The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1895-03-14

dians, that they live In tents, and think
nothing of killing a newcomer by
shooting him dead. Others have an
idea trifie more advanced, that the
inhabitants are sort OF offieious,
pushing, breezy, unmannered, enter
prising lot Of fortune seekers, good
natured, but rough, easy-going, but al
WAYS on the rush. Others, still, fancy
the west is filed with thefqueer peo-
pie described by the story-tellers and
novelists, curious types, half-witted
and half-witting picturesque old cod
gers, groaning, hard-working, homely
women, few and far between, such peo-
pie as Octave Thanet and Hamlin Gar
land have given us.
All these suppositions are wrong.
The ruling population on the plains of
Nebraska is the most intelligent,
cultured and enterprising emigration
from New England, New York and
Ohio-the cream, which naturally
rises to the top and floats off. They
have built churches, schools. universe
ties, theaters and elegant hotels. There
are Woodworking out enterprising
farmers, and some not SO enterprising,
just as Is the case in the east. Now
and then the towns are invaded by the
cowboys and Indians. The cowboys
are oftentlmes fast young men from
the east who have gone west to work
off their spirits. These are not mere
rowdies by any means, but the dare
devil element from every class, among
whom social rank is pitilessly leveled.
Our noted artist, Frederick Reming-
ton, was a cowboy once. There are
also the Indians, poor, dirty, harmless
creatures; like the gypsies always
thieving, always begging, always
wandering about, but, unlike them.
not very shrewd traders or very in
genious. The Indians come with their
tents and their ponies but no wagons,
dressed in greasy old blankets and
cast-off clothing, sometimes with hats,
sometimes without, and usually sup
piled with bucks1in and bead work
which the women, not the men, try to
sell on the streets of the villages, but
seldom peddle from house to house.
Besides these, there are the prairie
wolves or coyotes, which roam in herds
over the plains. eating up what chick
ems they can find, but running with
all their might the moment man ap-
pears. There is now and then gray
wolf, which may or may not eat up a
woman If he gets the chance. There
are few Wildcats which will kill
sheep; ther Q is deer now and then, a
tame buffalo In herd of cattle, and
quail and prairie chicken by the hun.
dred.
In the early seventies my father had
hardware store in the young city Of
Lincoln; and frequent visitor at the
stove that stood in the little back
room was Buffalo Bill, then neither
very famous nor very rich, a cowboy Of
the plains, stopping to call on his
kinslnan whenever he came to the city
and exchange yarns in true cowboy
fashion. My mother was afraid Of
him, but my father found him a very
geod-natured fellow. The following
tale may have been one of his stories
1 do not know He may have been ar
on-looker, but my impression is that ht
had not even seen the events ant
sights he described.
The place may have been Beatrice Of
Red Cloud or Kearney Junction-beg
ging the pardon Of any or all of thos.
now populous cities which happen no
to have been the one. The time wa
quite twenty years ago, but it nigh
have been yesterday, fancy. Rex
Cloud-we will call 1t Red Cloud--wa
the center OF farming district, AMI
vas somswhat os sleepy little town