Gernhard

Chapter 1

Early in the spring of 1871, a small train of emigrant wagons drawn by oxen, pulled out of a slumping little village in the mid west. Bound for the prairie country just east of the Rocky Mountains.

On a balmy day in the middle of June, after two months of weary traveling over the almost road less plains, the small band of emigrants came upon a small river strolled gently through its winding course out in the center of a valley. Its banks were covered with a wilderness of forest trees, vines and underbrush. Over across the western breaks of the little valley a scattered herd of Buffalo was seen grazing lazily on the buffalo grass.

“Here is where we stay”, called out father from the lead wagon as his oxen started down into the valley on a trot. After a short drive the little band pulled up along the bank of the river, and to their amazement they beheld a small log cabin, over across the river on the west bank. The cabin had more the appearance of a blockhouse than a habitation it had no windows but had portholes cut in all sides. On investigation was found that the evidently been deserted for some time. This cabin had been built, as was learned later, by hunters several years previous to the arrival here of the little band of settlers. The little cabin had quite a little history, many battles with Indians had been fought there, and several white men had been killed and scalped be the Sioux Indians in and around the cabin.

They were all very much taken up with this valley so they decided to take up homesteads and go to work building homes. Father took possession of the log cabin. The others built crude shelters out of poles and their wagon sheets to protect their families until they could take their claims and build dugouts. Just as soon as the women and children were made as comfortable as was possible under the circumstances the men, all but grandfather, struck out over the valley and the prairie divide to the west. With three purposes in view, to locate claims. Look for Indian signs, and to kill some game for meat. It was then, while father and the other men were away from camp that I was the sparkling bosom. A tragedy was narrowly averted in the lone cabin. For mother in a moment of delirium had grasped me. Her newborn babe by the ankles and was in the act of striking my head against the wall, but was prevented from doing so by the timely arrival of my Aunt. Thus, on the spur of the moment, a tragedy was averted which would have added another chapter to the bloody history of the lone log cabin in the wild woods. I was named Gernhard; this began my life that was destined to be so full of ravenous and varied experiences.

Chapter 2

The twilight was gathering and settling down over the woods and the camp by the river. The women were preparing the simple evening meal. Over their campfires, casting now and then an anxious look out through the woods to the west. There anxiety was soon changed into that of joy for their men walked into camp each carrying a chunk of buffalo meat. They also brought news that caused considerable uneasiness they had seen a large Indian encampment over the divide to the west and less than 10 miles away. They soon learned that the Indians were friendly and promised to remain so if they would not kill any more of their buffalo. But threatened to scalp every one of us if they killed another buffalo. As so the little band to be content with antelope and other smaller game for their meat. The next year when the buffalo threatened to destroy the crops they did not dare to shoot them but would shoot blank powder to frighten them out of the fields. A few weeks after their arrival in the little valley they had all taken homesteads and were busy building, making hay, and otherwise preparing for winter. Then came five trying years an almost continuous battle with prairie fires, grasshoppers and droughty. At times we were obliged to live on short rations. I call to mind one mid summers day a stiff breeze was playing about now shaking the leaves of the forest trees waving the grasses and the flowers here and there then fanning our faces with its cool refreshing touch, the sun rays were modified by a slight smoke daze due perhaps to distant forest fires. It was about two o’clock in the afternoon, that peculiar looking clouds darkened the sun then in a few minutes little greenish white grasshoppers commenced to come down like hail until the ground and everything was covered. Father went at once out to the cornfield and found that every corn stalk was covered with the little winged imps of destruction. Father then sat to work hauling hay around through the field and settling it on fire in hope of driving them away but to no avail, so by sun down there was nothing left of the corn but stubs. Our garden was destroyed. Even onions were eaten slick and clean. The ravenous pests destroyed all our shoes that had been put away in the garret to save them for winter use. Most of our wheat was saved as it was shocked. When twilight settled over our little neighborhood at close of this disastrous day in mid summer it was a sad and disheartened little band of farmers that gathered to discuss this calamity that had come upon us so suddenly. The next morning as the sun raised the grasshoppers took to their wings and migrated into the Dakota’s and Minnesota where they did much damage throughout the scattered settlements.

