Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-03-23
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Matrimonial Customs Among the Crow
Indians.

ment OF q forest maid to a white man Is
worthy of relation. An army officer had
a very fine horse, of which he was very
fond, and for which a petty Crow chief
took a fancy. The Crow offered the of
fcer twice the value of the animal, but
having use for him, the officer would not
sell. As last resort, the Indian said:
" Ny sister is the most beautiful girl of
her tribe and | will give you her and
one hundred beaver skins $3.50 for
your horse The officer, struck with
the novelty of the offer, and fearing the
Indian would steal his horse if he did
not sell him, accepted. The girl was
with a distant portion of her tribe. and
the chief at once set out to find her. In
two weeks he returned, accompanied by
tall, ell-tormed young woman, whom
he introduced to the officer as his sister.
The horse was delivered, and the chief
bid the girl remain with her proper
owner, but by "a special arrangement she
was allowed to depart with her brother,
the officer saying ne would call for her
by.and-by. He no doubt thought he
had done a meritorious act and gratited
the girl. but the sequel to the affair
proved otherwise.
In few days the chief called to de-
liver the beaver skins and say that his
sister "was anxious to see her future
husband" To please her, and at the
same time apologize for his seeming
neglect, the officer bought at the suffers
store large quantity OF beads and sew
eral yards of squaw cloth and red tlan-
mel, and sent them to the Indian girl
by her brother. So pleased was she by
these presents that she sent special
runner to the fort to thank her future
lord for his kind thought of her. The
officer now fancied that he was rid of
her, and had discharged all obligations
she could possibly have upon him.
Imagine then his surprise few even
ings afterward, when he was riding near
the Indian camp, a fine, tall girl, dressed
in a robe ornamented with protuslon
of red, blue and black beads, suddenly
appeared in the road in front of his
horse, and halted him.
Addressing the officer, she said: -" For
many days | have waited for you, but
you have not come for me. According
to the laws OF our tribe | am your wife,
but | have no husband My brother
tells me the white man has laws of his
own. and that when you are pleased you
will send for me; but the young women
of the village laugh at me and say you
think ! am deformed or no longer a
maid. See," she said, suddenly remoy-
ing her robe and drawing it around her
loins, "they have lied | am not de
formed, and my brother and our whole
tribe can testify that | am a maid"
The sight which greeted his eyes was
not modest one, but the child of the
forest seemed all unconscious OF her
shame. As she stood there, her beauty
glowing in the rays of the setting sun,
he thought he had never seen more
perfect picture of female loneliness.
Her bosom heavjng with excitement,
her eyes shining like diamonds, the
mock pearls around her neck and
bead bands on her wrists and rounded
arms made her seem savage Venus, as
with unblushing effrontery she exposed
her voluptuous figure to the gaze Of a
man. Poor child of nature! she knew
no harm, and driven to madness by the
taunts of her companions, who told
her that her future husband believed
her deformed, she took this extraordi-
nary method of convincing him that
she was perfect woman.
Quickly throwing her robe around
her, she darted into the woods, and a
moment afterward he saw her black
tresses cleaning among the trees as she
fastened to the village. Perhaps she
expected her husband to follow her and
claim her as his bride, as is often done
among Indians, who have to catch
Al, Int
she was doomed to disappointment, for
he galloped back to the fort deeply
perplexed at the trouble he had got
himself into.
In few days the chief called on the
officer to learn his intentions toward
his sister. The chief said his strange
conduct had brought disgrace upon the
whole army, and he urged the officer
to claim his bride or give some salts
factory explanation of his delay in a
matter so important. The officer said
it was against the rules of the army for
soldiers to have Indian wives, and he
could not think of making her his mis-
tress. The latter part of the argument
did not particularly impress the young
chief, and he insisted upon delivering
the girl to her proper owner, saying the
officer could do what he pleased with
her afterward. Even as divorced
wife she would have some honor in her
tribe, bu' in her present status she
could neither marry nor be given in
marriage to any one else.
An old frontiersman whowas appealed
to, finally solved the matter by declar-
ing that, under the rules of the tribe
the officer could himself sell the girl to
any one he might wish, as Indian wives
were an article Of merchandise. 1t was
known that a young warrior was very
fond of the girl, and the officer APP.
pealed TO him to take his Indian wife
off his hands. The warrior was willing
enough, but objected to the doubtful
status of the girl in her tribe. By and
by, he said, when the soldier
was tired of her, he would buy her, but
until she had been acknowledged as the
wife of the soldier he could not inter
fere besides he did not have at present
any horse to give for her.
After much explanation the affair was
settled by the officer buying pony and
presenting it to another officer, who
presented it to the warrior, who, in
turn, gave it to the officer, and received
i'll exchange all right, deed and title to
the Indian girl. The lady did not con
ceal her preference in the matter, and
plainly indicated that she desired to re-
main with her first purchaser, but as
she had no right to object she had to
submit. 1t is said she sent her brother
twice to demonstrate with the white