil for a living. And
he added: "This is good enough for me."
The next day at noon after crossing the river we reached Fort
Yuma. We rode up to the guard and asked if Lieut. Jackson was
stationed at this fort. The guard replied that he was, and
directed me to his quarters. I walked up to his door and rapped.
He came to the door, but did not recognize me as my hair had grown
out long and my beard was all over my face, but in his usual
kindly way he asked what he could do for us. I asked him if my
friend and I could get our dinner.
By this time his wife had recognized my voice and came to the
door, and as she was approaching him he asked if she could let
those two gentlemen have their dinner.
"Why, Lieutenant, don't you know who that is you are talking to?"
she said. "I do not," he replied. "Why," said she, "that is the
boy scout."
It is useless to say that we were taken in to dinner and our
horses taken care of, and while at the dinner table I told the
Lieutenant our business there. I told him that I had come there
with the intention of getting a position as chief of scouts, and
that I would not accept a position unless my friend Mr. Jones
could get a place with me. He told me that he had no doubt but
that we would both be able to get a position, as they had lost
five scouts inside of the last month.
After dinner Lieut. Jackson excused himself, and telling us to
remain at his quarters until he returned, he took a walk to the
General's quarters. He returned in about an hour, saying Gen.
Crook wished to see us both at once at his quarters, and we, in
company with the Lieutenant, walked over to the General's tent,
and to my astonishment, I was introduced as Capt. Drannan.
The General's orderly and the officer of the day were both in his
room and he told them he wished to speak to us on private
business, and they at once withdrew. Then the General commenced to
question me in regard to fighting Indians, and I did nothing for
the next two hours but answer questions.
Like all other successful officers, he did not want any dead-heads
around him, and I presume that is why Gen. Crook was such a
successful Indian fighter.
He requested us to call at his quarters at nine o'clock the next
morning, after which he called his orderly and told him to show us
quarters for the night and also to care for our horses. That
evening while George was away looking after our horses I was
taking a stroll around the fort, when by chance I met Gen. Crook
taking his evening walk, and he asked me what I knew about this
friend of mine. I told how I had seen him tried on various
occasions and that I had never seen any signs of his weakening
yet. I also told him that if I accepted a position as scout, I
wanted George Jones with me, for I knew that I could depend on him
under any and all circumstances. The General told me that he had
been having very hard luck this summer, having lost all his best
scouts by their falling in the hands of the Apaches. He also told
me that he had one scout that fell into their hands and was burned
at the stake. The next morning at nine o'clock Jones and I were on
hand at the General's quarters. The first question he asked me was
on what conditions I wished to go to work and what I expected per
month. I told him that heretofore what scouting I had done I had
gone as an independent scout, and that I would go to work under no
other conditions.
He asked me what I meant by an independent scout. I said I meant
so much per month, rations for myself and horse, and all horses I
captured from the Indians to be my own. If I don't suit you, you
can tell me so and I will quit, and when you don't suit me I will
call for my money and quit at once.
He said that was fair enough, but I told him that I would not go
to work under any consideration unless my friend Mr. Jones could
have employment too.
I hired to Gen. Crook for one hundred and twenty-five dollars per
month, to go to work the following morning. After the bargain was
made the General said to me: "You must bear in mind that you're in
a different country now to what you have been accustomed to
working in, and altogether a different climate as well." He
proposed sending a man with me that he said was thoroughly posted
in the country, knowing every watering place, as well as the
different runways of the Indians in the whole, country, and he
added that he would not expect any benefit from us for at least
ten days, as it would take this man that length of time to show us
over the country.
At this I withdrew from the General's quarters, and he and George
soon made a bargain. George was to receive seventy-five dollars
per month. The balance of the day was spent in making preparations
for our prospecting tour, as we termed it.