Chapter 3 The Prairie Fire

One afternoon in middle autumn clouds of smoke came rolling over the divide to the west and caused great excitement thought out our little neighborhood. Us children, those of all the families were gathered together at the home of an aunt. She alone was left in charge of us sun-tanned youngsters. All the rest both men and women hastened across the stream to fight the raging furious demon of the plains. The plains men of old knew how to fight their most dreaded enemy the very best thing to fight him with was his own element. So they scattered up and down the stream starting their backfires as they went. Then commenced a fierce battle with the smoke and flames. Their back fires would get into heavy clumps of tall grasses and weeds also brush along the edge of the stream and so fanned by a stiff breeze would jump over to our home side. Where it threatened our homes and lives. Oh how they fought. With wet grain fastened to the ends of green poles. These they kept wetting from time to time in the stream as contact with the burning smoke and grass would dry them out. They would fight until they were almost overcome by smoke and heat. Then they would rush into the stream and hold their faces close to the surface of the water. Thus they could get fresh air into their lungs. There they would stand for a few seconds then out again and back to that awful fight. All afternoon they fought that prairie demon. The sun was sinking like a great ball of deep red into the smoky haze of the western horizon. When the fire had passed around us to the north and the south. By the aid of plowed hedgerows on the northeast and south, our homes were safe. The little band of fire fighters came tattering in more dead than alive, and as black as niggers, from head to foot. However they had been victorious, they had won their battle. Their home and children were safe. In spite of their sorry condition there was a gleam of joy shone from their eyes and a smile played over their faces. When they beheld our startled expressions as we looked from one to the other hardly recognized our own parents. They were indeed a sight to behold.

Chapter 4

One day when as a very small boy, I wondered away from home along the stream and in the thick woods. I remember climbing into the branches of a small fallen tree. I fell down between this treetop and a rotten stump. Right into a large red aunt mound and of course was covered with red ants in a moment. It seems that I was unable to get away. Then an aunt of mine found me, attracted there by screams; I was struggling in the mound covered with ant’s front head to foot. My mouth and nose were full of them and they were digging at my eyes. My aunt plucked me up and carried me down to the edge of the stream. There she stripped off all my clothes and then downed me into the cool water. There she stripped off all my clothes and then downed me into the cool water. Then she picked the ants out of my mouth and nose the best that she could. I was badly marked up. My body was completely covered with little red marks where the ants had bitten me. So I presume that this auntie of mine saved my life the second time before I was three years old.

Then one evening after sun down my oldest brother and I were down in the pasture close to the stream, when a large gray wolf came rushing across the stream and right toward us. We were both very young about three and four years old. We became so frightened that we just embraces each other and stood still. The wolf was only a short distance from us when it stopped, squatted with its breast almost touching the ground, then a huge streak of red shot past us. For an instant the wolf crouched there its eyes gleaming fiercely on them it turned to flee towards the river. He was a little to slow for our good red bull caught it on his horn and tossed him out into the middle of the stream. Just then we heard mother calling, which had the effect of breaking our fright trance, which seemed to glue us to the spot. We ran home to tell the news to mother. We were never again allowed to go after the cattle.

It was early in the spring the snow had disappeared in the low shady places where it lingers for many days through the sun shone bright and warm. The surface of the ground was getting nice and dry. Again the pasture was beginning to show a shade of green through its brown carpet of dead grass. Brother and I were allowed to play down by the creek in the pasture. Which was a great treat after having been confined indoors throughout the long winter months. We were having a big time throwing pebbles into the stream when we noticed a cow licking a tiny calf. It was lying down and seemed unable to get up. My brother and I started at once across the stream and up to where the cow and calf were. I ran right run to the calf. Next instant the cow caught me on her horns and threw me up over her back. Then she turned and would have pierced me had not father appeared on the scene. I was then about three years old. Two years later we moved back to the states.

