The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-05-10
~1N~lNDIlN FESTIVAL.

....-t m INDIAN FESTIVAL. @.*
1sw They HI. TAen 4. The 1atisn-A
Jelly Judge. ana . 1ish Old T1nas.
ssdslis (Ae.) B.soe. T. &>.,.
Talking about church festivals reminds
uAQf ope that, occurred about two weeks
a&pein the Chocktaw Nation in, the In
di4 Territoty.# At a; small village there
{hdQ been revival for some time, and
the ladies connected with the church
RQ1a}pd6d; to give festival and donate
Ne proceeds to its adornment and embel-
y bh1ent. W 8, :s'T2 ~
Society, as yet, is rather crude in the
Territory, and its civilization is intor-
spered by: few wild specimens OF, the
genus homo who delight upon all public
occasions to- snake Rome howl" This
clement, however, gives to public enter.
tain1aants spiece Of originality that adds
mneh to their interest.
Well, tho ladies (white, half, and full
blooD went to work and hired large
vacant frame :bhilding, and busted them
selves with the necessary preparations that
were to add to the pleasure and success
ffhe festival: The affair was pretty gen.
orally published, and in that sparsely set
tied region nobody ever, thinks Of missing
an opportunity for fun or a dance. SO
everybody heard Of 1T and everybody re-
solved to go.
There IS law that no intoxicating
siilqotfsahalr be sold in tho Territory, and
hundreds Of vigilant Deputy Marshals are
ever on the ebert to see it inforced. Not
withstanding the Argus eyes of the laws
swymndons, the ingenuity of the lovers
Of the ardent frequently results in obtain
ing 9 liberal supply Of the -be,joyful,
and we have seen wilder, fercer, and more
desperate orgies there than in the States.
In the absence of liquor the bottled ex-
tracts Of Jamaica ginger prove an excel
lent substitute, and we have seen fellows
carryl an, Intoxicating pressure Of 400
pounds to the square inch under it's in
rhuence. A white man who lived in the
: Territory, drank 5000 bottles in one year.
The amount Of happiness that fellow en-
joyed can only be figured up from an an
gelic basis. But Jamaica ginger is barred
out now, and, in the absence of both
liquor and ginger, cologne, certain kinds
OF hair oil, and even red ink answer as
substitutes, and are capable of produc-
= Ing to an astonishing extent all those holy
and beatific joys that characterize a big
drunk.
, Well, the appointed day, or rather
night, came. Great preparations had
been made, and all the " thoroughbreds "
u. had been for days ransacking the country
to get supply of whisky necessary to
tone them up, for the festival was to be
followed by u dance. When the shades
10Th Had fn11 khn
ablaze with light, and beautiful Indian
niaidens, half breed brunettes and their
white Caucasian sisters of the purest
blonde type, moved hither and thither
- around the tables which were loaded with
delicacies
-: The men were mostly Indians, with here
and there. a white face forming contrast
In short time the church was full,
the ladies doing thriving business in
behalf of the church, and the entire as
,sehblage was as orderly as any of the
Kind in the States
Each of those who was provided with
bottles of "soul comforter imagined that
he was the only one present who pos
sessed it. About 9 o'clock, during an in
: PERMISSION in the festival, several men
stepped out to enjoy the cool air, and a
moment more several dark shadows were
seen making for the rear of the building
When the first who arrived in that seclud-
ed place met almost simultaneously, they
gazed at each other for a moment with
anxious inquiry, but when they rea-
lied the situation broad grin broke
over the -countenancc of all. Each pro-
duced his bottle, and they all drank each
others health. More of the thirsty kept
arriving, until behind the building were
gathered, at least thirty, each of whom
had fondly imagined few moments be-
fore that he possessed the only liquor on
the grounds.
In the shade of another building, about
100 yards distant, were assembled three
men by themselves, who formed an i'm
Portant trio. One of these was one of the
- most influential and important men in
the Choctaw Nation, whom We will desig-
nate by the title of "Judge;;" the second
was Walker Tandy, the wild son of for
mer chief, and the third was a white man
ofgigantic frame, who was butcher by
occupation. The latter had secured the
- rich prize Of about gallon of whisky,
and had brought his two friends in secret
to give them each drink. As the Judge
= raised the key to his lips, smile of bea:
titude Illuminated his features, and ere
the nectar reached his palate he took a
loving look at the stars above him, closed
his eyes, tilted the key little, and a
gurgling melody followed, like ''goody,
goody, goody!" The Judge, thinking it
would be the last he would get, drank
long and deep, while the Indian Tandy
watched him with eager impotence and
. anxious expectancy. FINAL = the Judge
had to stop for want of breath, and the
others got their share. They all then re-
turned to the festival, where the noise of
the violin mingled with the noise of shut
fling feet proclaimed that the dance had
already commenced.
By this time the whisky had taken ef-
feet, and its influence upon the Indian
blood began to show itself. The dance
went on and frequent trips to the back of
the house were made. The glare of the
lamps, the swift evolutions of the caller,
the crash of music-all added to the ex-
element produced by the liquor. The
bacchanals danced as only bacchanals
can, and the refined cotillions and shot,
tisches gave way to the solos of inpromDtu