Many of the older people will remember Jim Bellamy, and his Nine Mile station, or ranch nine miles up the Platte river from Fort Laramie.

On the night of December 24, 1866, late in the night, Bellamy and Daniel McUlvane, and several others were sitting by a roaring fire at Nine Mile station, when out of the bitter cold and darkness appeared four horsemen, whose names should go down in history. They were Dan Dillon, big diffident Dan, Sam Gregory, George Riptoe and John Phillips. They had all ridden all the way from Fort Phil Kearney.

Dillon was the bearer of dispatches, and asked if they could get a wire to the Fort at Laramie. They had previously tried to do so from Horseshoe station farther west, but could not. The storm of the Indians had put the line out of commission, but as their horses were utterly exhausted, they had to put up for a rest.

Dan gave the dispatches to Bellamy, who locked them in his big chest for the night. All rested for several hours, and early the next morning, Bellamy gave Dillon the dispatches again, and the four journeyed on to the fort. All who mention it tell me that Dillon and not Phillips was the bearer of the dispatches.

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

Old Bedlam was alive with a merry party, which had been dancing all the night. On the upper floors the officers had administrative quarters, and the lower part of the building was full of the dancers. Dillon, because of his bashfulness, found it difficult to attract the notice of any of the soldiers who were busy dancing attention to the ladies ; and while hesitating, Phillips grabbed the dispatches from his hands, ran into the throng, and up the stairs to the officers' quarters.