Chapter 5

My early school days were uneventful they were spent in the country. Between my fifth and sixth year of age we moved to a small town in Iowa. This little town nested in between two streams just above the fork where the little stream emptied onto the river. There I spent the remainder of my school days and my boyhood and most of my early manhood years.

As a boy I was wild and mischievous and as a matter of course got into more little scrapes than I would have had I been of a quieter nature. Soon after I started school in this little Iowa town I has a falling out with a stout German boy about my own age. He remained my bitter enemy for many years and got me into much trouble at school. We had many fights. Early one winter morning when I was eleven or twelve years old, we got into a fight in our schoolroom, there were only three or four of us boys in the room. It was quite a while before time for school to take up. I had got the best of him in the fight. A few minutes later I was looking out the window when he slipped up and struck at the top of my head with a long iron bar. The bar was used to pull the large windows down from the top. The bar just grazed the back of my head. Taking with it a small patch of skin and hair. It came down with a crash on the desk behind me leaving quite a dent in the hard wood. If he had struck me first in the head, as he no doughty intended to do, I should surely have been killed. I had several fights with him after that, for he could never resist in his nagging such as throwing rocks and snowballs at me and doing to me every mean trick that he could think of. After the iron bar incident I watched him closer. Still he came very near getting me with a brick in the side of my head. I looked toward him just in time to dodge it.

Our home was in the south part of town and close to the creek. One day when this creek was high, and out of its banks I went down to the creek in the woods all alone and walked out onto a log spanning a gully. That had at one time in the years past been the main creek bed left on this old white elm log. On the log was a collection of brownish black stuff, the decomposed inner bark I presume. This had been made wet and very slick by the recent rains, I was standing on a patch of this bark for it seemed to offer a surer footing than the wet naked log. All at once it slipped and I with it into the muddy surging stream below, I was only seven years old at this time and has as yet not learned to swim. But I got to shore, how? I so often think of this little incident. When I read of people falling into the water and drowning within a few feet of shore. Now if you throw a puppy of a kitten or in fact most any other animal in water. They will get out, not because they have learned the art of swimming but because they do the most natural thing. It seems to me for anything to do, either man or beast and that is to struggle to paw, claw, and kick to keep on top of the water and to get to land. If a child or a man was slipping down an embankment and it was against their will to do so, they would naturally claw and dig with both hands and feet to gain the top. If they would struggle in water just the same way. They would always stand a good chance of saving themselves. When falling into deep water close to shore even though they have never tried to swim before. That is how I got out, just as soon as I hit the water I commenced struggling, just as soon as my head came up above the water, I turned towards shore and pawed and kicked for dear life.

