Hat Creek Dateline: 1878/11/07

Camp Hat Creek is reactivated by Company F of the Fifth Cavalry
by Ed Cook, Contributing Writer

Camp Hat Creek has been reactivated. Company F of the Fifth Cavalry, in command of Captain Payne, has established its headquarters here last week. The War Department has ordered the troops here to protect the Cheyenne and Black Hills mail route.

This action has taken place in response to an appeal from Governor Hoyt, Special Agent Furay of the Postal Department, officials of the stage company, and Congressman Corlett.

Patrick, Salisbury and Gilmer, owners of the stage company are giving the public every assurance that they intend to continue to carry valuable express and registered mail over the Cheyenne and Deadwood route.

Since the big robbery of the treasure coach on Sept. 26 at the Canyon Springs Station, three-fifths of the stolen property has been recovered by the Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage Company. This is a real accomplishment by stage line personnel and law officers, in view of the vast expanse of country covered rounding up the outlaws. Portions of the treasure were recovered in the Black Hills, Fort Pierre, Atlantic City, Iowa, Wood River and Grand Island, Neb., and right here, near Hat Creek.

Several outlaws that participated in the Canyon Springs and other robberies have been apprehended in the intense man-hunt during the past few weeks.

Tom Price, an acknowledged desperado, the alleged head of the gang to which Mansfield and McLaughlin belonged, is laying in a hospital in Deadwood. He was wounded being captured in a camp about 10 miles southwest of Lead City. The party that captured Price included Jesse Brown, Boone and Jim May, and Wes Travis. He should be able to stand trial in a few weeks.
Charles Carey, said to be the leader of the gang in the Canyon Springs robbery, has not been apprehended. He has been described as 27 years old, with brown hair and about six feet tall. Some men arriving in Cheyenne from the Black Hills on Oct. 10 stated they had found two bodies hanging in a tree seven miles from Jenny Stockade and about four miles from the Custer Road. The victims were said to have had light hair, mustaches and were wearing California riveted brown clothing.

Could one of these men have been Carey? He was said to have been a former scout for General Custer.According to John McClintock, who lived just across the street from his cabin, Carey first came to Deadwood in 1876 and worked as a taxidermist. McClintock claimed that at first, Carey’s gang was “all as good boys as you’d find.” Then Carey stole his shotgun and began a life of banditry.

The man-hunt for outlaws that have preyed on the coaches in the Black Hills is slowing down but several are still being pursued. However there have not been any robberies since the one at Canyon Springs.

(Information source: “The Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage and Express Routes, “ by Agnes Wright Spring.)

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