The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1888-11-15
From DR.. Wroten.
CHEYENNE RIVER AGENcY, OAK.
Nnuan,hn. 9Th 1899

from me again, and these notes,
hastily written in the intervals OF
duty, are sent you for Che reading
OF him and others who may be SINH
larly interested. When one has
nothing much to say it is safe to be-
I gin with the weather. This tickle
article has been simply superb since
September first. Barring a few
windy days it was allthat you could
desire. But it will not last much
longer. Each morning has an add
ed tinge of frost. Day by day the
waters ofthe Missouri-the "Minni
Sosa'ofthe Sioux-grow colder and
very soon the ice win reach from
shore to shore, and the Dakota win
ter will have begun,
This region is now the paradise
ofthe hunter. | never go from The
school to the Agency without feel
ing very keenly that at least part
of my early education was sadly
neglected. Grouse fly from every
thicket, wild geese "houck" in the
air and settle within a hundred
yards Of you, and the long cared
Jack" lopes away-all of them Sc.
cure in the knowledge that "he has
no gun, and if he had he wouldn't
know how to use itn. Come out,
some Of you Nimrods, and have
more sport in a day than you can
get in month on Sandy. If this
small game which ! have mention
ed is too insignificant for you, I'll
pack you into a light wagon, with
a half-breed guide and ratiuns for
two weeks, and send you off to the
Slim B1ttes, some seyenty-fve
miles to the West, and there you
may display your skill in bringing
down the swift antelope, the big
black tailed deer and the mountain
lion or American panther. The
time was when this entire Reserve
was fairly alive with buffalo, but
now l doubt if there is one left in
its native wilderness. About thir-
ty miles from this Agency there
lives an old Frenchman named Du-
PREF. He caifie to this region many
years ago, married a Sioux, and has
a NUMEROUS line Of descendants. He
is a cattle taiser, and III his herd are
ten buffalo and many crosses be-
tween them and the native cows. |
formerly doubted if the buffalo shd
COW would cross; but having seen
the old mans stock | no longer dis
believe it. siich is the scarcity Of
the buffalo that those belonging to
Duprez are worth small fortune.
All over this Indian country you
will meet these old Frenchmen and
their DESCENDANTS. Years ago they
came out in the employ of the Brit
ISL Fur. Company or on their own
account as hunters and trappers,
and, very few ever returned to civil
ization, OF course they married OF
"took UP with squaws, for this was
necessary for their safety, and here,
remote from the world and its ways
they have lived and, ! was going Ia
say, died, but l never heard OF one
dying, One of them lives in sight
Of the school, eighty-fve years old
and he is strong and hearty. All
the Frenchmen / haye met or heard
Of who live with Indian women, are
thrifty, but the Omitted States
squaw men are, as rule, exceed.
ingly shiftless. On more than one
occasion.1 have seen in Louisa a
worthless fellow from the country
sneaking ,around, the doggeries
spending his last quarter for half o
pint otrot gut, and have seen the
same chaps vile and little children
hoeing corn, inrthe.hot sun and on
a STONY hillside. What a perfectly
splendid country this is for such
fellowsl Come out here, Tom, jack
or Bill, whatever your name. is
come out, marrya Sioux squw, and
your fortune Is. made. They make
your ideal wife. They come to, the
Agency and draw their meat, coffee
beans, pork, -four and sugar, carry
| it home, cut the wood and bring
the water to cook it, and allia the
world you have to do is to eat it.
When the Sioux come i'll for theil
rstions Frequently go down into
the bottoms and watch them. i
you saw them for the first time yor
would wonder where the men were
You would see a woman driving the
team Of ponies OF yoke of oxen, anc
see the bright eyes and dusky faces
of half d dozen children us they
peered at you from the wagon. Blu
where is the buck7 Wait: Present
| ly a good camping spot is reached
| The wagon stops, and out comes
the woman. She unhitches tn,
horses, takes off the harness anc
pickets the team few yards ava,
or ties it to the wheel. Why, Their,
is a man, after ALL He crawls out
of the wagon, fills a pipe, and squat
ted on the groand he industriously
helps his wife by looking on. Sh'
is now driving the tent-poles anC
stretching the canvass over them
This done she straps the water-kel
to her back and trudges off to tn
river, probably a mile away, fo
wood and water. This job doni
, she builds fire and cooks the slen
! der remains of last weeks rations
Having devoured the lions share
! the buck crawls into the tepe aho
L.. Il alan. Dha dnnE lick thl