Chapter 6

Another time after I was fourteen or fifteen years old in company with my oldest brother (Zeb) and a school mate. We were all bathing, in a stream that was full to the bank. I swam across and in coming back the current carried me lower than I had figured, and I was drawn into a whirlpool close to shore. I struggled with all my might and mine to get out. I couldn’t make it for it was all that I could do to keep on top. Some awful power seemed o be trying to draw me in under. There were willows over hanging the bank close to the whirlpool and the bank stepped gradually, while the bank just opposite was undermined and over hanging. I made several futile attempts to lunge over the rim of the swirling pool and grasp one of the overhanging willow branches. Just as soon as the boys realized that I was unable to get out, our chum and schoolmate took a firm hold of a willow limb just above the pool. Then my brother caught hold of his other hand and waded out as far as he could. He was then in water up to his neck and close to the edge of the swirl. The water carried me around and around in a circle five or six feet in diameter. I would come around and I would lunge forward with all my strength trying to reach my brothers out stretched hand. Several times I tried this in vain. Then with a desperate effort, my brother also surged toward me with such force that our chum’s hand slipped several inches on the willow limb. Zeb clasped my wrist, than with all his strength our chum tried in vain to put us out. I looked from Zeb’s face to our friends then to his left hand that was clutching the limb, for I could feel the sensation of something giving. I watched and could see that his hand was slowly but surely slipping down. Instead of him pulling us out I was steadily drawing them in. On my brothers face was an expression of great fear. My thoughts were working fast. I thought they couldn’t pull me out of that awful grip. They helped to hold me up thus giving me a little rest and a better chance to think. I planned a certain desperate move by which I hoped to escape from the death grip of this swirling sucking monster. “Zeb” said I “let go of my wrist and save yourself for I can see that I am pulling you both in”. I shall never forget the expression that crept over my brother’s face when I asked him to turn me loose. His expression had been that of fear now it seemed to me that it was that of mingled fear, bitter anguish, and intense grief. As if he could already see me in his imagination lying dead some where in the bottom of the swollen stream. I asked him to let go several times and he would only look at me and grip harder. Then I looked him fair in the eye and said slow and earnestly, “brother you must turn me loose. If you don’t in just a few minutes you and C. will soon be in here with me and we will all drown. Please let go Zeb and get out as quick as you can”. He did, than came the supreme effort. I had made a resolution that I just would get out. For the thought of my dear little mother, my sisters, and that expression on my brother’s face, moved and stirred me almost a super human effort. I had come to that state of undaunted spirit of determination when men accomplish the almost impossible. Just as soon as my left hand was free, I made a lunge and dive just through the inner edge of the outer circle of the whirlpool were there was a log, I was going to throw myself over it head first and down into the water on the other side. I threw my hands and head down with all my might thus I drew my legs out of that terrible sucking center. With another lunge I grasped a branch of the over hanging willow, and drew myself up out of the small willow shoots, then set my feet on what seemed to me then to be the most beautiful and the dearest spot of land that I had ever seen. I lay there exhausted and it was sometime before I gained enough strength to dress and go home.

Chapter 7 Beating trains

When I was quite a young lad, I took to bating trains. Just west of town about two miles was a steep grade, and heavily loaded freight trains would have a hard time getting up although they would get a good start out of Town as it was a down hill grade to start with. A few of us town boys first took to riding freights up to the top of the hill. Then get off when the train would slow down to six or eight miles and hour. After a while we became more daring and would stay on until they reached the top of the grade and commence to gain speed again. Then we would dare each other or lean backwards out as we called to see who dared to ride them out the farthest thus many boys took more or less serious stumbles. This we kept up until the railroad company complained to the town officials. After that the Marshall watched so close that it was hard to get a chance to board a train, in he daylight without getting caught. Well a boy who was about two years older than myself was the recognized leader. We could ride the farthest and unload without tumbling. After we took to beating trains to neighboring towns and Chicago.

One Sunday William R my pal in train beating dared me to join him and catch a fort stock train that was taking water at our town and had a clear right away to run to a large town, 37 miles East. He purposed that we ride it to a town eight miles distance and then to get off. I accepted his challenge. So as the fast stock train pulled out we boarded her. When we reached our neighboring town I got down on the drop box on one of the stock cars and just before I reached the depot platform I dropped off is was a lovely Sunday evening and the depot platform was thronged with people waiting for #8 the evening passenger train that was close behind us. I do not believe those people would have looked more astonished if I had dropped down from the heavens, for the stock car was running at full speed. The years of practice in getting off the trains after they had gained speed over the hill west of our home town had made Bill and I experts at the business. This time Bill did not dare to unload so stayed on until she stopped and did not get back home until the next day.

I remember one cold winter night my bud and I took a foolish notion to beat our way to Chicago. We crawled through the end door of a boxcar loaded with shelled corn. Just back of us was a stock car loaded with hogs. It was bitter cold but we had gotten long pretty well until about midnight, then it seemed that we would freeze to death. Although we were will clad. A blizzard was raging out side. Finally when I realized that we just could not stand up. A bright idea struck me, we would go in and sit on top of the hogs and although we would get the full sweep of the blizzard through the open stock car, I knew that the warmth from the hogs would keep us from freezing to death. We were than so numb that it was very dangerous crawling from one end door and through to the other. I took the lead the end door to the stock car was close but not sealed and on account of my numb condition I had an awful time getting it open. At last I managed to slide it back and far enough so that I tumbled head first down on top of a pile of hogs. My comrade got in all right we got our feet and hands down between the hogs and in spite of the wind and snow on our backs we were soon quite comfortable I have often heard the expression used riding a hog train making reference to beating a freight but that was once that we rode a hog train sure enough. Bill R. came to a sad end; a train in the yards of our hometown killed him, his head was severed from his body. I have always been glad that I was not with him at that time.

