St. Paul daily globe., 1888-07-08
MADE UP FOR INDIANS
To Please a Party Of Society
Bellies on a Junketing
Trip.
An Expedition Up the Mime
sofa River in the Early
Days.
Aborigines Who Heartily Ap-
preciated the Cymbals
and a Bass Drum.
Firing a Salute Results in the
Complete Destruction Of
the Cannon.

iA HE explosion of
/3oombS and crack
20 AI|ers all over the
~ IEDAj city during the
esASSseGN1 Fourth of July
xsS%NSfESMEl carried one back
s@ to an expedition
W &1 up the Minnesota
Z@ river in 1861, to
n ~ make the Indian
W. payment. There
H was a little can
non on board of
the boat. and when they pulled
up to the Indian camp the pic
turesque sight of about 800 Indians
met the gaze of the interested passen-
gers. One of the gentlemen on the
boat, who is still in the flesh in this
city,. and who slung the black
smith Sledge when a boy, vOlun-
teered to ram the cannon home,
and ram at home good. for it was in
tended to give the Indians little sur
prise before treating them to some
band music. He was allowed to do so,
and he did, making the charge so tight
that when the prime was touched there
was grand explosion, and the only
thing ever found of that cannon was a
little piece of iron from Just back of the
vent. 1t is hardly necessary to say that
500 red skins, as soon as they heard the
report, jumped to their feet and COM
menced to
sCAMPER OVER THE HILLS.
The same expedition was full of
amusing incidents. The Indians had
gathered around in a circle, intently
gazing upon a centerpiece made up of
piece of iron and a lot of blankets.
The leader of the old Great Western
band thought it would be nice to take
the band into the ring and show the
village down the river could do in the
music line. The band played and
played finely, but judge of the leaders
disgust when the Indians began to
gather around the cymbal player, with
many ''ughs" of approval, completely
ignoring the other players, although
there were one or two grunts
FOR THE BASS DRUM.
1t was then proposed to have regu-
lar war dance, and poor Gleason, who
was afterwards shot out of his wagon
in the Indian outbreak, treated with the
Indians as interpreter. They bargained
that they would give a war dance for
''beef." The boys hustled around,
procured beef for about $50. The war
dance was given, to the great delight of
the ladies, who were leaders of society
i'll this city and Philadelphia. And it
was the regular old-Style war dance,
such as has hardly been seen at
THE ICE PALACE GROUNDS.
This suggested to the gentlemen pas
sengers the idea of getting up sham
Indian dance on the boat on the return
down the river. Think of such noble
old pioneer in Western journalism as
Louis Fisher, the late president of the
st. Paul Press club, covering his in
tellectual countenance with charcoal
to ''play Injun," and R. G.
Munger wearing ''Pud' Miller's
gigantic suit of clothes, all stuffed
out with pillows, initiating Gov.
Alex. Ramsey. There they were all at
tired in blankets, and the drummer, Mr..
Wagner, Interpreting the bogus gov
ernOr'S address to many counterfeit
mods and "ughs." He told them to
quit the use of fire water. for their
white brothers had all quit, alas! for
truth! and they all promised to quit If
the governor" would clOthe them with
blankets and
FEED THEIR CHILDREN.
When the boat neared Fort Smelling the
ladies wanted repetition of the play.
The gentlemen We're very reluctant, but
the ladies promised them ''beef." For
this the gentlemen consented, but the
second effort was not such novelty as
the first. But how astOnished they were
when, after they washed their faces and
put on their habiliments of civilization,
the ladies sent them ten bottles of wine.