Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Harrison press-journal. (Harrison, Nebraska) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 1902)
WITCHTO'S LAST RIDE.... A STORY F THE WEST. AS the railroad terminated at Gil soy in the early seventies, a stage was dispatched from that place once a week to carry the mail to 3-iri Miguel, a distance of one hundred and thirty aille. Four small postofJU-es were sta tioned along this line for the accom modation of the scattered stock ran cher who lived In the fertile valleys watered by the Pajaro, San Aiitone and Naalmer.to rivers. On of, the early settlers i win can kim Mr. Smith was engaged in sheep arming among the hills of southern Monterey county. He and his small family, consisting of a wife and two sturdy daughters, were entirely isolat ed from civilized society. They had bo Bear neighbors except the Indians, who watched the strangers with a kindly Interest, their hatred not yet rnaM4 by tha fear of losing their kunting grounds. "Let paleface be," they said,' "plen ty for all." And so the squaws ground their maize and acorns In peace, and the braves hunted the antelope with none but friendly feeling for the white intruder. In fact, the youngest child so won the heart of the old chief that hardly a day passed but he had her with him .at his camp. Here she soon learned to ride the pontes almost as well as did the rave themselves. The chief was so proud of her achievements under his supervision that he presented her with a fine pinto colt, just broken, together with a handsome Mexican bridle and addle. Witcho, for such was the pony's name, was very docile, and soon learn ed to love his little mistress, and was never happier than when she was seated on his back. He was always seady for a gallop over the hills, or a wee with any Mexican vauuero who sight be passing through the valley. Because the child was bo splendidly quipped, and was such a good horse woman ,lt became her duty and de Hght to carry the mail between her home and the little postofflee ntne Biles away. She had been making these weekly trips for a y ar or more when, one Saturday afternoon, her lather eaUed her to him and said; "Madge, I expect the stage to bring the money to pay the sheep shearers this evening. The package will be very heavy, and it may be dark before jon can get home. Do you think you an bring It safely? I would go my self,' but cannot leave the corral, and there la no one else I dare trust." "I am sure I can bring it all right, papa," answered Madge, delighted to lave a chance to carry such a val uable package. "Very well, then? Run along and get ready, dear, but be sure not to say a word about the money to anyone." Am Mr. Smith walked back to his wool tying he saw one of the Mexi cans sharpening, his shears on the grindstone ' just outside the kitchen window, but it never occurred to him hat he might have overheard the con- leave the path and try to make any wersation, nor did he fe! alarmed si J headway in the dense brush. As she all when, later, this same young man j tremblingly approached the spot she complained that he was sick and said 'strained her ears to catch the slight Ike would go home. ef!t sound. Once she thought h Jtt the meantime Madse arrived at heard" a footstep. Then all was silent. Hie office. Attracted by her beautiful horse, several of the bystanders gath ered around him. They looked at his Mf th, felt his joints, remarked on his straight limbs and glossy coat, and . made small bets as to his weight, his strength and his staying powers. "My, but this is a stiff gale," said Ae postmaster, w ho stood at the door of the office with his hands in his sockets. "I say, Tom," he went on, "you'd better put the little gal's horse lb the shed, out of the wind. The tace won't be along till 7 o'clock or after." Ho . Madge dismounted and they led ker horse- away. She soon became In terested In the stories of robberies and holdups whk-h were being told by an aid stage driver, so the time passed aulckty. Half -past seven came, but aa stage, and most of the men started . tor hone. -. .. ., "Do you think Jim could have been j Meld upr queried anxious naage oi th postmaster when the place had keen deserted except by these two. "Oh, no, little one. Such stories be- to kygone days. But I think you better not wait any longer, for it will be very late by the time you reach it, and your folks may get wor sted:" "N, father told me to be sure and waM far the stage. I am not afrad, lor Watcbo will take me home all right, I know," answered Madge. A frw minutes later they heard the ante of the stage, and by the time adtga had untied her horse and meanted aim the driver was handing wear tha mail has, paying as be did so: "la there anyone here from Smith's? Sifcave package for him." At tifct Madai replied: , -1 Mr. awarth UtUe girt. X will Tan," MM lam, staring at the ansa! tgare; yaa eaa't tate this an Qe war h fcaatth's." . i rt iwl can. Flease give It to me. TCtUbe Is la aaefe a raah I can hardly . tmn pea are then," ad Jim trr 'Zt tar a eaefc af aaaney. ... VJ CTV" tof tfc grit m the C" J .tS eaater down tha i V,VT.r.