He spoke Chiwere, native tongue of Otoes and the Missouria, so William Parker Carr was a natural choice to move the 700 Indians to their new reservation. After, of course, Washington D.C fleeced both tribes of their lands and they had nowhere else to go.
Practical Carr had plenty of food—flour, bacon, and sixty head of cattle. So he invented a strategy to make excellent time with a minimum of fuss on the 75-mile trip.
The first day, he distributed five cows plus ample flour and bacon to the 700 travelers. He waited until all ate their fill. Then he announced where their next meal would be served. Just as he expected, the Otoes and the Missouria sped to the next location.
Just another tidbit from THIEVES RASCALS & SORE LOSERS, a saucy Nebraska history by Marilyn June Coffey.
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