The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-08-24
OWNED STRING OF BOATS
Carried Freight for the Government
annd Made q Large Fortune
Died q Few Years Ago and
Was Buried Here.

northwest is told in the Fort Peck edi-
ton Of the Glasgow Courier, publish
ed In Glasgow, Valley county, Mon
tana. The hero Of the tale Is Col.
Campbell X. Peck, whose life has
been one filled with romance and ad-
venture. The storyette is one of the
true and legendary history OF that
country and was written by Rev. Ia
j, Chr'stler. OF Col. Peck the minis
ter says:
One morning, in those "flre4canoe"
days, boat carrying supplies to all
the Indian trading posts puffed up to
a regular stopping place on the banks
OF the river, where there was wood
pile to take on fuel, for the steamers
in those days burned wood. Outlines
these stops for wood were attended
with considerable danger, In that the
Indians would hide behind the wood
piles. On the morning referred to,
just as the steamer poked her nose
into the river bank, band of Indians
rose from behind the wood pile. They
tricked the passengers of the boat by
pretending to be hungry in their Gus
tomary How! how! heap hungry,
long time to eat much. Maybe Pale
face give us to eat. Spose no eat
purity soon we die" Upon the strength
of this appeal OF pretended hunger
the tricky Indians were allowed to
come aboard the boat. After gorging
themselves with the food graciously
prepared for them by the crew OF the
steamer, they arose shook hands all
a.ound, but suddenly turned on every
one Of the crew, flooded the fires, shot
away the smoke stack, and badly dam
aged the deck. They then started to
make prisoners of the passengers, but
the ultimate success Of their treach-
e " was suddenly halted by the time
" action Of Col. Campbell Kennedy
Peck, who, at that time, was inter-
ested in this boat and thirteen other
boats, which piled the Missouri river
and it's tributaries. He was stanTng
in the cabin Of the boat. saw and com,
pretended what the treachery Of these
Indians meant, unless some move was
made and made quickly. He did some
powerful thinking. Suddenly the
thought struck him that the Indians
were horribly afraid OF cannon. TO
them it was very, very bad medicine.
Now every boat in those days carr1en
a. cannon. There was a small one
standing on the rear deck Of the boat
now in possession Of the Indians. Col
onel Peck lighted a cigar, deliberately
walked toward the cannon, holding up
the lighted cigar, as though prepared
to throw it into the lannon's mouth.
The Indians, upon seeing him, yelled,
"Heap Bad Medicine" jumped from
the boat and disappeared behind the
bushes. The steamer was then repair
ed and resumed it's Journey upstream.
Attacks Of a similar nature were re-
newed, but at each attack the steam
er's crew remembered the pretense
and the treachery Of the first one.
Married In keokuk.
Now, Colonel Peck, the hero Of this
tale Of Indian treachery, was IN
American fur trader, and one OF the
best men that ever lived. He played
very important part in the history
IF ire gre u northwest, and the t"rt
Peck Indian reservation, in particular.
It will be OF interest to note, in pass
ing that Colonel Peck was born at
Troy. n. Y, was graduated from
Union college, as valedictorian OF his
class in 1858, and had for his class
mate. Chester Allen Arthur. the once
president of the United States, Sidney
Post, late ambassador to Austria.
George Thatcher, and several other
men Of note. AS the natural conse-
ouence Of an interesting and beauti-
full little romance in the suburbs OF
the Flower City" of Rochester, N.
Y, he married Miss Helen A. Higbie,
the two then going to Keokuk. Iowa,
where as a banker and merchant, he
became one of the leading citizens In
the affairs Of the state. Two chill
drep were born to them, a daughter
Nellie. and a son Cady.
When President Lincoln Called for
$4,000 volunteers, Campbell Kennedy
Peck was among the first to raise
regiment in the state of Iowa. He
was given the title of colonel. After
the war. he, in company with his
brother-in-law. Commodore e. H. Dur
fee. of Leavenworth, Kansas, formed
the firm of Durfee &, Peck. and entered
into a contract with the United States
government to carry freight to the
military posts and Indian agencies OF
the great northwest The firm was
not long IN growing into one of the
greatest freight transporters and buff
falo traders in the country. 1t soon
,fNsS.xA -
to the number of fourteen. that piled