portion of the increase. The shares immediately rose in value from eighteen cents to eighty-five cents. He afterwards sold one-third of his stock for $850,000. This same contractor in 1865 commenced to build a line from Denver west on the southern stage route, and the next year it was pushed across Laramie Plains, through Bridger Pass and on to Fort Bridger and Salt Lake. Both of these lines were of national importance and a great convenience to the army in its operations against the Indians in Wyoming.

CHAPTER XXX.

CHANGING THE OVERLAND TRAIL.

BEN HOLLIDAY BECOMES PROPRIETOR OF THE STAGE LINE-SHOSHONES CAPTURE ALL THE HORSES FOR A DISTANCE OF 200 MILES-THE MORMON BATTALION-ARRIVAL OF VOLUNTEER TROOPS-THE EMIGRANT ROAD EXPEDITION-COLONEL P. EDWARD CONNOR TAKES CHARGE OF THE MILITARY DISTRICT OF UTAH-FORT DOUGLASS LOCATED FORT BRIDGER GARRISONED-MORMON EFFORT TO HAVE TROOPS REMOVED FROM FORT DOUglas-ColoNEL CONNOR'S LETTER TO THE WAR Department-RemovaL OF THE STAGES TO THE LARAMIE PLAINS AND BRIDGER PASS ROUTE-WHISKY GAP NAMED-THOROUGH EQUIPMENT OF THE HOLLIDAY LINE.

The events on the Overland mail route in the year 1862 were many. Tribes that had heretofore been peaceable suddenly assumed an attitude of hostility. The trouble had in the past been mostly with the Sioux, Cheyennes and Arap. ahoes, but in the early spring of this year Indians to the west made war on emigrants, freighters and the Overland mail coaches. The government, being now thoroughly aroused, ordered to the west volunteer troops from California, Kansas, Iowa and other states. There were some troops enlisted by the government composed of captured Confederate soldiers and also deserters from the southern army. These were made into regiments which were sent

to fight Indians on the plains and were styled U. S. Volunteers. When these troops arrived in the west they were distinguished from other volunteers by being called "Galvanized Yankees." Before any of the troops mentioned had time to arrive, the Indians commenced active hostilities.

During the winter of 1861-2, Russell, Majors and Waddell found themselves financially embarrassed through losses sustained in the pony express enterprise and the daily Overland coach system. They had been obliged to borrow large sums of money to meet their obligations and keep the business running, and they found themselves at the close of 1861 owing Ben Holliday $100,000. Holliday was the proprietor of the line running from Salt Lake to California. Russell, Majors and Waddell being unable to meet their debt to Holliday, turned over to him the property and franchises. The pony express had served its purpose, however, by securing from the government a contract for carrying the mails for the neat sum of $1,000,000. This contract, or at least one-half of it, together with the horses, coaches, stations and outfit of the line from the Missouri River to Salt Lake, fell into the hands of Holliday at a mere nominal cost, and Russell, Majors and Waddell were obliged to content themselves with a loss of several hundred thousand dollars. It was a bitter stroke of fortune for these pioneers.

Holliday had been busy during the winter and spring, stocking up the line, distributing additional men, horses and stores at the different stations in Wyoming, and all things were in readiness for business when in March, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, the Shoshone tribe which had for so many years been peaceable and friendly to the whites, made a descent simultaneously on the stage stations from Platte Bridge, just above Caspar, to Bear River Station, where Evanston now stands, and captured every horse and mule belonging to the company. The coaches containing passengers were left standing at stations and between stations. The Indians refrained from killing anyone except at

