UNCLE BEN'S ADVENTURE

BROCK

Posted By: David (email)
Date: 1/12/2005 at 10:28:38

The Chariton Leader, Chariton, Iowa
Thursday, July 25, 1907

"Uncle" BEN BROCK is one of the pioneer stage drivers of this part of Iowa
and could tell some experiences, were he of mind to, that would discount
Kipling's "Plain Tales From the Hills" by at least sixty per cent. However,
he promised to give one or two to the Leader but had procrastinated to such
an extent that our writer of adventure decided to make out some and have
Uncle Ben" subscribe to them before a notary public. The first of the
series is as follows:

"One afternoon, late in the fall of 18--, I had sixteen wild Morgan horses
hitched to the stage, together with nine gnues, three zebras and a pair of
antelopes. We had "changed stages" at the old St. John House, at Chariton
Point, and had also taken on board several mail sacks, containing a lot of
valuable registered parcels and private letters for points further west.
Besides this I had also in custody a lot of express packages and several
hundred dollars in currency, which I was instructed to deliver to a man with
one eye knocked out and a deep scalp wound on his head, who would call for
them, armed with a shot gun and a canteen of sodcorn whisky, at Osceola.

Before starting I saw to it personally that the stage was well lubricated
with L.X.L. axle grease and that my lasso was in good working order. At
Chariton Point a great number of passengers got aboard for pickin' at the St
John House had got pretty low without cashin' up, and among the number I
noticed an amble shanked human being of the Sucker breed, who carried along
a face which resembled that of a sheep killing dog. He clambered on top of
the stage well to the rear and in order to watch him I kept a mirror in
front of me, for he looked suspicious. He didn't say anything but I knew by
the way he watched the head antelope that he was plotting devilment. It
kept me busy watching the team and guiding them out of the pit falls but I
also knew there was trouble brewing.

We had reached the headwaters of Whitebreast and the road followed a curve
around a cliff. On one side one could look down several hundred feet at the
yawning abyss, out of which not a sound arose to break that awe suggested by
the bottomless pit. On the other side a pile of rocks arose in mountain
heights, with here and there a clump of pin oaks and the moon peeping into
gloomy caverns and fastnesses. I knew that the time for action had come.
Scarcely had I swung my forty feet of lash about the culprit on top of the
stage and nicely lifted him over the cliff, waiting for him to breathe a
prayer prior to letting him drop, before there was a rush from the bushes.
It took quick action. I whipped up the leaders, prodded the wheel horses
and shot round the bend like a bomb shell, at the same time throwing my
lasso over my left shoulder, and never once let up until I drove into
Osceola on the double quick. It was found that I had seven desperados and a
half breed Indian in the coils of my lariat rope. I turned them over to the
constable and went on collecting my bounty on the next trip."

Subscribed and sworn to by -------------before me--------------a notary
public for the State of Iowa, on this, the 23rd day of July , 1907.

But the strangest thing about the above story is that after the great care
we took in its preparation "Uncle" Ben refuses to attach his signature to it
This detracts from its thrilling interest to some extent but there is no
one who will deny that it was a skillfully handled adventure.
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
December 26, 2004
iggy29@rnetinc.net