The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-04-06

though they had lost their best friends.
They had their papooses tied on
board, and had them standing up
against the house or fence. You did
not hear whimper from them scarce
ly ever. And when they are travel
ling, they hang board on their backs
with the papoose strapped to 1t, and
with q strap across their forehead, the
papoose stands there looking back.
And when theycom to a house they
set them up outside of the door until
they get ready TO go again. They
never bring them into house unless
| it is cold weather. They strap their
young ones on board for the purpose
of making them straight. You never
saw an Indian but who was as
straight as string. Oviatt made HIM
self rich out of those Indians with
whisky, and few other Indian trink-
cts, and when he got all he could out
of them, he cried out, "vanity, vani-
ty and vexation of spirit for whisky
| is the root of all evil. -,;l-33
The Indians were peculiar people
| in their notions. In June, 1906, when
| the total eclipse occurred, they did
not know anything, Of it until it began
10 be dark. They became very much
frightened, and thought the bad Spirit
had gone to war with the Goo, / pirit
They formed themselves in iIne of
battle and commenced firing at the
bad Spirit, and as the glimpse of the
sun came out on the opposite side,
one of them fired and he gained the
victory, and they made him Chief, or
! it was so said. j. 8ls "a
i The Seneca Chief lost his wife or
squaw in Streetsboro, at their camp,
where they made it their head quar-
ters, near the river, on Samuel Olin's
farm, in the Summer of 1909. She
| was large, stout woman and very
good looking for an Indian squaw; L
| should think between so and go years
| old. They are proud people in their
way. They had calico frock made,
which was ruffied up nicely, and al
most covered up with silver breaches
and large silver bands around her
wrists and ancles. They dug grave
about three feet deep and put q bark
| on the bottom and on each side and
rolled her up in blanket and laid her
| in, and put bark on the top over all
but her face and that was so arranged
that when she was covered up with
| dirt there was hole left SO that she
could see out, when she should rise
again at some future period. They
believe that man ought TO be good
and honest, and that a man who will
lie, steal and cheat ought not to live.
| When they are your friend they are a
friend indeed, but as enemies they
know no mercy. They believe in pun
| ishing the wicked for their evil deeds.
i DESCRIPTION OF ANIMALS &C.
This used to be one of the greatest
counties in the world for great vari-
ETY. of gone. There were the Elk,
Deer, Bear, Wolf, Panther, Wildcat,
Otter, Beaver, Wollynig's, Porcupine,
Raccoon aud a great variety of small
animals. OF the feathered flock there
| were Swans, Geese, Ducks, Turkeys,
| Bald Eagles, Grey Eagles, Ravens,
Buzzards, Crows, Owls, and a great
variety of small birds, that used to
| make the forest ring with their sweet
songs, as one happy family of the for
est. And where are they now The
| white man has thrown death aud des.
truction among them, and they have
all disappeared and gone to return ne
more forever. There was the Indian
that was placed in the forest with his
happy family of beasts and birds, he
was placed in the happiestsituation OF
any hannah being, for he had every
thing that human heart could wish fol
avery thing was plenty, and easily got
at, and he lived according to the coun-
sci that was given of old Give nc
thought of the morrow, bat let every
day provide for itself" Fol there
was all sorts of game playing around
that was for their use, and all the
Iponds, rivers and brooks filled with
fish, and all the feathered fiocks that
used to live here, and thele were the
great forests that were filled with bees
and honey in great quantities, and all
sorts of wild fruit, such as Wortleber-
ries, Blackberries, Cranberries, Black.
I-haws, Chestnuts, Hickorynuts and
Butternuts, &C.. Can man be placed
in pleasanter situation in this life.
The Indian has not the selfish and
covetoils disposition of the white man
He does not want to lay up riches to
make him trouble in this world, but
to take all the comfort he could in this
life, and I think if honor and honesty
constitute good men, they had it
The Indian has gone, with all his for
est focks, to return no more. They
have been driven from their homes,
their country and all their enjoyments
of life, and to leave their Fathers and
Mothers graves where they had been
raised and so fondlv dandled on their
knees. And for what? Merely to
crafty and make room for a covetous
| and craving selfish disposition that
can never be satisfied; like Alexan-
der of old, when he had conquered
| the whole world, he sat down and
wept because there were no more
worlds to- conquer.
! 1 will now give you short history
/ of the animals of the forest. The
buffalo disappeared about century
ago. The elk stayed here until about
4 1914. They are a peculiar creature in
some respects. They are larger than
the deer, but seem to be of the same
| species. They have large horns which
drop off every year, in the month OF
December, or when the weather gets
very cod. think they freeze off, for
when freezing cold weather begins
the horn will begin to crack around
close to the head, where the heat OF
the animal and the cold meet, and will
keep cracking for two or three weeks
and in the spring, when warm weather
CuO " SIOW
with a skin over it, and it is SOFT In
August the horns get their growth
and perfect shape. They then rub of
the skin or velvet, as we used to cal
it. They then lay in the sun and dry
their horns until they become hard
The deer pursues the same course with
its horns.
1 helped to run out the township OF
Dover west of Rocky River, border
ing on the Lake. We surveyed it in
1910. At that time there were a great
many elk in that township. We
used 10 start them almost every day
They run in large fiocks like deer on
: ly the old bucks, they keep in Aoeki
by themselves until November, theI
they mingle i'll with the rest. The,
have their fawns in June, and whei
they are young they are spotted al
over with white, and while they have
| tho 70 o,, 60 ,nafl,inor bok