The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-06-16
PION + + r LIFE
IN THE
NORTH-W EST.
BY JENNIE JONES.

country to seek a place of safety. Many
OF them stopped us, and with the best of
feeling for us, as we fully believed, tried
to persuade us to turn back, telling us
that we would certainly be murdered il
WI kept on. Somehow we were not in
fected with the general fright. and laugh
ingly answered that we would 60 on and
see the show out. We arrived at Eau
Claire the day after the great fright des-
cribed. Everything was quiet, and peo-
pie had returned to their deserted homes"
The panic died out as suddenly and as
causelessly as it had begun.
INDIAN CHARACTER.
In the absence of other things TO inter-
est and amuse, the study of Indian char
acter, habits, and belief. furnished O
broad field for the pioneers. Were not
this work devoted to other matters, much
might be said, gathered from the close
association of the early settlers with these
people, that, l am persuaded, has hereto
fore been unwritten.
They believe in charms for the cure of
the sick. They bury articles of ornament
and use with the dead. The dead are
buried either in a standing or sitting pos
ture, and vengeance is sworn upon any
n known to have disturbed an Indian
grave, even if long since buried and for
gotten. Food is placed beside a grave
for many days after burial. If a pap
poose dies the Indian mother will carry a
block of wood, carved to represent her
dead infant, as nearly as their rude art
will permit, for many months, bestowing
all the care and affection upon the mani
mate block that had been given to the
living child.
Indians, in their own way, are worship
pers of idols. Not long since l heard an
Indian relate how. far in the depths of
the pine woods. II party came upon a de-
serted Indian lodge. a good many valu-
ables had been left there, and for their
protection a couple of roughly carved In
dian gods had Leen set up, as no Indian
would disturb the slightest article in the
presence of one of these gods. The lum-
bermen told, as a good joke, how their
party staid over night at this lodge, and
how they used one Of the gods for fire.
wood, and how they placed a huge plug
Of tobacco in the mouth of the other, and
thus left it. While listening to the recit-
al, l thought: Is not the Indians belief
as sacred to him as is the Christians to
himf May not his wooden idols be as
sacred to him as are the Catholic symbols
and sacred emblems to the Catholicf And
would IL not be the better part were white
men to practice the golden rule a little
more, even in their treatment of poor
"Lor And had they always done so,
would not much Of our most cruel and
o d-curdling Indian history been un-
acted, and, therefore, untoldf
INTBRMARRIAGEs.
In the first settlement of this country,
as in many others, there were a good
many more men than women. Especially
Young men left their homes in the east to
rough it in the woods. Their relation
with the Indians threw them into
with the Indian maidens,
many Of whom were pretty and intelli-
gent. They had no white rivals, and, as
have been f~orseen, the result vas
that many a good looking and ambitious
young lumberman took to himself a dusky
wife from the camps Of the Indians
These Indian maidens generally made low
and faithful wives, They soon learn
ed the ways of the whites, and made good
housekeepers, and although they might
often yearn for the wild Indian life, their
love, and their pride in being a white
wife made them happy and con-
The husbands, 1 am sorry to say, did
not always prove as true. AS time wore
away, settlements grew up around them.
Wealth poured into the Golfers of many,
and some grew tired or ashamed of their
Indian wives, and separated with them,
and married other wives of their own
race. Others, and all honor be to them,
remained true to their first chosen, and
had no reason to regret it. One
such case comes to my mind, among
that might be mentioned.
The husband had struggled through
many ups and downs in business life, and
Is now a millionaire. His wife, chosen in
early life from among the wild Indians,
Is now an elderly matron. She presides
her splendid home with as mucr dig
nifty and grace as any of her white sisters.
She has made use Of her opportunities
for improvement, and can read and write
we'll. She is intelligent and interesting
conversation, and is highly respected
by all, not on account of her wealth, but
for her genuine worth. Every spring, IN
making time, she goes into the
woods and encamps, and enjoys a few
weeks of genuine Indian freedom. At
times the yoke of civilization seems
10 fit e well. Her children are. all
educated, and the daughters, with
their dark eyes and raven hair, and rich
olive complexion, are very pretty. They
IRE gladly welcomed into the best So
eiety.
Another millionaire, whose experience
had been similar TO that Of the other, saw
ft to send away his Indian wife, and
10 marry again. But even to outward
.-~norocc> HE bopna Il not oa bopDu a