Chapter 8 Playing truant

When a small boy, I hated to stay in the schoolhouse in the spring and summer when the weather was nice. I have always been a lover of nature and the great outdoors. So often time when father winter had given way to pretty miss spring time, when the sun shone nice and warm and the birds sang sweetly, I would be tempted to run away from school. We had some neighbor boys who did not go to school except for a few weeks in the middle of the winter, so these boys were my playmates and pals in mischief. I would help them heard their cows out on the commons close to town. Then sometimes we would go fishing. I call to mind one day in early April after a very severe winter the sun shone bright and warm, the snow was all gone but in a narrow strip that draped the water down by the river. There was still thick ice so that we could skate. This strip of water was shaded by a thick growth of young willows and vines on the south side and beside that it been covered with several feet of snow so it had kept the ice intact until this time. This warm April morning I put on my skates and was skating up and down the strip. One of the two boys that was with me had chopped a large hole in the ice is a place where over hanging trees on both sides made it quite dark. I came skating along, the two boys stood on the ice just a little to one side of the hole, I turned to pass them and slipped right into the hole, and under the ice. One of the boys had presence of mind enough to reach down and in someway get hold of my hand I was sweeping my hands around over my head trying to find the opening in the ice. He pulled me out and the next thing was to get my cloths dry. I took them off and the boys helped me to ring them out. Then we smoked them as best as we could then hung them on bushes to dry. I huddled on the sunny side of a stump while my clothes were drying.

Another time two of us boys were driving down a steep hill not far from town in a two horse spring wagon, when all of a sudden one of the poles came loose from the axle tree which caused the wagon to lurch to one side throwing my companion and I against the end of the seat with such force as to break the end of the seat out. And let me down between the front wheel and the bed of the wagon. My one leg was caught over the double tree, the other leg hung down with my foot close to the ground. My companion managed to stick to the seat but with the horse running and the wagon shooting from one side to the other it was several minutes before he collected his wits sufficient to stop the horses, although I kept calling to him to do so. I expected any minute to be crushed to death. When finally at the bottom of the hill the horses were stopped. I crawled out of my dangerous position not much the worse for my experience. Except for the watch that I carried in my vest pocket was broken all to pieces.

Chapter 9 Beating trains across the continent

I remember my first trip to the Pacific Coast. I deadheaded all the way. It was a bright sunny day in February. Small patches of snow lingered here and there over the landscape. Though the sun was warm the air was quite cold. However I decided to catch a side door sleeper for the Wild West. After dinner I bade my folks farewell. All the clothes I took along were on my back. I went down to the freight yard, got up into an empty boxcar standing on a siding, and waited for my train. Freight pulled in and out, but none carried empties except stock cars. Night and darkness came on, so I went up to the railway lunchroom and had supper. Now back to the west yards it was now clouded over and as dark as a stack of black cats. I was walked cautiously alone the yards, when all of a sudden a flash of fire shot whiz past my right cheek. I realized in an instant that I had been shot at, and I dropped flat to that ground and looked around but could not see anyone. To this day I can’t imagine who it was that could have wanted to put my lights out. Unless it was some lawbreaker, who took me for a Fly cop.

