Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-07-30
CROOKS MARROW ESCAPE

CROOKS NARROW ESCAPE.
The Indian Fighter Chased BY Angry
Redskin Whom He Had Burned.
The trouble with the Sioux in Dakota
is bringing to the surface many old
stories about Indians and Indian fight
ers, particularly about the late Gen.
George Crook, who was regarded dur
ing his lifetime by many people as hav-
ing more intimate acquaintance with
the Indian and his traits than any other
white man. He had lived in their re-
gion so long and had taken such a act
i've interest in them that he was thor
oughly posted as to their traits, tenden-
cies and needs, and their ways of think
ing and doing. This knowledge was
utilized in his campaign against them
success in satisfactorily solving tough
aboriginal problems was due more to
his acquaintance with the natures of
the people whom he was fighting than
to any other cause. He was asked by
trader once why he did not make an
advance SO as to hurry up the Indians
In something that it was desired they
should do, and he replied: 81 suppose
that if 1 were to go out there"-indicat-
ing a vast field in front of his headquar-
tiers between him and the Indian camp
land sit down and do nothing at all
should be able to get the Indians to
hurry faster than if pushed the cam
paign in the way of active hostilities- ;"
Future events showed the wisdom of
his idea.
When he was a lieutenant serving on
the ''plainS," as the entire western
country was called in those wild days,
he encouraged the friendly Indians
within reaching distance of his post,
wherever it might be. to come to his
quarters and visit him, SO that he might
study their characteristics and become
thoroughly acquainted with the ways
and languages of the various tribes
with which he was brought into con-
tact Hence it was that Crooks quar-
tiers, whether house or tent, were usu-
ally supplied with one or more of these
questionable ornaments slowed away
in some section or other, making him
self perfectly at home, for if there is
one thing above another that an Amer
lean Indian can do in thoroughly art
istic manner it is to utilize the advan-
tages of hospitality on the part of some
one else to the last extreme. Finally,
Lieut.. Crook grew a little tired of hav-
| ing Indians come to his quarters at all
hours and spread themselves all over
| the premises, SO he began to play
prankS on them to induce them to be
more careful about their visits He
therefore began series of practical
jokes upon them, one of which is still
told by those who heard of it at the
| time with great gusto.
A great fellow of the regulation cop
per hue walked into Crooks house one
day in the winter, without any sort of
| warning, as was the custom, and, strid-
ing up to the fireplace, turned
his back to the blaze and, lift
ing his blanket slightly, proceeded
| to warm the calves of his legs,
| to the great annoyance Of those assem-
| bled. The Indian was perfectly com
| placent and failed with true aboriginal
| stupidity to take the various hints that
were thrown at him until he received a
most decidedly convincing one at the
hands of the host, who on the pre-
tence of fixing the fire, walked
around the immovable figure before the
CRATE and heated the poker slightly and
then gave with it an allopathic applica-
ton to the bare skin of the Indians leg.
|
the maddened Indian plunged wildly
around the room, first in an endeavo1
to discover what had struck him, and
then, when he had found out, in fran
tic effort to capture Crook, who found
that valor was not the thing for such
an occasion and fled precipitately, pur-
sued by the shouting savage. The chase
was described by those who witnessed
| the incident as being funny in the ex.
| treme to all but Crook, who soon found
that he had a very serious problem to
solve in evading that pursuer. He
finally ran upstairs and hid himself in
a closet while the Indian was raging
around in his search. From that time
forth Crook had immunity on his own
hearth from the entertainments of In
dams, although some of his companions
asserted that few of his graz hairs
found their origin in that terrible chase.
Washington Star.