The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-01-05
INDIdN CURIOSITLES.
Weapons Which IRE Manufactured Merely
to Sell to the JTIites.

Weapons Which Are Manufactured Merell
to Sell to the Utites.
ST. Paul Mimi Day
A few leisure moments of a represen-
tative of the Day were improved this
forenoon in looking over the array OF
Indian articles of warfare, toilet, luxury
and general utility, exhibited for sale in
the show windows of a popular bust
ness house of st. Paul. There were war
clubs, tomahawks, bows and arrows,
necklaces of Elk's teeth and bear S
claws, stone pipes and moccasins of
every description, so arranged as to at
tract the attention of the relic hunter.
''Where do you get these things?" in
quired the Day representative.
"Well," said the merchant, ''we get
them from Indians, trappers, post traders
and sometimes from amateur travellers
and Adventures who have started out
on small means and after reaching St.
Paul on their way home from the west
find it necessary to sell their relics in
order, sometimes, to obtain a meal 1t
is astonishing how many people 90 west,
thinking they will make speculation in
procuring Indian toys and selling them in
St Paul. These people usually find it
hard to sell their specimens at any price.
post traders and trappers often
come to st. Paul with specimens, ex-
pecting to realize handsome profits, but
they are generally disappointed. re-
member a trapper who came to my
store four or five years ago trying to
sell me rare specimen of Indian work
manship He stated that it was made
by one of distinct tribe, and the only |
1in of 70 ,1ff i
learned afterward that he had tried to |
sell it to several dealers, both in st.
Paul and Minneapolis, but had failed.
He had started out asking the exorbi-
tant sum of $500 for the specimen, but
had knocked off at each successive store
until the price asked was only $40. l
looked at the man moment and lis
tened to his story about the rarity of the
specimen, etc., and said to him: My
friend, that's very pretty story you're
telling, but you see l shan't be able
to make any one swallow it, and
the fact is I'll have work to get ten
cents for the trinket.'
We'll, hang it, said he, give me a
drink of whisky and take the cussed
thing. This is the only house in the nor
vest that l haven't tried to sell it to,
md I'm broke and'dry as powder
norm. Take it along, stranger and
gimme drink and quick and call the
ieal squar.' 1 gave the man a goo'
Task of whisky and a cigar, 81 "a "a
off apparently happ , :; ne
"Well, how much did vGj. ~. ~. a.,
oyP" - -" get 1or the
- "oh, I h .ap',pjsned to be in luck said
;sb "Iss~%s owinkle in his eye. ''An Eng
af51 lord came along, and l told him the
story had learned from the trapper,
md think 1 got $3.50 for the speci-
men,
''Do you sell many of these goodsP"
eyes, good many; but nearly as
many to Americans as | do to Euro I
BEANS. Of course, eastern people buy
hem; but we have to be very moderate
n our prices in order to sell to this class.
We can get fancy prices for the goods I
rom Europeans, and particularly from )
English and Scotch people. During the !;
ummer season our sales upon these !
GODS to Europeans mount up to thou U
ands of dollars, while the Americans c
hey scarcely reach into the hundreds" 5
''Are these goods genuine-that is, o
lade by Indians for their own useP' II
''Well, no, not all of them A large G.
ortion is made by the Indians express y
to sell to white people. Such goods r. r.
ould never answer the purposes of an II
ldian.p b
Here the merchant showed the differ z
Ice between practical war club and a II
ncy one, practical tomahawk and W
)etical one. 1.-The Indians, half g
'eeds and some of the frontier whites, "
axe many of the toys expressly to IL
II, }" said the doctor. "But then, you CT
e, it's not necessary to mention that W
ct to foreigners. The cheats bring ell
'out as big a price as the genuine arti- Sc
D." pl