Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-09-19

After locking the door we seate,
ourselves upon the carpet noar tn
fire, loaded orr huge pipes, and com
menced smoking.
Scarcely ten minutes had ELAPSED
before the news of our arrival hat
circulated over the whole CITY. ant
hundreds OF curious citizens swarm
ed about the doors and halls of th,
hotel all anxiously awaiting an op
portunity TO get peep at the ro
nowned savages. After we had KEEP
them in suspense for some time, ant
their patience had become pretty
we'll exhausted, the door was unbolt
ed the crowd rushed in, Immediately
filing the room to its utmost capac
ity. They gathered around us, scru
tinizing US from head to foot mos
minutcIy, and making all sorts o
comments upon our dress, accoutre
ments, and personal appearance, al
of which we, of course. were no,
supposed to understand. They Their
commenced interrogating the inter
prefer in regard to our warlike ex
ploits, the number of scalps we had
taken. and the number of mon we
had killed in battle, etc., which were
answered to their entire satisfaction
In the mean time my red brother
c., under pretense of talking to
me, kept up an incessant jargon, not
one syllable of which either he OF
any body else could understand, and
which sounded more like a conglom
GRAFTON of Dutch, Irish and Hog latin
than any thing else, yet distinguish
ed philologist present took especial
pleasure in listening to him, and pro.
nounced his vernaeular a most beau
tiful specimen of the language of ma.
ture indeed he gave it as his candid
opinion that the dialec.s of civilize ed
nations might be benefited by the
adoption of some of those strikingly
illustrative tropes and figures with
which James Jumpers (my compan-
ion's) conversation seemed to be so
exhuberantly embellished.
Among the most prominent of the
spectators was Judge M, dis
tinguished, portly gentleman of the
'old schooP of highly dignified pres
ence, who prided himself on being
able to trace back his lineage direct.
ly to tho Pilgrims. He manifested
the most lively interest in the red
men, and after shaking hands with
US, said to me 10 loud distinct tone
of voice Do you speak English Mr..
Wild Cat?'
| gave negative grunt then
looking fercely at him, added, 'whis-
key, heap which caused the veneer.
able old gentleman to recoil from me
with establishment and exclaim
What melancholy fact it is, gen.
tlemen, to see these magnificent spec
linens of the human race thus bent
upon their own destruction The
history of the red man shows that
when he comes 10 contact with the
pale-faces, instead Of profiting by
their moral teachings he only learns
to initiate their worst. vices; and you
observe, gentlemen, that almost the
only words of English which these
poor benighted savages can utter are
whiskey and tobacco. Alas, the poor
Indian! his fate is sealed be seems
to be destined to speedy extinc-
ton. The last of his unfortunate race
will soon have disappeared from the
face of the earth, and the land of his
will become the heritage
of strangers
Another gentlemes present who
been engaged with my friend
Jim Jumper tor six months on the
north east boundary, professed to be
familiar with the Indian character,
and had visited several tribes. His
opinions we're listened to with pro-
found respect by the assembled tyros
and among other remarks that his
observations upon US elected was,
that there had been from time to
time many civilized and half blood
Indians who went about the country
passing themselves off in public exhi-
billions as real unadulterated natives
but l assure you gentlemen said he
that these two men are the first
genuine specimens of aborigines that
have appeared in this city during my
life.
Shortly after this we told the in
terpreJe- to inform the landlord that
we were 80 much disturbed by the
crowd that we would proceed on
our journey that night. According
ly we re-entered our carriage and
drove 10 the house where my wife
was taking tea. Oar interpreter
entered and informed my wife that
her husband aad sent around two
Seminole chiefs, thinking that the
ladies might like to see them. They
were all delighted. and the hostess
begged the interpreter to bring them
10 at once. Accordingly we were
shown into the briliantly-lighted
where the ladies re-
ceived US most graciou>ly, giving us
a hearty squeeze of the hand all
around; and when it came my turn
to salute Mrs. c., the hostess, /
imprinted sonorous kiss upon her
cheek, which caused her to jump
away from me as if she had been
shot. She, however, soon recovered
her equsnimity, and even joined in
the laugh which l had produced at
her expense, doubtless supposing
that my salutation was the cuetom-
airy Indian greeting.
After seating ourselves and smok-
ing our pipes for a moment we gave
an intimation through the interpret-
er that drink of whisky would be
The hostess replied:
Tell tho gentleman lndians. if
you please, Mr. Interpreter, that we
are temperance people here, and do
not keep ardent spirite; but LII give
them some coffee and cake"
They were set before us, and |
emptied the cake into my blanket
and swallowed the coffee with a
grimace, Of the same time saying
Hcasoeen nechirchin" (not good, which
the interpreter rendered into English
as s'ercellent coffee"