Evening star., 1937-10-02

Quite few tourists" visited the
Indian tribes Of the Upper Missouri
during the first half of the nineteenth
century.
They were artists, adventures. sci
entists They observed native life and
customs from the aloof viewpoint OF
outsiders. When reading their journals
one often feels that they were like the
Englishman who writes book on Amer
lca after two months here
Quite different is manuscript found
in the Historical Museum at Berne.
Switzerland and just translated and
printed by the Smithsonian Institution.
It consists of the day-by day observa-
tions of an educated man who was no
tourist who had to live and work
among the Indians and half-breed trap
pers. The author. Rudolph F'riederlch
Kurz, was a trained artist and keen
observer He was, however. penniless.
He had to work for the fur traders and
drive bargains with the Indians. Conse-
ouently. he got a much more intimate
view of their ways than would have
been possible for one who came only to
observe and study them.
He lived among the plains tribes when
they were, for the most part at peace
with the whites But kurz saw plainly
the double dealing and rank dishonesty
on the part of white men, especially Gov
ernment agents, which in another decade
was to make the red man an lmpiacable
foe of Americans. He warns that there
can be no other result
kurz had some thrilling adventures.
To the Indian mind sketching was asso-
ciated with black magic, and when an
epidemic broke out the relatives of the
victims knew whom to blame. They had
seen him drawing the pictures of the
vctims-thus taking possession of their
souls
The artist wore spectacles. They called
him Iron Eyes" All of his adventures
were not with Indians or half-breeds.
He once sailed up the Mississippi from
New Orleans with a boatload of German
emigrant girls who had come to America
to look for husbands. They were vast
ing no time about it. The poor artist
narrowly escaped, shortly afterward to
be roped into matrimony by lovely
Iowa maiden who promptly deserted him.
The Indian way of killing bison, after
the introduction Of firearms is vividly
described in the artists diary.
There were come champion half breed
hunters in his day. Such a man was
Battiste LafOntane, who once raced
another hunter TO see which of them
could kill the greatest number at full
gallop Laf0ntaine, who weighed 230
pounds covered one English mile in
six minutes and Shst, in flight, II cows
that is, two every minute-notwith-
standing that cows run much faster than
bulls" Another half-breed, Owen Mac
Kenzie, could load and shoot IA times in
one mile at full gallop, but does not
invariably hit the object at which he
aims"
The hunter, says KurZ, "chases buff
faloes at full gallop, discharges his gun
and reloads without slackening speed.
To accomplish this he holds the weapon
close within the bend of his left arm
and, taking the powder horn in his right
hand. draws out with his teeth the
stopper and shakes out the requisite
amount of powder. Then he grabs the
gun with his right hand. holding it in
vertical position, pours the powder
down the barrel and gives the gun a
sidelong thrust with his left hand in
order to shake the powder through the
priming hole into the touchpan.
Nov he takes bullet from his mouth
and with his left hand puts it into the