The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1885-10-07
Special Correspondence NEWS.
TRAMPsSPRINTER
Among the American AbOTiS-
ines.
A Buckeye Boys Impressions
of the Western indians.
A Warm Spring" Delegation
Cheaper to Feed than to
Fight-ShOshOne Village
-UmatillO Reserva-
tiOn-A Mug
Wump.
I'm the NatlOn--A Cherokee Newspaper
Just as Natural as Llfe-The Nez
PerCes- kissing the Baby
'COmmanChe 70
PAIEgTmE, TnEAs, sept. 28tb. l885.

PALESTINE, TEXAS, Sept. Goth, 1885.
Mn. EDITOR In my last promised to
write something about the Indians.
Now I am we'll aware that haven't had
the opportunities to study Indian character
which have blessed Buffalo Bill or Beldian,
the White Chief, yet few words regarding
the impressions received from contact
with and observations of Poor Lo in his
native haunts may not prove uuinteresting,
as your readers are perhaps more familiarly
acquainted with me than they are with
either Of tho two other distinguished plains
men and celebrated scouts above mem
toned.
The Indian is a prolific subject, equally
accessible to the tourist, the historian, and
the author Of dime novels, though the lat
ter probably has the bulge on the other two.
The noble savage furnishes wo'uus Of the
East with food for thought, keeps we
tourists supplied with moccasins and bead
purses, and also furnishes On inexhaustable
supply of romance for the romancer.
The great romancers have differed some-
what in regard to the American aborigine.
]. Fenimore Cooper clothes him in a halo
of romance and q nobility Of character that
makes us love and admire him, while Char
les Dickens says he is nothing but savage
who doesn't dress with taste and is liable to
dine of his grandmother.
Such being the case you mustn't feel sur
prised If I happen to differ with the ideas
you may have always entertained in regard
to him. I am generally willing to submit
to the superior judgment Of those who
have had better opportunities to know
about things than I have, and yet can
hardly endorse Gen. Crooks belief that the
only good Indian is a dead one. Yet
must say that consider a very sick Indian
particularly Commnnche, Apache or Ne2
Peroe) much better Indian than one Of
his brothers or cousins who may be enjoy,
ing the best Of health.
The American Indian in his natural state
is thoroughly savage. You may call him
''ClOud Spirit" eagle Of the Winds" OF
any other high sounding romantic ooguo
men, but he remains the same--a savage
with savage impulses, savage ideas nnc
savage actions And his contact with the
whites has hardly had the result desirable
to those who would see him benefited.
As you have of course often read, tn,
race Of red men is rapidly dwindling away
It is now possible to go by rail from tht
Atlantic coast to where the breakers dasl
on the shores Of Oregon and not see OF
Indian. And oven if you keep a sharT
lookout for them you will not see o grea
many.
The FIRST Indians I saw on the way to TN
coast last spring were some Warm SprinJ
Indians at Logan, Utah, About n dozel
had come down on ponies from their reser
walton about one hundred miles away, on
begging tour. Their costumes extende,
over q period Of about two centuries, aut
varied from medieval plug hats to ret
blankets, and from buckskin leggings Il
calico Mother Hubbard gowns. Their
we're three or four bucks, as many squaws
and a number Of papooses, from one to tel
or twelve years old. They were a dirt
looking set, and their chief, an aged war
rior who reminded me Of the last Of tn
Mohawks (because he was 80 differently wa
not above asking for a nickel or a cigarette
while his queen-the partner Of his joy
and sorrows-sqalted cross-legged on th
ground near by with small-favors-thanb
fully-?-received and arge-ones-in-propol
tion look upon her wrinkled visage, The
always take the middle of the street 4
preference 10 the side walk when en- passsa
Cis that good p through a city, and whe
they do sit down they are good for all day
The western Indian can sit in one plac
longer than any other person ever saw
This may Of course depend on how numoi
GUS he Is, and whether he is on the wa
path or not.
This group finally collected within th
wallis surrounding the Mormon Hthin
house and squatted down TRANQUILITY an
plsturesquely, while a saint went after
bag Of potatoes, The papooses plnye
horse, threw string lariats over each othC
and rolled over in the dust with a rockies
abandon that was quite becoming.
leaned upon a gate post and observed thel
some time, chatting the meanwhile with
Mormon oficiai.