Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-12-12
Ast0nished Indians.

The Indian tribes have no system of
notation by which to express large num-
bers, except bycomparison, which convey
confused and general idea. AS numer-
Gus las the trees in the forest" "as the
blades of grass" or ''as the buffalo on the
plains," are very obvious comparisons
when an idea of uncounted numbers is
intended to be conveyed.
The other day, when 1.-TWO Bears" was
here, he told Father De Smet that when
he left home his tribe told him to give
them, on his return, the number of the
whites and their wigwams which he saw
while gone. Two Bears said that when
they reached Sioux City they notched all
the people they saw on stick, and
counted the houses which they saw. But
when they got to Chicago the people were
so many that they could not count them,
and so with the wigwams; so they con-
tented themselves with counting the
streets. At Washington, Philadelphia,
New York, and Chouteau's town (St.
Louis) they were confounded with the
number of whites and houses they saw,
and gave up all idea of counting them.
All they could do, Two Bears said, was
to tell their people that the whites were
as numerous as the blades of grass.
Father De Smet said that the surprise
of Two Bears reminded him that many
years ago he visited the Crows. and when
the latter heard the "Black Gown" had
come they called a council
The occasion of the council being called
together was this One of their chiefs
had been sent to Washington to see the
Great Father. On his return he was
asked by his people to give some account
of what he saw His statement of the
numbers of the whites which he said he
had seen appeared SO improbable to the
minds of his countrymen that they re-
fused to believe him, and gave him the
nickname of Big Liar" He remained
thus under ban until the arrival of Father
De Smet, and. knowing the regard they
had for the Black Gown, he had the coun-
Gil called together in order to vindicate
his character for truth and veracity. The
assembled chiefs asked Father De Smet
in regard to the matter He told them
that if they would start at sunrise and
ride around in a circle all day till sun
down, and were then able to count the
blades of grass contained in the circle,
they would form some idea of the mum.
bers of the whites. They were astonish
ed and still more surprised when Father
De Smet told them that he had seen cities
across the sea that would take them from
sunrise to sunset to ride around on theil
ponies, and that the houses on the space
thus ridden were as thick as the fingers
on their hands. After this simple state
ment, the Indians no longer doubted
"Big Liars" statements, but were ready
to believe anything said about the vast
ness of the white population.-St. LOui
Republican.
The latest thing in the way of inven
ton is kind of cooperative miners
pipe, the smoking of which will bring
with it no danger of explosions. Th,
pipe Is to be made of earthenware, vii
hold two or three gallons of tobacco, ant
is to have as many india rubber stems al
there are smokers in the mine. 1t will b'
placed above ground, filled and lighted
and the miners at work below can pull
away whenever they please at their end O.
the rubber tubes.