The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-01
LITTLE USE NOW FORSC0UTS
IN OoOUPATIO THAT MAS ALMOST
DIBAPPEARED.

Some Of the Most Noted Old-time scouts,
and Stories of Their Won derful skill In
TraiiinE-How They Learned to DO It.
From tie Omaha WOrd-Htrdid.
About the most pitifully cheercss men in the
West nowadays those who have given the
greater part Of their lives 10 scouting for the army
and occasionally for a cattle company or a band
of minors who have endured generation Of say
age hArdships and have braved all the dangers
Of tho plains, and now grizZled and gray, realize
that their occupation is gone forever There are
scores Of tho old fellows in the Territories Several
hundred Of the younger scouts have become
vaquoros. shcep berders express messengers and
EuardA cattlepen. railroad men. miners and
prospeotors. Electricity and railroads principally
have made scouting obsolete and since the Apache
in the Southwest and the Sioux in the Northwest
have been beaten into peaceful relations with the
white ssttlers there has been no demand for the
services OF the old time scout. In every town Of
any sire in this region may some Of the
veteran soouts-poor in purse, tattered in person
loaHng about the saloons telling visitors from tho
East OF the glores OF the frontier before civiliza
sion and railroads spoiled IL all and balfheartedly
building hopes Of the day when som ething unex-
pectedly may transpire and scouting may bo
called into demand again.
Tho earlier scouts like Kit Carson and Jim"
Badger. woro originally trappers and hunters
born and reared in Missouri Tennessee and Ken
Suoky. who had fondncss for adventure. They
had pushed their way across the border OF civil
cation Of those days and gone upon tho plains
Of Kansas, Nebraska and Texas for big game
and excitement The Mexican war of lS47 and
the movement OF troops through Texas and
along tho Rio Grande brought scouting into the
army service When the era OF oxteams and
excited gold seekers headed toward California
bogan in l849 there was great demand for scouts
at very profitable wages Hundreds Of young
msn with q smattering of plains life an expert
meas In firearms and a little knowledge of Indian
ways became professional scouts No emigration
train would leave ST. Joseph. Mo. or Leaven-
worth, Kan. on its journey Of four or five months
90 the Pacific ocean without an accompanying
ecout or guide for at least part Of the way. As
the chain Of army garrisons were extended out
npon tho plains the War Department employed
moro and moro scouts for the troops and scouting
became q sort of science OF tho plains in which
there was competition in experience During
fhe Apache and Sioux wars in 1877, 1878 and 1879
the Government had about 1. 200 scouts on the
army payrons Then tho Indians who had adopt
ed white mems ways became scouts, and the
pursuit Of III white men waned fast
Tho requisite OF good scout was, first Of all
an iron constitution He expected TO remain in
tho saddle days and nights In succession, TO sleep
wherever night overlook him. for weeks al time.
His sole concern, so far as physical discomfort
was concerned was for his horse broncho
<hs"u"nS ho' "ou'u qu'eA's o'oah uo"h nion
hs0u " cumming oh'p'oy mem ahu in'oof n'e
"eio AoS " e.'u ino' ha'' hoho i'i
"ooAs "i'nou' oooNeu ,oou oe'auSe u'os "e'e
poolouy 'oihhs gu Anuian eoun"s anu u"'ou
ho' mako nIe munger ana hiis' "efe common
pnv@uonA !hey nave sep' On oonN anu oaiiei,
spots, whore bitter winds blew and dust and sand
filled tho air. with their horses pcketed near
"ahou' wen pio,oouhs o,ahAo' owe, uner,'
omy " bo' up e' uo"h anu pursue VIC iue
n1v or seventy mics iat'hef' Is "ondeiiu'
.n"' .noSe piaihs"oh eou'u ehuufo his Tic
aonser 'h"n 10" years
S'uioee 10 ohon0i ioqu''''o io' s"ou 'eou@
some Oh tnls courage may 'oe poioer oIaVaao'
pu' ueie no'e ooeh euoh oons'on' opp" 'uhi".H
!" i"ce. "o NOVA vi mo 'oou' ui"' noie oou'''
conoen4 ms uuo Seh very long ihefe nave neeh
poo'iShea oouhuoeS hsh'y ioninh,io n'o'eS Vi "e
oieveiy OF SCOUTS LII prairie htes, IN s'anpedes OIL
ou."Io. III iaonH 'no"e' " 'uhe's anu e,o'h'
Vi io"@no'so ofio"s' anu VIC hAIofiy Vi .hese
ao"aAo'' orc iouhu0u on ,'o'' o"o "ay near
Hoou. my garrison On uie "es'eih ''oh'iei "onS
o'"' 'N'o0 VI ue'"' Vi "i",', " ions
nonou' 'h'u'oiou '''u'S 'n"' 'Na' "'o ""ues
"'non'
Inc .oou' mus' also nave quick eompreneh
sioh anu eooe memory ioi oe'oi's Vi d country.
uS Aio au 'e " WIN 'eu "oop VI
coseirs in'o on Apache ambush among .ho Dla-
4"on in'un'e'i'a III Sou',oia A'iOoho III io,'
Anu VINO iiS'enHy oiaofeu uio 'o,uieiS " Mh'f
Heou' anu sooA sNles uen'iu INC 'a'a oouiueiS
"me WY "ho '"o soou's' uo9neu ii'o .he open
.ho yea ,ho oeau'y eha'se hi'nueu iol 'hs
noopS ''o"eu % muen courage anu quoNneSs
VI oonpioHenn4on 90 'osehua'y hoioos o'ei uiu
W. oh VIC oai'en' eui'-oaAeu anu "'nu-s"ep
'e.h' 'n' soou' innS' A'io" "neio "a"i ID W ot
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'~s@' N'NA'e