Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-26
KING EDWARDS VISIT.
Shot Chickens at Fort Riley in the
Early Sixties.

brother to this country brings up MEM
! cries of the visit of King Edward VII,
| In 1860. At that time Edward was the
young prince of Wales. During his visit
| to the plains which at that time consti-
tuted the greater part of the great west
he was the guest of Mayor Earl Van
| Dorm at q frontier post with a garrison
nearly 200 strong, rank and file, be-
sides strong contingent of white and
| half-breed scouts. who patrolled the
country for ten miles around guarded
| the herds of horses and cattle that We're
pastured on the abundant and nutri-
tious buffalo grass that grew all
around.
A kinsman of Mayor Van Dorm writes
entertainingly of the prince with whom
he was detailed on chicken shooting
trip. He says:
During his western visit the prince
had heard much of the western grouse
shooting prairie chickens, we call
them. So when he got out to st. Louis
nothing would do but that he must
have turn" as he called it, at the
prairie chicken, or pinnated grouse. SO
it was determined to send him to Fort
Riley, Kan, then frontier outpost oc-
cupied by two troops of the Second reg
iment of United States cavalry-now
the ,F'ifth-with Brevet Maj. Earl Van
Dorm in command.
knowing the best prairie chicken
ground better than anyone at the post,
because I did more shooting than the
older men. was detailed 90 go with the
prince and point out the best positions,
etc. Birds-prairie chickens-there
were by the millions. They would de-
scend at break of day upon the little
patch of "sodcarie" corn that had been
planted right after the rich sod of the
prairie had been turned over. and al
lowed to take its chances. 1t was never
worked and usually produced corn
stalk about five feet high, which would
have one or two small ears, or 'nub-
bins" of corn, If either the deer, the
prairie chickens, or somebody's cattle
did not eat 1t up In the meantime.
Not a,handsome man until he passed
the half century mark, the prince of
Wales was in outward appearance the
very embodiment of the average Brit
ish youth of that age. He was 10 years
old, TALL lathy, and his face, owing
probably to total change of methods
of living. and, above all of different wa
ter from that he had been accustomed
to. was literally covered with small
pimples. He also had two or three boils
that demanded the attention of the post
surgeon.
A trooper was detailed to go with us,
and negro who had two five gallon
Jugs slug across mule. each full of
water-one for the dogs. the other for
us. The prince had his man too, be-
sides negro slave loaned by Van Dorm,
who about lunch time would gather us
enough buffalo chips to make our cof-
fee, and that, with good bread, south
ern soda biscuit" and cold ham, some
eggs which we either boiled or fried,
cold broiled prairie chicken, and other
things suitable TO we'll arranged
lunch, We're spread on a smooth bit of
prairie under three nightly live oaks.
near a beautiful bubbling sprin, the
water of which had just tinge of sui
phur.
The prince always took about a pint
of claret, little watered, and a strong,
small cup of coffee at the end of each
meal. He smoked n cuddy pipe IN the
field, one that was evidently favorite,
for it was in handsome case, and had
been used until it was perfectly black
and shiny with long service. He pre-
ferred what they call in England
shay smoking tobacco. 1t looks not
unlike our fine cut chewing weed, but
it not at all equal in flavor to a half
dozen American blends that might be
named.
The prince was good shot. He
shot with pair of Purdey guns, muz-
zle leaders, of course. for there We're no
breech loading shotguns in those days.
address him. but he settled the ques-
please; let the Prince CO." and so
did.
He was always wishing for advent
.ures, and we came uncomfortably near
having two, either of which might
have changed the succession to the
English throne. One day we got our
luncheon ready when the prince said:
why not move it over to the other
side of those trees? There II go
pher' Cor prairier dog mound, i forget
which just now hill where we can
sit"
We took the suggestion and moved
over. Just as the prince was spread
ing his blanket, preparing to sit down
Failing Leaf. our Delaware guide, let
out yell which one could have heard
three miles, and, Selling the arm of
the prince, ierked him six or eight feet
away. Upon the fiat top of that
mound lay prairie rattlesnake, coiled
and ready for business.
The snake had just shed his skin
and with it his rattles, and was per-
fectly blind. He was certainly not
foot from the princes head, and could
he have seen he might easily have
sprung nigh enough to have bitten
him. Before we could have got to
where aid might be rendered he would
have been past earthly help. This al
venture scared us both, and he asked
me not to speak of it until he had got
thru his visit, otherwise his liberty
would certainly be abridged.
Thus the King of England holds
among his most cherished recollectiona
his trip to the States" as this country
lis generally denominated by the
Rriton, There are several reasons for
this. 1t was the first trip he had ever
taken when he was free from mater
nal or paternal supervision. True, tho
young prince royal was accompanied