The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-08
asN. CROOKS caAaacrERlsrIcs.
More Of indian than the IndIan-rIis
Equariniity Never Disturbed.


| AT the date of which am now writ
ing General Crook was an ideal sol
dier in every sense. He stood about
six feet In his stockings. was STRAIGHT
as an arrow, broad-shouldered. 1.-the,
sinewy as a cat. aud able to bear any
amount of any kind of fatigue It
/ mattered not under what guse vicis-
situde and privation came. they never
seemed to affect him. Hunger and
| thirst. rain or sunshine snow and cold.
the climbing up or down of rugged.
| slippery mountains. or the monotonous
march, day after day. along deserts
bristliug with spines of the cactus.
| Spanish bayonet, mescaI. and palo
yerde-his placid equanimity was never
disturbed in the slightest degree. He
was at that period of his life fond of
taking his rifle and wandering off on
MS trusty mule alone in the mountains.
At sunset lie would picket his animal
10 mesqait bush near grass, make a
little fire. cook some of the game he
had killed, erect small .'wind-break''
of brush and fiat stones such as the
Indians make. cut an armful of twigs
for bed. wrap himself up in his
blanket, and sleep till the first peep of
dawn.
''You ask me 10 tell YOU about In
was boring about some chronological
matter-.tgo to the Nantan tine Chief
-Crook's name abbreviated1; he'll
tell YOU He's more of an Indian than
| am
But Crook did not go on 'tixwin''
sprees like the Apaches; he never
touched stimulants in any form unless
1t might be something prescribed by
physician; he never drank coffee, and
rarely tasted tea. Milk was his fa-
vorlte beverage when he could get it,
and pure water when he could not
His personal appearance was i'm
pressive. but without the slightest sug-
gestion of the pompous and overdress-
ed military man; he was plain as an
old stick. and looked more like an
honest country squire than the COM
mander of a warlike expedition He
had blue-gray eyes. quick and pene-
trating in glance, a finely chiseIed
Roman nose. 4 firm and yet kindly
mouth a well-arched head. a good
brow, and a general expression of in
domitable resolution, honest purpose.
sagacity, and good intentions. He had
an aversion to wearing uniform aud to
the glitter and tiligree of the military
profession. He was ssentially a man
of action and spoke but little and to
the point. but was fond of listening to
the conversation of others. He was at
all times accessible to the humblest
soldier or the poorest ''prospector.''
without even losing certain dignity
which repealed familiarity but had no
semblance of haughtiness. He never
used profanity and INDUCED in no
eguivocal language.
Probably officer of equal rank in
our army issued fewer orders or letters
CT instructions Example is always
the best general order" he said to me
once when we were seated side by side
on a fallen log in the lower Powder
Valley, Montana, in most exasperat-
ing drizzle of rain in the summer of
1876 1t certainly was true of CAM
paigning in Arizona. and no officer or
soldier hesitated to endure any hard
ship when he saw the commanding
general at the head of the column, eat
ing the same rations as himself, and
not carrying enough extra clothing to
wad a shotgun. There is one char
aeter in American history whom Crook,
saving his better education and broad
er experience, very strongly resembled
and that is Daniel Boone Captain
Bolrke in The Century.