St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-01-11
GENIUS m A FAMOUS SCOUT.
what an Ordinary Trail on the Desc.
late Plains Revealed to Frank
G0urard.

The passing of the Indian scout viii
be another page of the romantic torn
from the worlds history which is ever
becoming more prosaic. Buffalo Bill Is
an able man and true as steel. But for
detective ability that Sherlock
Holmes himself might envy Frank
Gourard, Hawaiian, brought uI
among the Indians, stands probably
without a peer. Gourard is tall and
very muscular, with huge shoulders
and chest. He gives evidence OF his
nativity in his thick, sensuous lips, Hat
tened nose, and dusky complexion, un.
like that of an Indian. He says himself
that he merely remembers the fac'
that, as baby, he was brought from
across the water. By long living with
the Indians, he acquired a perfect
knowledge OF. their habits, traditions
and even methods of thought. Hence
he was invaluabl in the army when 1t
was called upon to march against the
hostile red men, says the Washington
Times. <..3
d Lieut.. Jordan, of the metropolitan
police force, was with Gen. Crooks
command in it's memorable campaign
against the Sioux. Gourard rendered
yeoman's service during this trying
period when the horror OF the Custer
massacre was very fresh. especially in
the minds of the devoted band which
hurried after his slayers. Lieut.. Jor'
dan is. it is believed, the only man IN
this city who can recall from personal
experience the terrors of that mem
orable chase. Speaking of Gourard, he
said:
81 nver met man with the faculty
of Gourard. He could tell footprint
in the grass, where the ordinary OBJ
server would notice nothing. More
over. he would tell whether the foot
print was left by white man or an In
dian, and, if the latter, to what tribe he
belonged. To be sure he explained the
matter by saying that each tribe wore
a certain style of moccasin, but the dis
tinction was sometimes so trivial as to
render Gourard's feat very remark
able one. The Indians, as you doubt
less know, when on the warpath marcn
| in single file, those behind treadlng in
| the footprints of the leader, SO as te
leave a single pair of marks. The car
riages used for carrying the squaws
| and children and supplies were formed
of two poles dashed together, one al
each side of the horse with the end:
trailing along the ground.
"These were of the same width anc
one was driven in the path of the other
But in spite of these precautions Gou
rard could tell, with practical exact
ness. the number of warriors, squaw:
and pappooses that had passed along
trail, in addition to the tribe they be
Ilonged to and other particulars which
were hidden from the ordinary observ
er, and the determining of which, tt
those who did not know the extraordi
nary capabilities of the scout, seemed
wholly impossible. He would notic'
two sticks laid upon the ground ant
they would tell him of sign of warn
ing left for the Indians for their PEG
pie. There are very many of this lat
ter kind of marks by which the Indian
counsel each other.
sIn short, Gourard had reduced tn
faculty of observation, which most civ
ilized people use so carelessly, to an ez
act science. The Indians, also, as yo'
probably know, are keen observers
lYou will never be able to catch thei
eye, perhaps, or to know just wher
they are looking, but they will Sc
much more than the average whit
man. The only occasion when an Ind
an gaze is fixed is when he descrle
some object at a great distance. The
have way on the plains of sweepin
the horizon, shading their eyes wit
one hand the WHILE"