-?J"''v V' Jo r?y ct wm 5 twelve, but If she In. she's small for her age." answered the post master. "That's a fine horse she's got." he continued. "I don't think there's any thins; in these parts that can hold candle to him, unless it's that black colt belonging to the young Mexican up the creek. They say he stole it somewhere around Sacramento, and j shouldn't be surprsed. I think hf that kind of a fellow. l snouid iize 10 see the two horses come to a race seme time. I would lay a pretty good ' wager on the pinto, but I might miss it, as I've heard some wonderful tales about the black. " "Twould be nip and tuck between them. I guess. Well, so long. I'm sor ry to leave you. but It s getting late, and I've got a good many miles to cover before I can put up for. the night." A few minutes later the stage and its driver disappeared la the gather ing dusk. Madge had galloped across the flat meadowland and was now walking along the trail which wound through the brush-covered hills. It was rap- Idly growing dark, and the wind whls tied mournfully through the tall pines. Madge, though not a timid child, could not bt;t wish the road more open, no that she could ride faster, To keep herself from thinking of the stories she "had heard an hour or two before, so began talking to her pony, but soon relapsed Into silence, because her voice seemed so small and strange In the vast solitude. Once she almost dropped her reins in fright as a largo owi new from the branches of a tree under which she was passing. She had barely recovered from this alarm and had urged Witcho Into a gentle gallop before a coyote slunk across the trail just ahead of them and so star tied the pony that Madge, good rider as she was, had to clutch the stirrup leathers to save her balance. As she regained her seat and let the leathers flap back into nositon, she thought she saw a small object gleam In the saddle skirt. Knowing It could not be a silver ornament in such a hidden place, she examined the spot and soon drew out of a well concealed pouch what seemed to be a small dagger. "Whose can It be?" she said to her self, turning it over and over In the J dim light. Then the thought came to her that it might belong to the former owner of the saddle. "Well, anyway," she added, half aloud, "I'm glad I found It, for It will make a good hunt ing knife for papa." Just then Witcho gave a little neigh and, glancing up, she saw a dark ob Jost disappearing behind a big rock that stood close by the path about one hundred yards ahead. It looked like a horse and rider, but she could not be sure. Instantly all the tales of the holdups she had heard flooded her memory, but, although terribly fri;rhtend. she pushed on, knowing it would be useless to turn back or to She had almost paired the rock w hen suddenly a man sprang out from Its shadows and seized the bridle re'.its. With a loud snort Witcho reared and plunged foward. striking the man full i in the chest with such force that he was thrown violently to the ground, reeling himself fre?. Witcho Jumped over the prostrate body and tore along the path toward home. -With an oath the robber scrambled to his feet and shook his f!?t after the fleeing pair. "On, Witcho, on!" It is our only hope, for he'll be after us in a min uter' exclaimed lladge, leaning for ward and striking the pony's neck w ith her opf-n palm. The horse, seem ing to feel the danger of his little mis ticss.increased his speed, and soon the pair had cleared the timber and were tearing along the smoother road. It was much lighter here, and Madge, giuni'ini; gvw ner snouiaer, saw to ner great dismay that the man, naw mounted upon a black horse, was rapidly gaining upon her. "It must be Juan Machardo," she thought, for she knew no other .'horse could catch Witcho but his black colt. She was even more frightened at this