The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-07-08
ATALK WITH OLD CARTER.

Ole"
TALK WITH OLD CARTER.
HE OUGHT TO KNOW INJUNs-HIs ExPRR-
IENcE WITH THEM AND eRIzzLIEs-Two
MANY WHITE PEoPLE-HE WAS GOING UP
THE YELLOWSTONE.
The New York Sun furnishes the follow
ing: "Injuns, stranger-Injuns? Yes, 1
know the hull gang of 'em, from Red
Cloud and Spotted Tail down to the tod
ding psppoose, L ought to know 'em-I've
fit 'em for nigh onto thirty yearsr He was
grim looking old man, with grizzly locks
in view under his coonskin cap. He had on
casins, buckskin shirt and leggins,
and he held long rifle be-
tween his knees as he talked. "These West
ern railroads are rapidly civllizing the coun-
try-fast killing of Indians, wolves and
huffaloes" He looked around the car,
which was handsomely furnished ana fin-
ished, and sighed as he replied: "Yes,
times are gittin' wuss an wuss down this
way. Pre- been thinkin' of goin' up to the
Yellowstone, whar man can 60 out any
time o. day and get up a squar' fight with
grizzly, or raise a rumpus with the reds"
You must be quite an old MANI" "Only
bout sixty. amt quite so lin
ber on long run, an can't sleep quite
so well with the rain pouring.
down into my face, but if 1 thought
wasn't good for any three Injuns on the
plains, or any grizzly that ever stood on
legs, I'd ak We to shoot mep' "You must
have seen wild times out here?" sPurty
wild-purty wild" unused the old man;
"there used to be heaps o. reds out here, to
say nothing of the wolves, bars and rattle
snakes, an thar was times when death rose
up to shake hands with me,n ever taken
prisoner?" '1 mought hev been-I guess i
why, you've been scalpedr' "They called
it sculping, strangeri" "And who did that ?'s
This same blasted Red Cloud. He dldn'
use the knife, but he
STOOD BY AND HoLLERED
and encouraged the chap who did do it
"Your sensation must have been terrible
"There wasn't time to feel any sensations,
stranger. They sneaked in on me an Tom
as we dozed, an when woke up Tom was
riddled an my sculp was hanging to an In
jun's beltw "And what then?" "Nothing
much, got up and killed two, wounded
another and legged it up canon and got
away. Ifit was to do over again I'd git my
topknot back or fight the whole Sioux nation
till somebody went underw he seemed
lost in reflection for moment.
and then continued: 81 don't know what
sculps are wuth in the market, but 1 guess
I've got the full value o. mine I've knocked
over risin' of thirty Sioux since that night,
an guess I'd be willin' to pass receipts"
II suppose you've had turn at half dozen
different tribes?n 'Less see?" be unused.
There's the Sioux, Blsckfeet, Pswnees Ar
rspahoes, Shoshones, Cheyennes. an three
or four other tribes. They've all hunted me,
and I've hunLe1 them, an / can't say as
they owe me anything" 81 notice a bad
scar on your face." "Purty good
scar for common man, but 1 kin show
hn 90 he De- ~
made it. He jumped on me jist after had
swum river, an he thought he'd got hold
of a jack rabbit. Twas a bad cut, and il
kind a 'mazed me at fust, but when did
cum to. he was gone afore he could yell
swicel said il was purity good scar, bat
il isn't quite ekal to this" And he pushed
up the logging on his right leg and ex-
hibited scar which made me draw back.
The loot, ankle, and the leg as high as
could see. had been burned by fire. "The
Blackieet had me fast to stake once, ye
obsarve," he explained. "That was the
time when they poked each other in the ribs
an said they had
A DEAD-sURE THING
on old Carter, but they wuz mistaken. They
had me three days, and I'd bin kicked an
cuffed around until there wasn't any more
fun in it, an then they tied me to stake an
lighted fire around me. Twas pretty clus,
clus!" "And how 01u you
escape7" "HsIf a dozen of my old pards
came along ilst in time to knock over half
the band, and save me-" There was silence
again while he unbuttoned his shirt and
showed me bosom literally
gridironed with scars. "well. thar
may be two or three knifs cuts
thar" he explained, shut the heft o. them
scars wuz made by a grizzly. He wasn't
one o. these bar calves that some folks knock
over an then blow about, but a reg'lar
three-story, fashioned grizzly, such as
ye don't find outside o. the darkest canons
in the Rockies. / wuz bendin' over the
fire when the varmint slid down a canon an
wuz right on hand sfore had any warnin'."
"And it was a hard fight?" "Itwuz a purity
fight. stranger, because it wuz a far fight.
had big knife, an he had teeth an
claws, an we went 10 ter kill. He wuz
good grit, but leettle slow. Thar waz about
thirty days after that little episode that my
p2rd had to Duss me like a child" "And
you mean TO die out here?" That's sor the
Lord TO say, but 'specs yer more'n right.
The 1Djuns is purity quiet down here, an
these keers ar bringing heaps o. people
West, but Pm goiu' up whar a white man
won't disturb the Lords work for hundred
years to cum! feel kinder mean an small
down here-as If ] wuz huntin' rabbits, bat
up the Yellowstone feller kin brace up after
he's knocked over a red or two an feel as il
he wasn't foolin' away his young days ~
And that was old Carter,