Delta chief., 1885-10-07

If the natives are 10 be believed. and
''their word is as good as eighteen
karat gold sir, every time Old Hen
drick and his quaint Dutch friends.
still return and play a solemn game of
nine-pins in the mountains, at dead of
night every twenty years, and take
lingering looks at the winding Hudson
river below, and many pull from
their gin ilagons, before disappearing
into the caves for another scCrc of
years. Hcndrick Hudson can be seen
BY those who are trust ng by nature.
and true believers. He always carries
. ninepin and ball. and will politely
challenge you for n game. if prepos-
sesscd BY your appearance. The mere
mention of poker. however, as 4 sub
stitute, retires HcEdrick AT once. John
A. Logan, or some other equally gift
ed senator having once upon a time
suggested it to the sorrow of the queer
old fellow, who has since stuck relig-
iously ty nine-pins.
CATsKILL INDIANS.
To, return to these haunted hills,
and many warrior whose spirit ought
to TO be at rest in the happy hunting
grounds, wanders restlessly up and
down the Catskills as if 10th to leave
the scenes where they exchanged so
many good furs for so little bad fire.
water, and so few pretty beads. With
bows and arrows. with rifles and tom
ahnwks. and blankets and furs. they
re appear, and in silence and solitude
re-cnact the scenes in which they
played their part while living.
The live Indians went westward to-
ward tho setting sun and the rising In
dian agent. settled on rocky reserva-
tions and raised Cain with the settlers.
and the mighty armies of Uncle Sam
sent against them until to-day it is an
open question whether one buck can
outtlank only one company or ten.
However this may be. the government
has not yet been able to induce the
spirits Of the dead chieftains to accept
the odds and n reservation out West
and here they remain. to this day.
never leaving the Catsk lis. unless they
meet some sensitive person in the gleus
by moonlight al one, and control
them. Then these warriors send them
forth into the cold. cruel world as
mediums, to coin shekcls from the Gu
rious and bring messages from the
dead to the faithful. London. Paris.
New York and other large cities have
their share of the spirits of departed
Catskill warriors, and many a message
from the other world or pointer on
stocks, cost the listener from five to
twenty-five dollars to get has been
brought by n Catskill Indian, who in
life, would have sold all his possess
sions, given numberless pointers, and
brought mcssac es from n whole gcner-
alton for drink of strong whisky or
string of glass beads.
Prices have risen. however. and tax
ing tho cue from his white brethren
who get from four to five dollars per
day in this section for two dollars
board. and seventy cents fare for pass
ing n tcn-eent toll-gato, a Catskill war
rior will bring no messages under five
dollars. and generally wants more
You can always tell a Catskill Indian
medium by this countersign of five
dollars, while the Ind ans of the Adj
rondacks, tho Alleg hanies and Rockies
will bring messages at more reason
able rates. The mills Of the gods are
thus grinding out slow vengeance upon
tho present generation for the poor
beads and poorer whisky palmed off
upon the Catskill Indians in days gone
by