The Red Cloud chief., 1919-04-17

was entirely out of the question for
me. Four hours rest for 81, at the
rate of 25c an hour you have to
"sleep some" to get your moneys
worth. Later the landlord and l be-
came good friends (Which he later
proved to be when | had the flu |
made his hotel "my home" until I
left there. Murdo is a new county seat
town-new as a county seat, but old
in experience, having experienced
some rather tough times in the days
of indians, cowboys and whiskey.
Some of the cold heads" of the town
can tell some exciting tales of Murdo's
early days.
About two years ago Lyman county
was divided, the western part (the
new county, being called Jones. A
real cozy, modern building waserected
to house the county officials-all good
fellows, real men Of the west. One
of my best friends, there, vas the big
sheriff (big includes heart and
stature) a good fellow even tho he
was a Republican. In all probability
we should attribute this fault to his
ancentors, as it was the way he was
fetched up"
Murdo is also a division point of the
Milwaukee, railroad. A large round
house and repair shops are located
there.
Another one of my Murdo friends
was a shay ACKNOWLEDGEMENT in
cutting, bailing and shipping native
hay. When l asked him how many
tons to the acre, he said an dry
seasons it is how many acres to the
ton" The native hay is not as heavy
as Nebraska hay, but contains more
food value.
Murdo is about Ia miles north of
the Big White River, the dividing
line between the farms of the red and
white mantle reservation.
During my stay in Murdo | became
acquainted with an old indian chief,
White Cow, one of the old settlers
there. A very friendly old gentleman.
Not having kept abreast with the
times he could not speak or under
stand much Of the American language.
| should have said English, as what
is more American than the indian.
Seeing and %convcrsing with him
would not lead one to believe that at
one time this friendly chief, when u
young man, would relish separating
you from your scalp. The younger
generation have followed the example
Of their white neighbors and adopted
their ideas of dress, language, man
nor, etc. They arc real, true, patriotic
citizens. Every draft contingent con-
tanned a large percentage of indians.
Their names were written on the roll
of honor Of the Red Cross, Libery
Loans, and other war fund organiza-
tons. One of the big events of the
year is stock day" The indians bring
their stock over from the reservation
to Murdo for shipment to the markets.
They also bring their abodes and fam
lies. Numerous tepees and covered
wagons dotted the prairie around the
stock yards. Hobbled horses, camp
fires, with Il prairie fire to the south
west, made a very interesting and
pretty sight. Woe be tied the dog that
strays from home and master during
that week. Dog suop is still the fav-
orite of the older generation of
indians. ! had an invitation to dine
with the old chief, one evening"
special menu, pup ~soup-but this did
not appeal to me, therefore | de-
clined with many thanks.
Coyotes still roam the prairies in
that vicinity. When the shadows of
night settle over the peaceful plains
they may be seen sinking along in
search of their evening meal and
their lonesome wall does not add any
to the pleasure of a hike over the
lonesome trails, especially one who had
never before experienced this sensa-
ton.
The government still has the red
men under its guiding wing. They
are given free land and a number of
stock a a starter. Many of them take
advantage of their Uncle's generosity
and are anxious to succeed. The
majority, however, are notfndustrious,
knowing that Uncle Sam will not see
them want. They have their own Of
~icials, composed of a "boss farmer
who i~nstructs them along agricultural
lines and their "high sheriff." a big,
husky native, attired in an olive
colored uniform, with as many brass
buttons on it as was ever on a uniform
of any traffic cop on State and Mido-
son, Chicago. Really it would make
Messrs. Hutfer and Boner jealous if