Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 April 1890 — SANDERS AND POWERS. [ARTICLE]

SANDERS AND POWERS.

THE TWO REPUBLICAN SENATORS FROM MONTANA. Exciting Episodes of Their Early Bays in the Far West—Proposed Transfer ot the Pension Office to the War Department— Other Washington Matters. [SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE.] Washington, April 10, 1800. Col. W. B. Sanders, one of the Republican Senators from the State cf Montana, has been in Washington some weeks, and has already created for himself quite a reputation as a wide-awake Westerner and a most interesting story-teller. His seat in the highest legislative body in the world, as well as that of hiscolleague, Tom Powers, has been contested inch by inch by ex-Delegate McGinnis and Hon. W. A. Clark, who also claim the right to represent the great State. All four of the claimants are men of wealth, and every evening intimate friends of the quartette gather about their headquarters, and enjoy the bounteous hospitalities dispensed in the true Montana style. Twenty years ago Tom Powers had the reputation of being one of the most successful and energetic captains on the Missouri River, and commanded one of the handsomest steamboats that traversed that great stream. It is related of him that on one occasion he executed a most daring feat, saving the lives of many passengers and a largo cargo of government freight from the Indians. It was somewhere back in 1808 that the Ind'ans broke out all along the river from old Fort P erre all the wav up to Fort BeDton. The murderous savages butchered every white person they lay hands on. They were particularly troublesome along the banks of the Missouri, and woo be unto any steamboat th n attempted to navigate the stream. With foil knowledge of what might be in stoiefor him, Captain Tom loaded his boat at Yankton with Government provisions for Fort Benton, and with a number of passengers, to whom he had explained the situation, coolly pulled up the river. Everything wont smoothly enough until the fifth day, when a perfect fusillade of bullets poured into the boat from the willows and bush on the btnk of the r.ver. The terror-stricken pilot imagine 1 they were all aimed at him, and it is safe to say some of them were, as everv glass in the pilot house was shivered at the first fire. With a shriek the cowi.r.lly fellow fell flat on his face ! and in another moment the boat might have swung about and grounded on a sand-bar, but Captain Powers, realizing the dingers of the channel at this point, had instinctively rushed for the pilot-lfbuse at the first sign of danger, and just as the pilot dropped to the floor he sprang to the wheel, and with a steady hand kept the boat in its regular course. Bullets whistled through the air. splinters from the window pash flew all around him. The blood-curdling yells of the redskins could be heard only a hundred yards away, causing fearlul agony to the terrified passengeis below. The undaunted Captain, however, hung to the wheel w.th one hand and waved his hat nt the maddened savages with tbe pther. Without a scratch he ran the gantlet, and in due time arrived at his destination with cargo and pass.ngers safe cni sound. Nor was the Captain any the loser from damages by bullets either. He invited his passengers into a game of poker the night of the attack and won enough to repair his pilot-house. They had not yet recovered their nerve, so that, although with full kuowleige of the steamboat man's penchant for bluffing, his bob-tail flushes almost invariably got away with the pot. His winnings repaired the damages to his boat.

A most remarkable man for a Senator is will-be-when-they-let-him-in Sanders, the partner in trouble of Powers. His adventures, particularly while leader of tbe viiilantos in Montana, are of the most sensational dime-novel chtractor. His' •experiences date away back to lhfil, when Andrew Johnson was a member of tho Senate and the Southern men had withdrawn from Congress. Sanders at tb at time was a law partner of Charles F. Mander<son, present Senator from Nebraska, and lived at Canton, Ohio. They were both in Washington, and were in the Senate gallery listening to the exciting debates. There was so much noise that Charles Sumner, who was speaking, demanded that the galleries be cleaied. The two partners went out with the rest, but Sanders, beiag anxious to hear what was going on, coolly walked around to the mam door of the Senate floor, and with great nonchalance announced to the doorkeeper that he was a “Senator of the Southern Confeleracy, and as such entitled to the privile.e* of the flooi.” The doorkeeper was dumbstruck, and before he could recover Sanders walked in. Later, when the galleries were reopened, Manderson took his old seat and looked down on his partner comfortably lolling on a lounge takiDg in the interesting proceedings. The experiences of Sanders for the past twenty years in Monta ra are household tales all over the Western country. They are such as few men have gone through and lived to relate in the draw-ing-rooms of Washington official life. As leader of the famous vigilantes of Montana, Sanders can look back on some exciting scenes. On one occasion, however, the Senator-expectant figured rather conspicuously in a successful effort to save a notorious criminal from the hands of fierce and revengeful vigilantes. A. well known horsethief was wanted badly at Helena, and had been located at a town some distance away. The authorities knew that the, instant the news spread of the capture of so notorious an outlaw the vigiiantes would be up and after him. and nothing on earth could save him. It was particularly important that the man should be brought to Helena alive. His death for various reasons would be a calamity to justice. Sanders, who wns acting in the capacity of United States Marshal, undertook the difficult task of bringing the horsethief to Helena alive. The latter had secured the reputation of being a most desperate character and hard to handle. So Marshal Sanders not only assumed the responsible job of capturing and hanging -on to the desperado, but outwitting the vigilantes as well. He found his man in a variety theater, and, walking up within five or six feet, tossed him a pair of handcuffs and instantly covered him with e pair of pistols. "Put those on, please," cowmen led the Marshal.

