Omaha daily bee., 1907-05-12
PIONEER OF BOOTLECGERS
Lake shorts Brief Career as White Iu-
dian in Hs6raskas Early Days
TRADING WHISKY FOR BUFFALO ROBES
Run Dswn ~ Uncle SANS Cavalry,
and Run Oct of the COuRtry-
Gives Soldiers the slip
A border Episode.

The career OF Luke Short sport and bad
man" forms the subject OF BAT Master
sons third article on Famous Fighters Of
the Western Frontier" In Human Life for
the current month. Bat has had consider
able experience along the lines described
and is reputed to have u few notches on
his gun. As deputy United States marshal
for the district Of New York City he has
time TO cultivate the story telling talent
and paint anew the CORY scenes enacted by
= good and bad in border days.
Luke Shorts career began on the north
ern border Of Nebraska and. strange to
relate, closed peacefully in Texas. twelve
years ago. A little fellow, barely five feet
six and Weighing about 40 pounds, he was
an example OF energy and great force,
supplemented with unscrupious cunning
His career In Nebraska was comparatively
brief and Is thus told by Masterson.
At the time he left his fathers ranch in
western Texas, where he had been occupied
as a cowboy In tn middle seventies for
the Red Cloud agency in North Dakota,
he was nothing more than a white Indian.
That is be was an Indian in every respect
except color. And. as nearly all Of our
American Indians living west OF the Mis-
souri, river In those days were both wild
and hostile and on the war path most Of
~AN NAAAof AdAN luEd Oh Luke snort may De
Cleaned from this statement. Luke had re-
ceived none Of the advantages OF a school
IN his younger days; he could hardly write
his name legibly. II was, indeed doubtful
II he had ever seen a school house until
he reached mans estate But he could
ride a broncho and throw a lariat; he could
shoot both fast and straight, and was not
Z afraid.
He had no sooner reached the northern
boundary line OF Nebraska, hard by the
Sioux Indian reservation, than he estab-
lished what he was pleased to call a trad
ing ranch"
His purpose was to trade with the Sioux
Indians. whose reservation was just across
the line in North Dakota. Instinctively he
knew that the Indians loved whisky and
as even in those days he carried on his
shoulders something Of commercial head.
he conceived the idea that a gallon of
whisky worth 90 cents was not bad thing
TO trade an Indian for bufrola robe worth
SO Accordingly Luke proceeded 20 lay in
goodly supply OF pine Top" the name
by which the whisky traded to the Indians
In exchange for their robes was known
Uncle Sam objects to His Business.
He was not long in building up a lucrative
business; Or was It long before the Indian
chiefs OF the Sioux tribe got on to him.
Drunken bands of young bucks were reg
ularly returning TO their villages from the
direction OF the Short rendezvous, loaded
20 the muzzie with pine Top" and. as
every drink contained at least two fights
and as II usually took about ten drinks TO
cause an Indian TO forget that the Great
White Father abode in Washington, the
condition OF those who had found enter
tainment at the Short ranch, when they
I.
than told.
The Indian agent in Charge Of this par
tisaiar branch of the siou1 tribe with
Whom Short had been dealing soon got
Hlsy with Washington. He represented to
Yhe Department OF the Interior that band
-1of cutthroat white men, under the leader
fsiip OF Luke Short, we've trading whisky
ITO his Indians, and that he was powerless
20 stop IT, as the camp of the white men
hwas located Just across the reservation
line, In the state of Nebraska, which was
outside of his jurisdiction. He requested
the government to instantly remove the
whisky traders and drive them from the
country. Otherwise, said he, an Indian
uprising will surely follow. The govern.
ment, as was to be expected, forthwith IN.
structed the post commander at Omaha
20 get after the purveyors Of the poisonou,
pine Top" who were charged with caus
ing such havoc among the noble red mer
OF the Sioux reservation.
Caught with the Goods on.
The military commander at Omaha soor
had a company of United States cavalr,
after Short and, as he had no notice o.
such a move being made against him, h,
was soon a prisoner in the hands Of tn,
government authorities He was alone fl
his little dugout, cooking his dinner, wher
the soldiers arrived, He was told that h,
was a prisoner, by order Of the government
for having unlawfully traded whisky to tn,
Indians
rs that all. gentlemen" said Luke, al
he invited the officer in command of tn,