Tekamah and Vicinity, Noteworthy Men of

     In 1862 he responded to his adopted country's call and enlisted in Co. A, 2nd Nebraska Cavalry where he served two years.
   Mr. Stork was united in marriage December 11th, 1863, to Miss Frederika Michael. He passed from this life at his home in this city October 6th, 1904.

   ALBERT P. MASON was born May 24th, 1843, in Hudson, Ohio. He came with his father to Jackson county, Iowa, in 1853. In the summer of 1857 he accompanied W. W. Latta to Burt County, Nebraska, arriving here the 25th day of July. For thirty years Mr. Mason resided on a farm which he owned south of this city. He then removed to Tekamah where he has since resided.
   At the breaking out of the Civil War Mr. Mason enlisted, and although a resident here, he was mustered into Co. K, 2nd Kansas Cavalry, as a private, in January, 1862. He was discharged the 17th day of April, 1865, as a Sargeant, having served three years, three months and two days. Upon his discharge he immediately returned to Burt county.
   Recalling events of the early history of this locality Mr. Mason mentions the three large cottonwood trees that stood, two west and one east of the north end of the Thirteenth street bridge. It was the custom in the early days for the Omaha Indians to hold their annual council beneath those trees and they kept up the practice until the trees were removed.
   Mr. Mason says he is somewhat amused at the meetings of the "Old Settlers" at how little most of them know of the privations, hardships and anxieties of the pioneers who made the roads and paved the way for those who came after 1870. Little did they know, or do they yet know, of the distressing anxiety and apprehension caused by living in close proximity to the Omaha Indians who used to hunt along the river and beg and steal from the few hardy settlers on the Arizona bottoms. Among these Indians the most con-

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spicuous was "Sleeping Buffalo" and "Omaha Mary," an Indian woman who spoke the English language and was sent along with the different hunting parties, by the agent of the reservation, for an interpreter and also to see that any depredations committed by other Indians was reported to the Agency. "Sleeping Buffalo" was a surly old chap, revengful (sic) and blood thirsty. He would rather fight the white man than be his friend. It was this old chap who caused so much unrest and sleepless hours during the years of 1860 and '61, when Decatur was so nearly depopulated from fear of an Indian uprising. Sometimes the old chap would stop at a house and demand something to eat and if not promptly handed out would take his scalping knife and go through the motions of scalping someone. This usually had the desired effect of bringing the food. For this and similar reasons the 2nd Neb., Cavalry was enlisted for a term of nine months. After its enlistment however, it was sent farther west to protect the settlers up the Platte valley.
   In 1863, so Mr. Mason says, emigration set in and the settlement on the Arizona bottoms was able to take care of itself. Yet "Sleeping Buffalo" continued to be a menace to the settlers along the Bluff road and it was said that many times the Agent was notified to keep him at home or there would be another "Good Indian." He died in '66 or '67 to the great satisfaction of those who knew him best.
   Gradually the hills and valleys west of the Bluff road began to be peopled. The Homestead law sent the hardiest of men and women from the eastern states, of which class the old soldiers were no small part, and through their efforts the hills and valleys began to bloom.
   In April 1870, a settler named Munson, who had located near the reservation, was killed by the Indians, and a yoke of oxen, his only team, was taken by them. The murderers were arrested by Elisha Crowell, then sheriff, and were confined in the Fremont jail until the

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