The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1884-09-27
The Indian Fourt;, of July.
NV. P. Hooper in st. Nicholas.l


The Fourth of July morning | shall
never forget. We were awakened bv
the most blood-curdling yells that ever
pierced the ears of three white boys. 1t
was the Indian war-whoop. l found
myself instinctively feeling for
my back hair, and regretting
the distance to the railroad We
fingered indoors in rather terrified con-
dition until we found out that this was
simply the beginning Of the days cele-
bration.
It was the ssham fight, I" but it looked
real enough, when the Indians came
tearing by, their ponies seeming to enter
into the excitement as thoroughly as
their riders. There were some five
hundred in full frills and war paint, and
all giving those terrible yells. Their
costumes were simple, but gay in color
paint, feathers, and more paint, with an
occasional shirt.
Ore little boy, whose name was SEa-
ke-to-pa -Four Nails), had five feathers
big ones, too-in his hair His face
was painted; he wore round earrings,
and rows of beads and claws around his
neck; bands of beads on his little bare
brown arms; embroidered leggins and
beautiful moccasins, and long piece of
red cloth ahanging from his waist In
fact, he was as gayly dressed as grown
up Indian man, and he had a cunning
little war-club, all ornamented and
painted. For weapons, they carried
guns, rifles, and long spears. Bows and
arrows seemed to be out of style A
few had round shields on their left arms.
Most of the tepees had been collected
together and pitched SO as to form
large circle, and their wagons were
placed outside this circle so as to make
a sort of protection for the defending
party. The attacking party, brandish-
ing their weapons in the air with in
creased yells, rushed their excited and
painting ponies up the slope towards the
tepees, where they were met by rapid
discharge of blank cartridges and pow
der. Some of the ponies became un-
manageable, several riders were un-
horsed, and general confusion prevailed
The entrenehed party, in the meantime,
rushed out from behind their defenses,
climbing on top of their wagons, yelling
and dancing around like demons.
Added to this, the sight of several rider
less ponies flying wildly from the tumult
made this sham fight have terribly re-
alistic look.
A Crazy Time for Everybody.
["Betsey Hamilton in Atlanta Constitution
''Thar is time in eyerybody's life
when they are crazy; least ways they
gifts beyant theyselves," says Uncle He
zakiah, and with some folks its in
=
He was turrible put out about Malindy
Jane Trotman a-marryin' of Jake Lofts
As he sot and Whitfield his stick he lowed:
Yes, thar comes a time in everybody's
life when they are crazy, and Malindy
James time had come, reckin
Well, it pears like it's SO, and crazi-
ness is ketchin' jist like the measles and
yaller janders and sich as that, for let
new thing come along, aid everybody
goes crazy over it; new tangled patent,
this, that and tother-a chu. or sumpn
er that sort, and everybody thinks
they've got to buy it. One buys it kase
tother'n does, and here the churn goes
tel every house has got it, whether
they've got cow or not Sometimes
the women folks all gifts started on one
thing; for n'instance a certain patron for
quilt They have even went so fur as
to name quilt ''the crazy quilt" It's
nothin' on the yeth but the old hit or
miss patron with a new name, but if
ever quilt has the right name, hits got
it, kase the pieces is not only sot in
crazy fashion, but folks is all
a gwine crazy over it: You can't
go nowhars now without seein' somebody
a piecin' of a crazy quilt, and if they
start on knit lace, or darn net work, or
tattin' its the same way They all goes
crazy tel they gifts at it, and stays crazy
tel the spell wears off'n 'em, and they
take up sump'n else If they amt crazy
about one thing hits tother, and the
women haint by themselves nuther, and
the men folks haint got no room to
laugh, for they are jist as bad They
are all crazy now about walkin' matches.
Some of 'em are plum rayin' distracted
over it, has done quit ther work and
tuck to walkin' for wages and tothers to
watch 'em. Pop used to tell me when
was gwine hard as could stave: "Betsy,
you walks pine blank like you was
walkin' for wages" and I never knowed
what it meant tel | hearn about all these
here walkin' matches that's gwine on.