AMOS A. HOWELL.
Amos A. Howell was one of the plains freighters who distinguished Atchison in the early days. He ran twenty-seven wagons with six yoke of oxen to each wagon. An extra head of oxen was taken along, known as the “cavvy” to spell the others and take the places of those that gave out. Altogether he owned 400 head of work oxen. The oxen were expected to pick up their living on the way, but when mules were used in the winter it was necessary to carry grain for them. Thirty men were necessary in the train of twenty-seven wagons pulled by oxen. Mr. Howell was assisted in his wagon business by his son, Nat.
In those days there was a Government regulation that all trains should be held at Ft. Kearney until 100 armed men had collected. Then a captain was elected, who was commissioned by the Government and had absolute charge of the train while it was passing through the Indian country. Mr. Howell frequently occupied the position of captain, being well known on the plains. On one occasion while he was captain he halted at Cottonwood Falls on the Platte, as the Indians were very bad, and soldiers were expected to go through with the train, but none came and finally Mr. Howell unloaded five wagons, filled them with armed men and started out. Almost in sight of Cottonwood a gang of gaily painted Indians attacked the train, supposing it was a little outfit. But when the Indians came within range, the “Whiskey Bills” and “Poker Petes” in the covered wagons began dropping the Indians off their ponies, and there was a pretty fight, in which the Indians were badly worsted.
Mr. Howell says that the Indians never attack wagon trains except very early in the morning, or late in the evening.
The favorite sport of the Indians, however, was to run off the stock after the train had gone into camp at night, and they always had one way of doing it, which Mr. Howell finally learned. The Indians are no wiser than white men, for they say that white men always fail in business the same way and act the same way when they have a fire. An Indian would ride up onto a high point and look around a while. This would always be in the evening when the train was near a camping place. Then the Indian would disappear and come back presently with another Indian wrapped in his blanket and riding the same pony. One Indian would then drop into the grass, and the rider would go back after another one. The Indians were collecting in ambush; thinking the freighters would never think of it. Mr. Howell had in his employ a driver, an Atchison man, named “Whiskey Bill,” who was particularly clever at hating Indians, and whenever an ambush was preparing “Whiskey Bill” would select four or five other men equally clever and go after the Indians. He often killed and scalped as many as four in one ambush, and sold their scalps in Denver to the Jews for a suit of clothes each. The Jews bought them as relics and disposed of them in the East. The killing of Indians in this manner was according to Government order and strictly legitimate. Another driver in Howell’s train was an Atchison man named Rube Duggan. He was a great roper and used to take a horse, when in sight of a buffalo herd and go out after calves, which made tender meat. Riding into the herd he would lasso a calf, fasten the rope to the ground with a stake and then go on after another one before the herd got away. He caught several calves in this way for Ben Holladay, who took them east. Mr. Howell remembers that once, this side of Fort Kearney, it was necessary to stop the train to let a herd of buffalo pass. The men always had fresh buffalo meat in addition to their bacon, beans, dried apples, rice and fried bread.
There was a cook with the train who drove the mess wagon, but he did not do any other work. Every driver had to take his turn getting wood and water for the cook and herding the cattle at noon, but the night herder did nothing else and slept in the wagon during the day. Occasionally he was awakened about noon and hunted along the road. The cattle fed at night until 10 or 11 o’clock when they would lie down until 2 in the morning. The night herder would lie down by the side of a reliable old ox and sleep too, being awakened when the ox got up to feed. The oxen were driven into the wagon corral about daylight and yoked. Every wagon had its specified place in the train and kept it during the entire trip.
Wagons were always left in a circle at night, forming a corral. Into this corral the cattle were driven while being yoked. In case of an attack, the cattle were inside the corral and the men fought under the wagons. The teams started at daylight and stopped at 10 or 11 until 2 or 3, and then they would start up and travel until dark. Mr. Howell always rested on Sunday, making an average of 100 miles a week with his ox teams. When the train started out each man was given ten pounds of sugar which was to last him to Denver. On the first Sunday the men would make lemonade of sugar and vinegar and do without sugar the rest of the trip. Mr. Howell saw the attack on George W. Howe’s train on the Little Blue when George Con—— was killed and the entire train burned. Con—— was an Atchison man. Howell’s train was corraled and he could not go to Howe’s assistance.
Howell came to Atchison county in 1856 by wagon from Fayette county, Pennsylvania, where he was born, December 26, 1824. At seventy he was stout and vigorous, getting up every morning at 4 o’clock to go to work. His plains experience did him good. He died on the 1st day of August, 1907, owning a large tract of land in Grasshopper township.
BELA M. HUGHES
ELLSWORTH CHESEBOROUGH