Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-06-12
PRAIRIE DETECTIVES.
The Skill Of Indian Trailers- How
They Can Track Trail

Iilc IHOst eNtfuOruln1fN skill eXHlD-
itcd in the West. either by the white
or red native. is in The practice OF
trailing. Here it may be accounted
an art as much as music, painting. or
sculpture in the East. The Indian or
trappcr that is shrewd trailer is a
man of close observation, quick per-
ception and prompt action. AS he
goes along nothing escapes his obser-
vation, and what he sees and hears he
accounts for Immediately. Often not
another step is taken until mystery,
that may present itself in this line, is
fairly solved. The Indian trailer will
stand still for hours i'm succession to
account for certain traces or effects in
tracks, and sometimes gives to the
matter unremitting attention for days
and weeks.
The trailer is not graceful man.
He carries his head much inclined. his
eye is quick and restless, always on
the watch, and he is practicing his art
nnconscious!y, hardly ever crossing
the track of man or animal without
seeing it. When he enters house. he
brings the habits he contracted in the
practice OF his art with him. | know
a trailer as soon as he enters my room.
He comes through the door softly, and
with an air OF exceeding caution. Be-
fore he is fairly in, or at least has sat
down, he has taken note of every ar
ticle and person, though there may be
a dozen vacant chairs in the room. He
is not used to chairs, and, like the In
dian, prefers . more humble seat.
When | was employed by Gen. Har-
ney, last summer, to take charge tenn
porarily of the Indians that were
gathered near Fort Randall, Dakota,
to form new reservations, ono day q
guide and trailer came to the General a
headquarters. / told him to be seated.
lie sat down on the floor, bracing his
back against the wall. The General
saw this, and in vexation cried out.
"My God, why don't you take chair,
when there are. plenty here unoccu-
pied ?" The man arose and seated
himself in chair, but in so awkward
and uncomfortable manner that he
might slip from it any moment. But
when this .uncOuth person came to
transact his business with the General
he turned out to be man Of no Ordin-
airy abilities. His description of n
route he took as guide and trailer for
the Ogallalas in bringing the,n from
the Platte to the fort was minute and
exceedingly interesting. Every war
party that had crossed his trail he de-
scribed with minuteness as to their
number. the kind of arms they had,
and stated the tribes they belonged to,
In these strange revelations that he
made there was neither importance
nor sHppositioD. for he gave saiisfac-
tory reasons for every assertion that
he made.
have ridden several hundred miles
with an experienced guide and trailer,
Hack, whom | interrogated upon
many points in the practice of his art,
Nearly all the tracks / saw, either old
or new as novice in the art, l ques.
toned him about. In going to the
Niobrara River we crossed the track
Of az lndian NJ gadidfe Id afsl s,!sss. y y
at is a stray, black horse, with a
long. bushy tail, nearly starved to
death, has slit on the left fore foot,
and goes very lame. and he passed
here early this morning Astonishcd
and incrcdulous, / asked him the rea
son for knowing these particulars by
the tracks of the animal. when he re-
Piled at was stray horse, because il
did not go in direct line: his tail
was long. for he dragged it over the
snow in brushing against bush he
left some of his hair, which showed its
color. He was very hungry, for in
going along he has nipped at those
high, dry weeds, which horses seldom
cat. The fissure of the left fore foot
left also its track. and the depth of
the indention shows the degree of his
lameness and his tracks show he was
here thismorning, when the snow was
hard with frost"
AT another place we came across an
Indian track, and he said: ut is an
old Iankton, who came to look ut his
traps. In coming over he carried in
his right hand trap, and in his left
lasso to catch pony he had lost.
He returned without finding the horse.
but had caught in the trap he had out
a prairie wolf, which he carried home
ON his back, and bundle of kinikinic
wood in his right hand.r Then he
gave his reasons. II know he his old,
by the impression his gait has made,
and Yankton by that of his mocsa-
sin. He is from the other side of The
river, as there are no Yanktons on this
side. The trap he carried struck the
snow now and then, and in the same
manner as when he came, shows that
he did not find his pony. A drop OF
blood in the center of his tracks show
that be carried the wolf on his back,
and the bundle of kinikinic wood
he used as q staff for support, and
catching the wolf shows that he had
traps" But" asked, show do you
know it's wolf. why not fox, or
even deer?" Said he, IF it had
been fox, or coyote, or any other
kind Of small game, he would have slip
ped the head of the animal in his waist
belt, and so carried 1t by his side, and
not on his shoulders. Deer are moi
caught by traps; but if it had been 9
deer, he would not have crossed this
high hill, but have gone back by way
Of the rayinc, and the load would
have made his steps still more totter.
ing.
Another Indian track we saw TWEEN.
ty miles west of this he put this seri-
ons construction upon: "Hc's an up
per Indiana prowling horse thief
carried double shotgun, and is a
rascal That killed some white men late.
ly, and passed here one week ago
for said he, "a lone Indian in these
parts is on mischief and generally on
the lookout for horses. He had on the
shoes Of white man whom he had
in all probability killed. but his steps
are those of an Indian. Going through
the ravinc the end of his gun hit the
deep snow. A week ago we had a
very warm day, and the snow being
soft he made these deep tracks; ever
since it has been intensely cold weath.
er, which makes very shallow tracks.
! suggested that perhaps he bought
those shoes. 'Indians don't buy shoes
and If they did they would not buy
them as large as these were, for In.
dians have very small feet
The authorities Of Louisiana pro-
pose, under the State constabulary, tc
assess the expenses of putting down
the recent insurrection upon the coun
ties in which they were fermented anG