discovery, for, knowing the man's pas sionate nature, she was well aware she could expect no mercy at his hands. Again she encou rased Wltrho but, although he did hla best, the black still gained. The man was un coiling hla rlata. She wondered wheth er he would try to catch her or her horse's feet. His horse was coming nearer and nearer, rapidly narrowing tha space between them under the maddening prick of the cruel spurs. To escape being caught. If each a thing were possible, Madge lay early flat on the horse's nark. Tha laaao came, whlxxlng through tha air. Thank Ood, It fell short. The Mexican had mlesed In the dim light. Some aae ondt moat elaase before he wovJd be ready to throw again. . "Oli. Witcho. can't you go faster?" cried Madce la desperation. As If Inspired, the aabte animal eemed ta fly over the graagd, km be ceald not leave the Wack hohlad. The lariat wm aJjaln drcMar ran ad and rannd. Than Jaa tnrew ttraignt at WiUhe wtMrefcbad bead. That be tU M m Ma mark. In Cm fed wturM wd ye MM Mttlei tM berart bej MCL lnCt ratnai hi Wltebe, for CM mm snatii wm mm tzt lor Cit at Ce pnmm the jerk of the riata would break hfa neck. ... .... .,,. , "(Jive up the money, or I'll rhok the pinto," called Juan, knowing th girl thought more of the pony thai Pshe did of her if. " Witcho, thoroughly frightened, wat snorting and plunging so violently that Juan could not slack the rope, nor did he dare get off his horse, for it had not yet been trained to hold a creature alone. Madge was in despair. She knew Witcho must soon go down. His nos trils were dilated and his breathing painful to hear. What should she do? It was no use crying for help, for she was five miles from any house. Some thing must be done, an i done quickly. She could not, would u.;!. give up the money. Then It flashed into her mind the knife. That was the very tiling. She seized it and drew its keen edg-3 across the taut riata with all the strength of her little arm. The riata snapped, and Witcho, with all the ag- lleness of his race, wheeled, and was off like a shot. The recoiling lariat struck Juan stinging blow in the face.' Vexed at !o!ig h! prise, ! mrtlng with pain, he sank the spurs deep .uto the heaving flanks of his horse, and, curs ing and swearing, rained blow after blow on Its sensitive skin. "I must catch them. I will have my revenge," he muttered between his clinched teeth. "I'll kill them both. The devils shall not escape me a third time." With this thought he arose in his stirrups, took his revolver from hts pocket and tired. Still the pinto kr-pt up his wild pace. He mut get still nearer. He spurred and lashed more furiously than before. Five minutes and he was at Witt-no's heels. Once more Juan took aim and fired. He saw the horse In front give one leap into the air, stagger for a moment, and then dash on and on. At every jump he widened the distance between them. In vain Juan plied his whip. In vain he halloaed and swore. His horse's gait was becoming uneven and slower; blood was streaming from its nose. Seeing that theer was now no hope of overtaking Madye before she reached safety, he wheeled his horse and made for the hills. On and on sped Witcho, faster anl faster. He seemed to gather strength as he neared the pasture gates. No need of encouragement from Madge now. For a mile they kept up the mad gait. Then the foaming animal slackened his pace. But the girl still feared the pursuer, although he was not in sight, and urged him to fresh efforts. Witcho, dear Witcho; we must get home," she said. The beautiful beast, seeming to un derstand her fear, made one more mighty effort, although his labored breathing told how plainly how sorely It was distressing him. But home was not far off. All were at the gate, just organizing a search ing party, as Madge raced up. The faithful horse stopped, and she fell faintirg into her father's arms, mur muring: "The money safe." All was hubbub and commotion. Mrs. Smith wrung her hands, declar ing her darling was dead, and beg ging the men to go and find the mur derer. The men uiiered vioieni threat of vengeance on the one who had dared to molf-st their little lady. Madge soon opened her eyes and looked for her horse. He staggered, then fell to his knees. With a wild iiream she sprang to his side, moan ing. "Wteho, tny darling Witcho." The horse raised hts head, struglcd as 1j to rise, then Ml back dead. Madge burled her face In his-loni, mane, matted and tangled with sweat and dust, and burst into passionate