So I Leased Another place Nearer to Sidney Down South west about 14 or 15 miles[.] It So Happened that it was out where they Kept their Freight horses Stage horses ect[.] had a Rock house and Barn on it also a Look out Rock house on top of the Hill[.] the Buildings were In a Deep Draw and Could Not Be seen from off a Distance or any Directions[.] It had a Nice spring of water on it And the most of Land on the place was Rough[.] the Run out on the Smother [smoother?] ground of the South Sidney Draw[.] But that Draw Drains a lot of Country from there to West of the Chimney Cayon[.]
one
Sunday a
man By (In 1926 or 1927) the Name of Max Radcliff Stopped at my place
and ask
me If he could Look around[.] he told me he used to Ride out In that
part of
the country about 40 year's Befor that. we walked up to Box Cayon
that
had an old Bushy hack Berry tree Standing there. he Looked at it And
Said he
had tied his Saddle Horse to that tree 40 years Befor and It Looked
Just the
Same as it did then. that was In about the year 1926, or
1927. An
this is taken from an old Note Book In the year of 1969 And part from
memory.
he told me that
Stage Run Into that Blind Draw on account of the spring there. he
said at
one time there had been Stage hold up there[.] supposed to have Been
done By
Indians[.] he said the Stage Come across By the way of the Cedar Creek
post office
In the Kenesaw Valley Below the Chimney Cayon's about 12 or 15 miles
west of
what is now peetz Colorado[.] Said they had an armed escort from
where
they Started from to which he Said was Denver as the stage was
Carrieing to his
memory about $80,000 In gold[.] Supposed to Be the Solder's pay
roll. But
Due to some Missunder standing the Army Gaurds or escort didnt meet the
Stage
at the top of the Cayons as they were supposed to and the other escort
didnt
wait for them to come[.] So the stage Started out to meet them[.] the
Distance
across there would Be about 15 or 20 miles[.] But it Seems that Shortly
after
the first escort Left they had to make a Run for the spring Due to the
fact
that they thought the Solders from fort Sidney would meet up with them
along
the way some where[.] But they Never Did until the Solders or escort
found them
at the spring there[.] they had to make a fight to save them
selves and
also the gold[.] the shotgun gaurd Stayed with the gold it Seems and
got it
Burried Somewhere[.] he and the Driver were Both Killed and their Stage
Burned[.] It seems from the Story he told that one of the Stage coach
men was
Still alive when the Gaurd found them and the Last words he said he
told the
Gaurds], “ the golds Buried[…”] and he Died. to My Knowleg It has
Never
Been found and I dont Suppose it ever will Be. But I do Know that
there
had Been a Lot good Indian artifacts found out In that country and on
top of
some of the hills you will see an oblong pile of Rocks that was a Signe
that
there was water Near or was Leading to water[.] In North and east there
used to
Be some Kind of an Indian camp[.] there were three springs In three
Different
Draws and not to far a part[.] one on the old Challenge place[,] one on
the
Chambers place and one on the place that John Triennen Latter Bought
and are
about 2 or 3 miles across there.
But the place Didnt have much
farm Ground on it But it Did
have some good pasture and was good for Stock Raiseing And also had
Some of the
Biggest Rattle Snakes that I have ever Seen[.] I Killed one and took
the Rattle
that 14 Rattles and the end was Broken off when I got them So do not
Know how
many more it had Befor.
Anderson tractor southwest of Sidney 1926
I had 160 acers of Nice farm Land on top of the hill[.] I Raised Mostly Wheat on that place and some Barley[.] I had about 70 head of cow's and calves on that place[,] Some Saddle Stock and a number of work horses and also had tractor. as I farmed some other ground Beside that. I also had about 70 head of hogs But sold them off as I didnt have a good place to keep them[.] It was about this time that I was pastureing My father In laws Stock for him also and paying him $500 rent for the place also which was the amount he paid for his School Lease about 2 Miles west of Lorenzo [Lorenzo is crossed out and Nebr. written above it]. He had around 20 head of Cattle 5 or 6 horses that he Sent Down there to pasture along with my Stock. It was graiseing the pasture to Short. Due to the fact we were not getting to much Rain at that time[.]
In the fall of 1928 My Father come out to Where I Lived from Hooper Nebr And ask me to come Back and farm the home place at Hooper as my younger Brother couldent Handle it[.] So I Sold off my Surpluss Stock and moved Back there.
