Charles Nettleton Strevell

'' "Another of the first trustees, Nel­son Buck, who came from near Bloomington, was a widower with three children, and shortly after his coming, was married to the widow of Augustus Fellows who lost her family to cholera a few years before. Mr. Buck was a man of many interesting peculiarities and was al­ways first and foremost in everything that went for the up-building of the town. He was a sur­veyor and was elected to that position for several terms. Mr. Buck was one of the first trustees of the village of Pontiac, organized in 1856, and was the leading force which brought about the incorporation. He was a ready writer for the press in the early days of Pontiac, and many of the older residents now living remember the caustic articles printed over his signature. In 1869, while engaged in writing the first his­tory of the county, he received an appointment as surveyor from the United States government, with orders to proceed at once to the territory of Nebraska. The history was about one-fifth completed when he left for the west.  

Before leaving for the west, Mr. Buck inserted an ad­vertisement in one of the local papers for eight young men to accompany him on the trip, assur­ing them of plenty of sport, with an excellent chance to see the country. The opportunity af­forded by the expedition for exploring the wilds of western Nebraska attracted the attention of several of the more adventurous young men of this place, who made application to Mr. Buck for employment, and were enrolled as members of the party, and on the [[29 June, 1869]], Mr. Buck, Frank McFarland, Buxton McGregor, John Nettleton, Will McCulloch and James Sager started from Pontiac for the field of their labors. None of these young men were over seventeen years of age. They left Pontiac and proceeded to [[Council Bluffs, Iowa]], by rail, and from that point proceeded to a point opposite Plattsmouth, Nebraska, where they crossed the [[Mis­souri river]]. At Plattsmouth, they were joined by six others and proceeded without interrup­tion to [[Fort Kearney]], Neb., where they were to receive a military escort. While at Fort Kearney, Mr. Buck was cautioned not to proceed further by the commandant, [[Colonel Pollock]], who stated that the country was full of Indians on the war­path and that they had been engaged but a few days previous by a troop of cavalry from the fort. After waiting for several days for the escort and not procuring one, Mr. Buck decided to push forward, and accordingly left the fort with his party. After journeying two days west­ward and encountering many of the Sioux tribe, Mr. Buck became alarmed and sent young McGregor and Nettleton back to Fort Kearney with a request to the Colonel that he send an escort at once. The boys returned to the fort and de­livered the message, and as no troops were forth­coming decided to remain until one was provided. No troops being available the escort was not provided and McGregor and Nettleton left the fort with their faces turned toward the east and worked their way back to Pontiac, having seen all the Indians they desired. The surveying party, ten in number, had left Fort Kearney about the middle of July, and as nothing had been heard of them, an expedition from North Platte headed by [[Lieutenant Haskins]], U. S. A., with [[William F. Cody]] (Buffalo Bill) as a scout, left that place the first of October in search of them. On the 10th of October, Lieutenant Haskins reported to his superior of having found about thirty miles southeast of McPherson, where Mr. Buck's party was supposed to be, two tripods, a camp and camp equipage, and some canned fruits. The camp had the appearance of being deserted. He also saw some parts of a wagon. Not long after this, a band of Indians were captured, and it was ad­mitted by them that they had a fight with a party at the point above mentioned; that it was a desperate one and that the last to fall was a tall man, who was in charge of the party. The In­dians denied that they burned the bodies of the men, but careful search by expeditions sent out in search of the missing party failed to find them, and as not one of them ever returned or has since been heard of, it was generally supposed at the time that after killing every member of the gallant little band, their bodies were disposed of by the Indians in a manner peculiar to their own." ''