New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-12-08
From the Model American Courier.
INDIANs-..By Apollonis.

1NDIANs"..By Apollonis.
sussErvnLE, Far West.
Sunsetyille was momentarily disturbed this
morning by the arrival of company of distin-
guished strangers, consisting of six Indians, on
their way from farther west to civilization.
They came not as in days Of yore, when Sunset
vile was hunting ground, and the Great West
an aboriginal empire; no long reverberating
whoop or kindled council-ire announced the
arrival of hunting party, or o war train of a
stranger tribe; but Unprecedented they loitered
through the village, followed by host Of liber-
ated school-boys, who looked upon them as got
ten up for their especial benefit. Occasionally
an idler passing along would stand watching
them few minutes, and then resume his stroll
soliloauizing: They're queer set;" and the
merchants coming to their doors, would look at
them for awhile, and saying,'' Poh it's only
some Indians would return to the measuring
of muslins, or the counting Of costs. Thus they
were consigned to the curiosity of idle urchins
and the benevolence of a few idlers, who would
toss them coppers, for the pleasure of seeing
them shot off of q stake by their long, blunt
arrows.
How have the times changed with the free and
fearless natives of this broad land! It is only
two centuries and half since features of bronze
first gazed wonderingly upon the smile of friend
ship, as it radiated from the pale countenances
of English cavaliers; and since that time the
white race, which then received foothold, a
mere handful of American soil, as boon from
its barbarian owners, has circled from the ST.
james to the Columbia, and the descendants of
the settlers of jamestown now collect tariff from
the world at San Francisco; while, within 200
miles of the Mississippi, the children Of their
ancient hosts are looked upon as strangers, and
treated as outcasts. Yet those dirty, half-clad
wanderers pass along as proudly as though
knowing they had title deeds from antiquity for
the ground on which they tread; turning to
neither side, and saving not word, they stalk
our streets like ghosts Of departed majesty.
But on closer inspection. you find no grandeur
in their appearance; their long, coarse, black
hair, plated and matted together, their low,
kmall forheads, iull cheek bones, and huge thick
lips, of o dirty yellow, rendered more ugly
by The addition of stripes of paint, however
brave they may appear, certainly are not types
of beauty. Look a little closer at that old
braves head, and you will see thrust into the
plated locks tobacco pipe, which probably
serves by rotation for the whole company.
What pooketless Yankee would ever think of
carrying his pipe in his hair' Observe the new
calico shirt of that boy, whose short hair stands
out not unlike the lt-bitten name of French
pony, it is of bright red, striped with yellow,
and hangs loosely and gracefully around his
broad shoulders; those worn by the others we're
doubtlessly as bright once, but now they show
their varied colors beneath a coating of dust
and grease; they have all Of them probably
been manufactured in New England looms
standing onssoil that rightfully belongs to In
dian owners. Those dirty blankets or shawls,
wrapped around their waists. answer the COM
bined purposes of suspenders, valise, or carpet
bag, pockets and bedding; for, carrying every
thing in their folds by day. they wrap them
selves therein at night and retire, with the
| ground for a mattress, and the clouds for o
counterpane Look at the style of their neither
garments; he of the pipe has buckskin leggings
such as were worn by his grandfather, but tht
other old mans are Of drab cloth, while those O.
the boys lock like some dandy's worn out pan
1 aIoons made over They fit as tightly as if cu
ccordsing to the latest system, all but the boys
tt .ey seelu to be wider than is fashionable ever
ou toward the outward edge of Asia; so he hal
tie d stripes 0 T red flannel around them just be
low the knee How comfortable their mecca
sins looki it is tue they do not shine with pat
ent -luster nor are they of the shape Of the last
but, though they ar,s nothing more or less thai
faittened bags Of bu, akskin with feet in them
til, ,se feet are as Nature moulded them; n
or amped toes, unnatura knobs, nor twinginl
co rms rebel against the &c utle restraints OF tn
de er-skin. See them shoot! Their hands are
tn e most aristocratic size and contour. Matcl
tb lat old fellow picking up the pennies ana put
ii ng them away in his mouth. That purse Q
h is will surely last him his Lifetime.
Now direct your attention to thai squaW 1h
only lady in the company her long hair fall
over her shoulders uncovered and uHrestralned
a. large blanket, folded square, hangs from he
shoulders, and almost hides her short skirte
gown and wide pantaloons; and her ears, nos
and fingers, all glitter with brass jeWelry
Don't you admire her appearance Can't ex
actly say you do. Think the face would not'b
bad looking if the costume were q little neatei
and the exceedingly brunette complexion con
slider ably cleaner. All! have you never caugh
your self thinking how lovely pure, unsophif
ticatt,d Indian maiden, dressed in bucksklr
wampum and feathers trimmed with gold, mus
be' Oh, yes! but that was when you wer
youn e, and read the {. Pathfinder then 20
did not know that combs and soap, like commo
scho ols and woman's rights, should be classe
with the blessings of civilization. But, alas
the Indian of romance is always handsomer an
better dressed indeed, is much more of an e1
quisite', in every way, than the 1--we Indian; an
blalnke is, leggings and moccasins, appear muc
better when displayed on canvas than whe
shown off on brave or squaw. Yet, to gi1
the Ind ian his due, it must be confessed that
is natu rally generous and confding, and ii
history of tn e Red Race shows that dirt al
degrads ltion are not necessarily synonymes, al
that "a ease is not always incompatible vii
greatne s..
Whitsa sater, wis, Oct. 9, 1854
A F,fsH SToR we seldom undertake fl
story 90 cause many hard stories of that sort have be
told nd one must therefore be very well told to be Int
esting q creditable- An up country Georgia sng
woult req ure to be informed as to the moa5 opraat
fish Il a Ii ne may be drawn from the water with
fs ain lir ,e', The way the fishermen do that sort
th, ~ In sa yannsh river il this: line fifty or
hut ,red va rs long sunk in the river, with hooks
tao he'd som, ten fifteen inches apart and suffered
main twel We twentyfoar hours in the water WI
dr. avn thers fore there chance for indefinite
b. " of Ash But to the story Yesterday morning
thesa nas was ut ExehanSe dock. which is 81
n nor oulv :, lne OF the Oldest inhabitants but by
5dest fisasrm en- to beat any haul Witnessed since