weeping. "See! He has been shot." said Bill the shepherd, "iiolt at the bullet hoto In his side, and the blood pouring out." "Who has done thH?" the others tried. "Let us just get our hands on him!" Then they started toward the corral for their horses. "Boys." cullfd Mr. Smith. "Walt. Madge has fainted again. So wait un til she is able to tell what happened before you go." They earried Madge Into the house and laid her tenderly on the bed. an-j while her father ind mother were watching and caring for her stout men dug a grave for the horse who hod so nobly given his life for his mis tress. When she was able, to tell all that happened, several of the men started for Juan, but they were not able to find any trace f him after he entered the hills. Mr. Smith never forgave himself for letting his little daughter go alone on that terrible night hut thanked Ood from the bottom of his heart for her wonderful preservation through the endurance and speed of her Indian pony. Many year have passed since then and Madge la the proud owner of sev eral fine horses, but she often aheda few allent tear on the monad under the old live oak where He the remains of her Are treat possession, Witcho, the pinto pony, that aaved her life on one never-to-be-forgotten tnghl. The delay of the English govern ment In the pabttcatloa of the Oetebet aad Ker ember returns from the eaa centratlon camp In South Africa wm apparently due to the aoreram nt'a desire ta accompany the aa now ace- neat af the pHlaMy Mgb death rata with aome kind of eflidal esamnatioa. The Mae beak Jaat laeaea haw 1414 death of white lu October, af wbiek amber MCI were aMidren. aad MOT af wbJtaf la Mrnmbar, at UT1 ware anldrea, TM amkM tbe tatal af aaathe far Ike laat IM41, ar a taut rate eaav" ewwa' Makes Record ' t j OHN SCHLXTZ haa mad Belle ville, 111., a stronghold of organ ganlzed labor, possibly the very strongest in the country. It haa more union workers than voters, due to the unionization of many minora and of miners who live In Its suburbs. In nine months Schultz organized twenty three unions, and In two year he haa organized twenty-two. He haa or ganized men and women, workers killed and unskilled, persons wit'iout t the semblance of a trade. Officers of the American Federation of Ijibor have congratulated Schultz upon having made hla community without an equal in organization In the country among cities of Its size. He did his most effective work while president of the Belleville Trades and Labor Assembly. Belleville ha l.Ul voters. The Belle- villa Trade and Labor Assembly, counting three unions in neighboring towns, has 4.SO0 union men. Schultz has been a resident of Belleville fourteen years, being first a steel worker and then a minc-r. He bogan organizing unions for the Amer ican Federation of Labor two years affo. and he has Increased the number of unions In the community from 19 to 51, organizing 23 in the first nine months. If Alton Is the Dardanelles of un- ,1,1 ... I Tl.lt..lll. i . . . , . iiiniu ill Aiiiiiuin, A...-IIC, iii n the O.- braltar. It Is not the butcher, baker and candlestick maker alone who are orngnlzed In Belleville, but the follow- rs of every craft having the dlnnr-r pull in the day's work. The lint of rades represented In the central or ganization Is not only comprehensive, but remarkable. It Includes bakom. Inrbcrs. bartenders, brewers, brewery workers, brlckmf.kers. butchers, car penters, electrical workers, coopers.un xlcilled laborers, glass workers, paint ers, clerks, both male and femule, rtove mounters, street railway men. tailors, steam enKlneers, stationary fin-men, hodcarrlcrs, marhlnlvts, ti Hir makers, miners, musicians, plumb ets, stpamfiatters, teamdrlvers, team ow. ners, tinners, powder workers, m:ul- . John Schultz qJ Room Filled With Microbes. x-w ahEFULLT (uaiani u Uni.