the station of Split Rock, on the Sweetwater. Holliday had brought to that place a Pennsylvania colored man who spoke only what is called Pennsylvania Dutch. This man was the cook at the station. The Indians who were gathering up the stock reached Split Rock and concluded that it was a good opportunity to get something to eat, and selecting one of their number who could speak English, instructed him to direct the negro to prepare dinner for them. The order was given in fairly good English, but the negro failed to understand. The native linguist then tried French and followed it with Spanish, but none of these languages were understood by the trembling cook and things began to look serious. After a brief consultation among the Shoshones, they decided that the negro was bad medicine, so they killed him on the spot. Near the Devil's Gate Station they met the west bound coach, which contained, besides some pas sengers, Lem Flowers, an agent of the company, also two other employes, Jim Reed and Bill Brown. A demand was made on them for the horses, which they refused to give up, and a fight ensued which resulted in the wounding of the three men mentioned. They finally gave up the horses, and the Indians were content to go away. This attack on the stage line by the Shoshones resulted in the stoppage of all stages in Wyoming. President Lincoln was appealed to, but having no troops who could reach the scene of Indian depredations under two months, made a personal appeal to Brigham Young to send troops for the protection of the mails. In response to this request, Young sent what was known as the Mormon battalion. It consisted of 300 men under the command of Lot Smith. Headquarters being established near Devil's Gate, details of twenty men were made to guard different points on the road. New stock was furnished by the stage company, and by the time the stages were again ready to move, the Sioux in eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska started out on their regular spring campaign of murder and plunder. The War Department, being again appealed to, could do nothing but push the volunteer troops forward. The Fourth Iowa Cavalry arrived

in May, and they were followed by a battalion of the Sixth Ohio Cavalry, afterwards known as the Eleventh Ohio Cavalry, and about the same time the Eighth Kansas Infantry came out. These troops were distributed over a wide section of country, and their duties were to escort emigrant trains, the mail coaches, and to guard and repair the tele graph line. It was hard service, but it was performed in a creditable manner. The Mormon battalion did not wait to be relieved, but quietly withdrew to Salt Lake. It has never been explained why these troops were in such a hurry to get away. It has been claimed, however, that Brigham Young offered to make a contract with the government to guard the Overland mail, and it is believed that his proposition was considered at the time, but nothing came of it. There were many charges made against the Mormons at that period, some going so far as to claim that they were responsible for the Indian outbreaks. This was the opinion of a majority of the army officers who were engaged in the Indian service.

It is an indisputable fact, when we look up the evidence, that the government had many enemies in this quarter of the globe, shortly after the breaking out of the war. Many army officers who had been in service in the west had resigned and cast their lot with the southern Confederacy in 1861, and these had their friends in the west. The Democratic party was in control of the national government up to the time of Lincoln's inauguration. The southern people, who had always possessed a strong desire for civil appointments in connection with the army, had been successful in securing numerous post traderships, and these traders had brought with them assistants and clerks from the south and it was quite natural that these people should be in sym. pathy with their kindred at home. This element, up to the time the volunteers were stationed along the Overland trail, was more or less demonstrative. The Mormons, no one pretended to claim had any love for the government. Added to this disloyal sentiment, there was a Confederate influence brought to bear from New Mexico, which showed

itself in Colorado and in other portions of the Rocky Mountains, and especially along the Overland trail. Public feeling ran high in Denver and on one occasion a rebel flag was raised over a store on Sixteenth street, in that city. A crowd of Union men quickly gathered in front of the store and told the parties who raised the flag that Denver was a Union city and that the Confederate emblem must be taken down at once or serious consequences would result. The flag was promptly removed. Governor Gilpin took energetic measures to protect Union citizens, and to this end raised a military force which co-operated with the United States troops in the subjugation of the Confederates in the southwest. His splendid service on this occasion did much to suppress disloyalty in the whole western country. The Confederate sympathizers in Wyoming were not numerous enough to exert any detrimental influence after the arrival of the volunteer troops. A few ill-advised persons along the stage line expressed their sympathy with the Confederacy and denounced President Lincoln, but a sharp reprimand from an officer was all that was required to bring these foolish people to their senses. Volunteers thought it bad enough to be obliged to fight savages without submitting to having treason talked in their presence by white men, consequently it early came to be understood that neither the government of the United States nor its honored chief executive could be lightly spoken of in their hearing.

After the arrival of the troops from the east and their distribution along the stage road, the Indians as far west as the South Pass seemed to hesitate about continuing their depredations, and for a time peace prevailed, but it was not to last any lengthened period. The Indians, seeing the formidable force, required time to plan and carry out a new sort of campaign. They now adopted a system of harrassing the troops, and the officers found it dangerous to send out men to repair the telegraph line without giving them strong escort. Emigrants continued to put in an appearance on the road, and what was remarkable, few of them were armed in a manner to secure the protection of them.