The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1929-08-08

brothers made their first acquaintance with the
tribe of Indians with whom they were to become
famous-the Pawnees. The reservation for the
Pawnees had been established IN the section of
Nebraska in which the Norths lived and in 1860
Frank and Luther North secul ed employment
with the agent on the reservation. The next year
a new agent was appointed and a son-n-aw of
the commissioner of Indian affairs was made
trader for the Pawnees Finding that Frank
North could speak the Pawnae language, this
trader employed him as clerk and interpreter.
The Sioux and the Pawnees were traditional
enemies and during the year 1861 the Sioux
made a number of raids on the PaWnees. During
one of these Luther North had what he declares
to have been his narrowest escape from death
during his whole career the plains. He was
then engaged in hauling logs to the sawnill on
the reservation and at night was accustomed to
turn the horses and mules of the logging outfit
out to Craze. One morning the animals were
gone and young North set out on saddle mule
to find them. mile from the agency he
Jumped by war party of Sioux who were
between him and the agency. A mile in the oppo
site direction was another traders store. and
toward that young North urged his mule as fast
as ii could run. But it was not fast enough to
outrun a spendidy mounted Sioux warrior,
armed with bow and and spear, who
quickly overlook the fleeing boy. But just
Tie savage WIS Ttduy W lluSl HIS idnco tuiouSiI
the boy, his horse stepped in prairie dog hole
and before he could get to his feet and use his
bow and arrows, young North had reached the
trading post.
The Lext year young North enlisted in the
Second Nebraska cavalry which, in the spring of
1861 was ordered to join the expedition which
Gen. Alfred Sully was to lead up the Missouri
river to punish the hostile Sioux who had been
committing depredations along the emigrant
AT the outbreak of the Great Sioux War of
1864, Luther North did his first scouting for the
government, as did his brother Frank North. It
was during this war, also, that the first group of
PaWnee scouts organized at the suggestion
of General Curtis the commanding officer IN that
area. Seventy-seven young Pawnees en-
rolled and placed under command of an
interpreter named McFadden with Frank North
as second in command. General Curtis soon dis
covered that McFadden had little real authority
over the Pawnees but that they obeyed promptly
when North ordered them OUT OH scouting ex-
petition. AS a result Curtis gave North authority
to enlist a company of 100 scouts when he re-
turned to Fort Kearney from that particular expe-
dition. Upon arriving at the fort North called a
council of the tribe and made kl own his wishes.
Within an hour he had 100 of the hest Pawnee
warriors enrolled all of them anxious for North
to lead them against the Sioux.
linen army red tape got IN It's work. North
ordered to come to Omaha with list of the
Indian names. There being no railroad, he was
forced to make the journey horseback and
reached Omaha in three days. There he was
kept waiting for two weeks before being furn-
shed with muster rolls and enlistment papers
and when he returned tc the reservation, he found
that all of his scouts had gone off on the
Pawnees' winter buffalo hunt. Frank North was
obliged to return to Omaha but he sent his
brother Luther, to follow the Pawnees and per-
suade the men he had recruited to return Ac-
companied by a young Pawnee. Luther North
set out but was caught in a blizzard which ragged
for three days. Being out of provisions. they
started back for the reservation and for four
days, during which time they had nothing to eat
they batted their WAY through the snow. Finally
they reached the North home in Columbus
Eventually Frank North found the Pawnees
and after long journey. filled with suffering
from the intense cold. they all returned to Column
bus. Here he found telegram from the com
handing officer at Omaha, telling him that I'm.
less the company was promptly filled, the order
authorizing 1t would be rescinded. That called
for another trip TO Omaha and this time he made
1t in day and half. Finally. after many diff
cuties dncluding that Of the deserton of 81
Pawnees who had been told that they were to be
sent south to fight the negrocs) Company A