-i ' V j In one room In London there are , enough microbe to kill every man, woman and child In the world. The room Is lu the Institute of Pre ventive Medicine building, situated In one of the most densely populated dis trict of the Big rtty. The microbe are there In thousand, million, and even bi lions, and they are Just yearning to be at their fell work upon human beings. They repre- sent almost every Known aisease ana crone nas particular tastes and dis are classified and kept In bottles, fed tartes, which have to he carefully and developed, and surrounded by an studied. One kind of bacilli like to atmosphere best railed to them, and they are nursed with a. much care and tenderness aa is given to the fair est and rarest of flower.. The microbe establishment la main tained for the purpose of enabling medical men to become familiar wltb these "mighty atoms" of destruction. Here they have every opportunity to make a close study of tbe precise character, appearance and disposition af tbe different bacilli; to discover, In fact, everything that ran poaslbly be discovered wHb a view ta tbe preven tion and cure of disease, that are eaaeed by microbe. And an can eas ily conceive what a fadnatlng study Aa uninformed stranger might walk through the tnca hater room af tbe ln etltaU wit boat drnmaring- far a mo- be wm la a hot bed af Ha watiM mare a ratably M. tbu be wm ta a novel kind af bary, where amafl bettba af van miJ atored MaaMe ware etered la be la a evea timgiratara, far areand in Organizing. . . .... . der. metal poUrtera. well cistern and shaft Inker., blacksmiths, hoot and hoe workers, bottler., garment work- n. presamen. hoisting engineers. bricklayers, printer., livery stable em- ployea, cut nail worker., metal pol- Isher. and garment worker.. Aaso- elated with these la the Ladles' Aid Federation, which la made up of the wlvea of the men In the union. Belleville haa more union worker than voters because there I a close organise! Ion among the young men nm , o. .eg.. ,. rjfecU , gowning, with little or no organization Illu.trate-. the tboroub. dlsguWng an defect af flg neos with which Schultz haa done hla , ... , ii.nn. of work. Wherever he has found men of a similar craft, regardless of their numbers, he haa organized them aad led them Into affiliation with the Belle ville Trade and Labor Assembly. 8chultz ha a good Aeld for km ergy, for Belleville has many workers. There are 1.200 miners alone. Belle ville has. in addition, a glass factory, four (louring mills,, a 'boot and shoe factory, four brickyards, two brewer ies .eight foundries, four machine shops two wire nail mills and one cut nail mill, with many leaser Industries. The fart that it has more union work ers ilia nvoters. evep though many of the workers are minors. Illustrates how large a proportion of the men of the city are dally workers. "v h 1 z hs bc!n 2-".: rr! by orTicr of the American Federation of Labor that there Is not another city of its size In the Vnlted States with a union labor organization so strong as that at Belleville. The miners are the chief contributors to Its strength. The glass workers probably rank second. Many union labor workers who have visited Belleville have expressed their aston ishment over the thorough organiza tion of the working people of the city, declaring they had never seen any thing to equal it. Zoar char I. in which Bunyan oftn preached. In Southward. London, is be ing torn down. It held about 150 peo ple and of late years has been uscd as a mission hall. tts roorr. arc srrsr.ci r.urr.crou: eve like Incubators, with glass doors, thro' wJich one ran perceive the long glass tube containing the bacilli. whose way of egress from the tubes Is burred by nothing more Impenetrable than small wad of cotton. ThTC. quietly, almost invisibly. rrpown a power great enougn to sweep the earth of human life. And the JmcIIII demand the greatest attention, the most delicate feeding. Almost every different kind of ml- din off horses' bloou. another off broth, while a third will touch noth Ing but a peculiar kind of jelly, and so on right through the list of diseases represented, though, luckily for the entering department of the establish ment a few agree In having similar tastes. . . . . , It has been repeatedly said that President Roosevelt I the youngest mn that ever ocewpied the White House, yet there are at least nineteen of the most noted rulers of other na tion of the world who are younger than President Roosevelt. Among these are the Raaetan Czar, the Oer ataa Bmperor, the Emperor of China, tha Kings af Italy, Ipala. Portugal and aUm, the Qaeea of Holland; the Khedive af 'Egypt and the King af errta and Balgaria. The Broadway tabernacle property, New Tork. bM bam sold, ft breacat nmm. A Urge Mtal fa ta ba erect at aa the aJetertc aKe. fWiS tf fK3. I Fashion has established Norfolk plaits aa a salient feature of winter blouses and fancy waists either wita qt butt0BlBg. Th W1WVBU a Wack drmH or coat I, BM worn loMy( .poo,, with , rU oMnlt Md .trong tea. Thui melho1 had ai as m- faJhle , ,.i tr an odd window drapery material that suggests stained glaaa 1 particularly