Omaha daily bee., 1918-10-30
Ute Chief Shines as Scout
Stars and Stripes, France.

L ne Ute war cry rang OuSH rlCHSI
town the other day when Chief Ross otherwise
Private Ross, battalion scout of the - infantry
| during moment of triumph over his German
enemy, forgot himself and uttered the ancien
tocsin of his race
year ago, when Private Ross babe farewell
to his native straightforward shed his buck
skin riding trousers for a uniform, he immedi'
ately became chief. Not a chief with the same
executive powers the chiefs that ruled over
his race years ago, but plain buck private chief
His white brethren insisted on calling him chief
the first day he arrived in camp, although he
| peeled potatoes for the mess sergeant that day
and real chiefs are not supposed to do K. p
Chief Ross is not what you would call a
model soldier. He has been known to salute
gone to his captain for the third time to request
pass. He never talks much although he has
fair knowledge of English He had smiled up
to the other day only once since he has been
in the army, and that, his comrades say, was
when his scout commander promised him a GER
tain errand which the officer was about to send
him upon.
1t was at training camp in America that a
scout captain first noted the scouting abilities
of Chief Ross. One day the regiment was
maneuvering and it was necessary to send out
scouts. Chief Ross was selected A detach-
ment, commanded by the captain was to act
as the enemy, and it was Chief Ross duty to
scout ahead of the advance guard, locate the en-
envy and report his location to the colonel
An hour later the Indian reported the exact
location of the enemy" and then disappeared.
When the captain and his detachment had been
captured Chief Ross brought up the rear. He
had returned to their position and hid behind
log to avoid a mistake in case the enemy"
changed its location. During his going and
coming the scout had been unobserved, and the
captain was much surprised on learning that his
position in thick berry patch had been under
observation by Ross from the time he entered
it until his capture.
The first day the regiment went into battle
Chief Ross was very active. By night he knew
every shell hole in No Mans Land, the location
of every machine gun nest and sniper's post.
1t was during that first day of battle that
the Indian scout relapsed into a silence pro-
found even for him. He spoke to no one except
on rare occasions. When directed to perform
a certain Grand he merely grunted and then
faded away into the forest or underbrush. The
errand performed-and he has never failed to
perform one yet whether it be a machine gun
nest that needs sencing or only a sniper-h
would return to his own lines without even so
much as making report to his scout COM
mander
His actions were noticed by the French Off
GERS and poilus What they regarded him as at
first they were too polite to tell, but soon they
There came the night at Fismes when the
scout officer and patrol found themselves lost
in dark wood. They dared not go one way
or another without first obtaining proper infor-
nation as to their location for fear of walking
into the German lines. They were discussing
their problem when dark form crawled out
from under shelter and approached the lieu
tenant.
1t was Chief Ross. He walked over to the
officer, pulled at his coat sleeve and babe him
follow, utterng one OF his grunts. Fifteen
minutes later the party walked back into its
own lines
Chief Ross developed certain paterna1 af-
lection tor German luger pistol that he cap
tured one night in the enemy trenches. He
carries it with him wherever he goes for fear
that one of his white brothers will annex it in
his absence if he leaves it lying around.
1t is with this automatic pistol that he &C
composites his various tasks as battalion
scout He seldom carries anything else except
hand grenades. His supply of ammunition is
always low, but he manages to visit the German
trenches often enough to keep supplied, and this
German-made weapon has killed many bocfes.
The scout commander expressed his desire
to acquire pair of German field glasses. He
made the remark to another officer in the pres
party went out and Chief Ross was of it. Next
morning the Indian approached the scout com
mander and presented him with pair of field
glasses. Il get him dugout," he explained
pointing toward the German lines
1t was last week, during the American ad
vance beyond Fismes across the Vesle that the
greatest test of all came. A machine gun was
holding up the advance with harassing fire.
1t was broad daylight-3 o'clock in the aft
ernoon. The task of silencing the machine gun
was left to the scout commander. A picket pa
troll was to go out and accomplish the job. The
work fell on Chief Ross and three companions,
the three being picked because they are almost
as clever as Ross himself.
The patrol disappeared into the underbrush
with the Indian leading his uger pistol ready
and two grenades bullying in his hip pocket
The machine gun emplacement, it was dis
covered was in the high window of building
not 200 yards from the American line. Two
men were left out front to draw its fire, and
Chief Ross and the fourth man advanced on the
position from two sides.
1t was Ross who got within range first He
crawled up to within few yards of the build
ing and could see the muzzle of the machine
gun protruding through the window.
An instant later we'll aimed grenade hurled
from the chiefs right hand burst inside the
compartment, killing one of the two Germans
and demoshing the gun, The surviving Ger
man retreated through back window and slid
to the ground directly behind the building,
where he would be protected by German ma
chine gun fire from the rear.
1t was certain death to attempt to reach the
retreating Hun from either side of the building
as machine guns were then pouring forth hail
storm of bullets.
The German was cunning, but not nearly so
cunning as the Ute. Chief Ross swung himself
up to the roof, and, catlike, approached its ridge
where he had commanding view of his fleeing
enemy
Three shots did the Job
Tt then hat Chat Pocc ra1o,ead L:o