Before midnight I was walking to and for in an empty boxcar rolling over the frosty rails for the west. The next night found me in Omaha, NE. I remember well the stars and strips were floating over several of the large buildings. It was Washington’s Birthday and bitter cold. I caught freight on the U.P. and held her down to Columbus, OH. But I could not stand it any longer for it was too cold. So I stayed over night at Columbus and the next morning I went out to the country and hired out to a farmer. I worked for this farmer until August. Then assumed my dead heading trip to the coast. I caught freight out of Columbus, OH and rode her clear in Cheyenne, WY. I rode into Cheyenne with a break man named Snell he advised me to look out for Jeff Carr the city Marshall. I was standing on the side ladder of a boxcar pulling into the yards when Snell called down to me and said, “Do you see that tall man in the gray suit looking this way?” “Yes”, well that is Carr and if he sees you”. Well I was well dressed but was rather Kiddush in appearance, however I resolved to try a bluff, I dropped off the boxcar and started towards Carr who was now coming towards me at a fast walk. I walked fast and didn’t look up until I was right in front of him. He had stopped and just as I looked up his lips parted as if to speak and held out his left hand as if to stop my passing. I did not pretend to notice and said, “How do you do Mr. Carr”, in a bold voice and walked on by, I didn’t dare to look back. I took supper that evening with Mr. Snell at his hotel. He quit me early as he had a date with his shy Annabelle. After a stroll around the town I retired to the freight yards keeping a sharp look out all the while for the tall man in gray. The next morning I was over the mountain journey. Then I fell in with a man about 35 years of age. He was a roofer by trade. His wife, he tells me is a close wit and is now riding the cushions for Portland Oregon and that he was looking for a comfortable side door slipper for the same destination. We both crawled into an empty icebox of a refrigerator car. There was a stated partition through the center so he went down on one side and I on the other. The entrance to there is down through a trap door in the roof of the car. The trip though quit lonesome was quite enjoyable. It took us almost a week to Portland. We made a freight division everyday and another at night so we got a chance to get a warm meal twice a day at the end of each division, except the last one made into Portland, which were all made in 24 hours. The break men never looked down into our icebox during the day, but often times at night then would lower their lantern down into the box room each trap door. My partner was often caught and put up from 50 cents to a dollar. I would squat down under their lantern in the shadow of the biros and they didn’t see me. We arrived in Portland, OR all of the scenery along the Columbia River is very beautiful with the broad Columbia River with high steep mountains on one side and on the other. Also here and there were beautiful water falls. The Bridal Veil falls are simply grand.

Chapter 10 A trip to Alaska’s Puget Sound

I only stayed in Portland Oregon three or four days. I then went up to Seattle I was beating freight and was put off at a lonely watering place in the mountains. The engine took water from a small stream that came gurgling down the mountainside. It was getting dark when the heavy freight stopped here for water. I decided to stay right there and wait for another freight. One time in years past there had been a saw mill here but now here was nothing left to mark the old saw mill site bur a small roof resting on four posts which had at one time supported side walls there was also a heap of saw dust and a log slide running up into the woods on the mountain side and down in under there under the railroad bridge into the river. A log slide is made by embedding small logs end for end into the ground then placing a large one on each side forming a troth thus logs are scooted down the mountain side. Well I decided that I would build me a little fire under that roof thus I would at least be protested from the few in order to get to this shelter I had to round a sharp deep gully and cross the log slide. It was now getting quite dark. As I was stepping over the log slide I heard a low growl and spitting like a cat only so much coarser and loader. It came from below me I looked and beheld a large object in the log slide not over twenty five feet below me I struck a match and beheld a large cinnamon bear. It was striking the air with its right front paw claws extended and spitting like fury. I struck two or three more matches, which seemed to frighten it so it scrambled off down the slide to the river after it reached the river it carried on an awful commotion and splash in the river. I judge that it was taking a bath so I slipped around and out on the bridge to see the fun by Mr. Cinnamon did not seem dispensed to display this aquative art before an audience so with furious growling he left the water and scrambled off down the river. So I went over to the roof shelter and made me a fire in and under the roof for it was bare ground. Then by the light of the fire I gathered up a lot of faggots, pike nuts and small pieces of mill slabs that were so full of pitch that through they had la-----

[This is where Gernhard stopped writing.]