i The thief started back in astonishment ; and made a movement to go for his | weapons. “Put those on and hurry up about it. I’m looking right at ye," and ihe officer was looking stra ght at him through the eight; of his ugly looking six-sbooters. The man obeyed, bnt tbe looks of the crowd aronnd kind of troubled the MarsLal, so he walked over to the prisoner, took him by the arm with one hand and holding his six-shooter in the other, turned to the crowd and said: “Gentlemen, this man is wanted in Helena for hoss-stealin’ and I’m here after him, and, however much it may inconvenience him to make the trip at this hour of the night, he must go, and I’ve got lots of help outside, so none of you had better interfere. Besides, the vigilantes are after him and I saw ’em bayin' a rope up town a few minutes ago.” With this significant shot he led his, man outside and into his back-board which he had brought from Helena, and after patting irons on his feet started for home. All went well until about daylight, thirty-five miles from Helena, when, just as he crossed a bridge over one of the streams, a gang of mounted and masked men sprang up and surrounded the Marshal and his prisoner. In another minute the officer was tumbled unceremoniously out of the vehicle nnd the prisoner being dragged to the bridge upon which they proposed to hang him. Sanders struggled to his feet, although still in the grasp of a couple of stalwart vigilantes, aud yelled: “Hold oa, boy; you know me; I’m Sanders, of Helena; I’ve been with ye many a time. Say, jou chaps are making a mistake. That fellow you’ve got is no common horsethief. He’s a bank cashier from St. Paul, and got away with a hundred thousand good old dollars, and he's got ’em hid down here at Helena. There’s a reward for him, and I’m broke and need the money darn hard, so let up on him and I’ll make it all right. Of course jou gentlemen know I wouldn’t kick if he was a hoss-thief.”

“All right, Colonel,” returned one .of (he masked men; “take the skunk along; but it’s a darn good thing he ain’t a hossthief or we’d a rope 1 him, you bet.” So they “yanked” him back into the buck-board, and with a “so-long, tolonel,” rode away, and Sanders look him into Helena. Some of the very men who put Sanders up to going alter the thief were the ones who gaie information to the vigilantes, but none of them happened to be in the gang to dispute the bluff made by Sanders, and their astonishment whs intense when he rode in about noon with this prisoner. Gen. Spinola, representing one of the most populous of the New York City Congressional districts, is a hard man to tackle in a debate. Habitues of the House galleries take keen delight in listening to his sharp, sarcastic and witty five-minute speeches. Congressman Kerr, of lowa, ran against him the other day in the debate over the “canteen system in the army, ” and he is now trying to discover which the General most resembles, a buzz-saw or a cyclone—and Kerr is no infant in an off-hand debate himself. While Kerr hss a faculty of propounding troublesome questions. Spinola has a faculty of answering them in the most caustic and aggravating way. W

Tnere is a growing suspicion that the lar est number of members of the prestnt Congress look upon the civil-service law in anything but a favorable light. Be this as it may, a test of its popularity among the members will be made when the estimates for additional forces to carry the law into effect come up for consideration. The commission wants an extra appropriation of $37,000, and the enemies of civil-service reform intend to make a fight on it. There will unquestionably be a tight also on the regular appropriation. * * * A belief prevails in legislative circles that the . lecommendation of Secretary Proctor in favor of transferring the pension office fiom the Interior to the Wax Department should prevaiL The proposition has been discussed in somewhat different form several times during the past few years. It is well known that the proofs relating to the records of soldiers and pension claimants are furnished by the War Department. It i.s proposed by combining the Pension Bureau and War Department to curtail the expense of a douole force, and draw upon the large force of army officers mow in the employ of the War Department, and subject to the call of the Secretary War, for aid in carrying o%the pension business The young lie tenants who heretofore have had nothing to do but cultivate their social qualities of course will object to being put to work. If this project is carried out the pension force will be doubled at no extra cost to tbe government and operate to the advantage the youDger branch of the army, which at present occupies much the same pos.t on to the government as apiece of statuary in our lady’s parlor. " *

* ik The discussion over the bill for the admission of Wyoming, wfhich passed the House last week, Ssasetued an astonishingly large number of Congressmen who have a leaning toward woman suffrage. An amendment to the bill striking out the suffrage clause in the Constitution adopted by Wyoming last summer was defeated by a handsome majority, and number forty-three will come into the Union with a provision in her organio act giving equal rights to male and female. * * * The resolution of Senator Yoorhees, of Indiana, relating to tbe financial depression among the farmers, is destined to become the bugbear of the Senate before the close of the session. The Senator has taken up tho cause of the granger, as well as a number of other Senators, and they propose to follow up the question to the bitter end. Indeed, the farming element is receiving much attention at the hands of Congress this year, but whether beneficial legislation is to take place remains to be seen. All factions unite in the opinion that something mast be done, but the split occurs on the ways and means. s ' Jas. C. Moody. I have always preferred cheerfulness to mirth. The latter I consider as an act, the former as a habit of the mind. Thebe will always remain something to be said of a woman, as long •s there it one on earth. —Boujfflers.