good. TM oe sign come In old gold, red and blue, ouUined with a corn of darwer bine. All the tendentie of fashion U11 ln cline tgard ttic velte clinging ef- drapery. Father, brother, and husband have ! everywhere and constantly given ex pression to their private favorable opinion of the neat and natty blouse waist, which haa so long held ita place In the world of fashion. Glased chintz, with Ita gay floral decoration, Is just the thing for th wall covering In the general sitting room or even In a nursery, for It I washable and Its brightness la not easily dimmed. The design are showy , and small and the background a soft cream tint. The smart little trlcorner hate are more fashionable than ever thl win ter, and they are formed of every va riety of fabric from Angora panna and rich velvets and satins to camel' hair, felt, long napped beaver shaded breast feathers and cloth being matched to the smart fur trimmed tailor costume. Raglans, newmarketa, French ur touts and other style In long coat for street wear are more generally worn this winter than they have been In year. These enveloping wrap can come as near the making or marring of a woman's appearance as any gar ment In her wardrobe. Unless It I of the very best material, well cut and carefully fitted, it 1 the least at tractive of all wraps. A fascinating costume gown Just sent to this country, made by one of the famous Parisian houses, I cut with a princes foundation of helio trope satin. Over thl 1 a slip of chiffon In a paler shade of heliotrope. Above the chiffon I built a gown of ring-dotted point d'esprit In a delicate mauve color. The skirt portion I fin ished with an accordion-plaited flounce of the point, the joining seam cov ered with a scroll design done In che nille embroidery, showing the three hades of heliotrope used in the foun dation and the point d'esprit. Tbe flowers In the embroidery design are, made of spangles, shading from the palest mauve to the deepest heliotrope. This embroidery borders the decollete and trims the band of abort puif sleeve. TALK ABOUT WOSCEI. -: Mr. E. Burd Orubb of EJdgewater Park, K. J., has had conferred upon her by the queen of Spain the order of Noble Ladles of Marie Louisa, an ronor which no American woman has ever before enjoyed. Mr. Octavia Dancy of St. Louis served her turkey Thanksgiving day on a platter 400 years old. It was brought to America In 1700 by John De la Pryme, In whose family It had; already been more more than 20e years. The little town of Marmaton, Kan., Is practically run by women. It has a woman school teacher, a woman tel egraph operator, a )xslmistrefts, a woman pastor In charge of Its only church and a woman letter carrier. Miss Helen Hyde of San Francloco won the first prize in a Tokio art ex hibition, in which her work, done in the Japanese manner, came Into com petition with that of the native paint ers. She began ner studies of Ori ental folk in San Francisco's China tow n. Mr. Leslie M. Shaw met the gover nor of Iowa, now appointed secretary of the treasury, when they both be et me Interested In the Methodist Sun uy kImiuS ,t DenUoo, la.., la 2S7I. They were married three years later and have three children, Enid, Earl and ISrma, the eldest of whom I just out of college. Mother Catherine, - formerly Miss DrexeU has engaged to raise 171,000 of the tUO.OOf. chief contributor being member of the Drexel family, well known In Phil lelphia. bualne and social life. , Mrs. Charles M. Schwab, wife of tha president of the United State Steel corporation, ha traveled extensively and ha a large and valuable collec- . tlon of miniature, of which she I aa enthusiastic collector. She assist bar husband In his establishment of In dustrial schools and Is personally ed ucating many young ladles. With her Increasing years Mrs. Het ty Green seem to take on more cyn icism. .- flhe visited Boston a few day. ago on legal business connected wltb her father' will and wm asked by aa old friend m ta th cava of her visit. Tbe multimillionaire made answer thus: "aam aid cause. The lawyers know I am rich, and so they make troubte for me." . aett'her Atsye, a comely Pueblo la dlan maiden, bu graduated at th bead of the class of professional nurses at the Woman' heepluB ' la Pennsylvania. Mis Atsye' shatters generally accented idea m ta tha per anal appaaraao of Indian women, be ing petite aad ejalt good loahjbf. Rba ' wm edaeated la tbe Carlisle Iadiaa ehool aad km lived la the east fat a do sea years. "i v -H - i