The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1883-08-24
GENERAL ALBERT PIKE:
The Distinguished Mason Visiting Mon
tana.

Among the many eHiHent +hnu nos
men who have visited Montana this year.
there are none who combine more that Il
worthy, well known and admirable, than
| General Albert Pike. He was with Us on
Sunday and Tuesday of this week, having in
the meantime visited Butte, and ended ms
| work here, as there, with. n three hours lee
ture to Master Masons, on the situation ana
purposes Of Masonry-a lecture that induceo
| Past Grand Master to say to US: 81 never
"really knew what Masonry was until hao
"heard his lecture"
General Pike is essentially and eminently
| an American frontiersman, having crossed
the Mississippi and headed for the ROCKY
| Mountains over half n century ago. NOT
alone that, but he Is distinguished soldier
lawyer, literateur and poet. Not only that
he is the most eminent and learned
Mason in the world and not that alone-he
| is physically one of the superb of earth, the
form and picture of perfect and impressive
manhood, seventy-fve years of age, yet,
standing firm and stalwart with his six feet
height and two hundred and twenty pounds
avordupois, impressing one that he is i'm
pregnable to Times ravages, and the type of
| a better race of men.
| The Cornet Band serenaded him at the Nc
Burney House Tuesday evening, and not
outstanding he was almost due for three
! hours speech at the Lodge, he stepped out
| on the McBurney House balcony, and with d
voice rs full, strong and sonorous rs that of \
| man OF fifty, spoke for fifteen minutes of the
| early day when he was pioneer in this wes-
| tern land. 1t would be difficult to imagine
anything more impressive than to see Albert
Pike, as picturesque physically as he is men,
| tally, standing out in the moonlight, with
| his white hair, long as woman's and white
as a child's, streaming over his shoulders,
and talking to the pioneers of the day OF his
journeyings through the west fifty years ago.
Think of day when young man, anticipa-
ting Horace Greeley's injunction, and "going
west" would start from Eewbury port,
Mass, in a stage, and journeying over the
''worst roads in the world reach the from
tier at Cincinnati, Ohio, now the center of
| population of the United Stat es; then think
| Of this day, with the locomotives of n trans
| continental and almost of trans-polar rail-
road, signing right here in the heart OF the
| Rocky Mountains, for more worlds to con-
| quer, and the man now, who was boy then,
| standing out under the stars linking the
present with the past and admonishing the
men of this day Of their duties and advanta-
ges under our flag and governmen Mt, and in
| stitutions. 1t was an occasion and scene of
rare impressiveness. The speaker seemed to
| appreciate it, and referring to his participa-
ton in the rebellion with the remark that
those who had engaged in it had since had
plenty of time to reflect on their conduct"
/ An s-I,t III 49, tha faGn No
| that we had inherited from the Co institution
had been met and settled: that oul' children
| and our children's children would no more
have occasion to meet in civil war. He saw
| only in the future the greatness, or andeur
| and prosperity of the American Republic,
the beacon light of good government TO all
the world, when the school house, the
church and the Masonic Lodge will work
hand in hand for the advancement and ap-
piness of all the people. His remarks we're
| listened to with marked attention and roun d.
| ~ applauded. On retiring he proceeded TO
the Masonic Lodge, and for three hour,
spoke to the brethren of the mystic tie. The
distinguished character of the gentleman
leads us to insert here some facts, concerning
him which have not probably before appear
ed in print:
| Albert Pike was born December %, 1909,
in Boston, Mass, and was educated in New
buryport, he providing for his own educa-
ton after he was fifteen years of age. His
ancestors came from Langford, Essex, En-
! gland, in 1886, and settled as farmers in Essex
county, Mass. After receiving fair educa-
ton and teaching school until he was TWEEN
ty-one years old, he started in March, 1881,
by stage and journeyed west to CINCINNATI,
| OHIO, then q small town. From there he
| went to Nashville, Tenn, and thence to st.
Louis. There he Joined a trading party and
| went to Santa Fe, reaching Taos November
Goth. The last 900 miles of the trip to Santa
Fe he went afoot, his horse having ran away
in storm on the Cimmaron river. In those
days there were no Indian troubles, the party
meeting neither white nor red men between
Santa Fe and St. Louis. At Santa Fe he re-
NAMED till September, 1882, clerking in q
store and travelling around the country. He
then returned to Taos and joined party Of
forty five trappers who were going TO trap
the San Sabe river. They went down the
Peeos river and struck across the Staked
Plains, being about twenty days crossing
them, during which time he went five and
half consecutive days without mouthful OF
food. The party went around the head Of
Red river and reached the head of the Brazos
Here Pike and four others left the main par
ty and went eastward, reaching Fort Smith,
Ark, early in December. This seems to
have been sufficient trapping experience for
him, as in October, 1888, he went to Little
Rock and was employed to edit Wing
newspaper. In November, 1884, he married,
studied law, and bought the newspaper
the arkansas AdUocdte-for s., 500 In 1886 he
began practicing law, and after editing and
owning the newspaper Cor two and half
years he sold it for 81 900, and put his books
with the uncollectable accounts in the stove.
He continued the practice Of law at Little
Rock until 1861, having when the Mexican
war began in 1886 raised a company, after
ward known as Company b, Archibald
Yelps Regiment of Arkansas Mounted Vol
unteers, and was In the service year as
captain commanding the squadron composed
of his own and Captain John Preston's Co.
G, the command doing much hard and meri-
torious service.
, In 1861 he was appointed Commissioner of
the Confederate States to m axe treaties with
i the Indians on the frontier Of Arkansas and
Texas, and in the fall Of that year was ap-
pointed Rrigadier General aud placed In
: command Of the Department of the Indian
Territory In the summer of 1862 he re-
signed because he was ordered to take the
Indians ont of their own country, which he
would not do. In November, 1862 his resig.
nation was accepted, after which be held no
, position under the Confederacy, but re-
rlained In Southwest Arkansas until the end
of the war He then went to Canada and re.
NAMED until the autumn of 1865, and in Jan.
uary, 1866, settled In Memphis. where he re
maiued until the winter of 1863 He then
removed to Washington City and has re.
Z NAMED there since, practicing law until three
; years ago, when he gave IL up. ii
Albert Pike was made Mason in 1850 and
received the degree of the Scottish Rite in
1854. After receiving the Royal Arch Tenn,
plar and Council degrees, In 1857 he received
the 33d degree In New Orleans, and was
elected an active member of the Supreme
Council the same year. On the10th Of Jan
uary, 1859, he was elected Grand Commander
Tor life. To the interests of Masonry he has
devoted his entire time during the latter por
ton of his life, and for some years has been