Telegram-herald., 1889-05-24

"You see when / first KEN out from
Maine, I struck fur St. Louis, an from
thar | KEN up the Missouri, tradin' an
huntin' an trappin' till l struck Fort
Benton. got around among the Injuns
an like the rest of the traders in those
days found whisky was the best stock /
could carry OF couse had other truck
but thar was more profit on whisky than
ANYTHING else But never dOctered my
whisky. Tde just take out a few kegs of
high wines an never put nothin' in it but
water, an the more they'd drink the more
water I'd chuck in II. an so they'd never
get drunk. The other traders used TO put
strychnine an red pepper an terbaccer, an
all sorts o. pizenous drugs, besides the
water in theirn an give Ito 'em, the same
strength right on till they was crazy,
fghtin' drunk, or else laid out paralyzed.
Now that wasn't my way at all. I'd sell
'em all the whisky as was good fur 'em,
an all the drink (sich as it was) that they
wanted, but I'd keep 'em from gettin'
fightin' drunk.
"You've hured tell about Injuns goin'
crazy when they gifts the taste o liquor,
that's all rot. They're jist like anybody
else. They take whisky, it makes 'em
feel good, an bym-by they want TO fight.
Now the difference comes in right here.
White men'll thump an bite an rassel an
gouge when they fight, but the Iniuns
don't know nothin' bout that kind o.
fightin' They allus fight with knives an
guns, an of course thet's dangerous.
Il saw the only way to stop was to give
'em jist enough whisky TO make 'em feel
good, but not TO let 'em git fgh;in' drunk
The more they took the weaker Ia make
It. I'd git al their furs an robes jist the
same, but when they'd wake up next
mornin' broke, an think they'd had an
awful spree, they wouldn't be n mite sick
an they wouldn't be any of 'em knitted
They'd all be thar, an ready to 90 right
out huntin' and trappin' a-in jest the same
as IL they'd sold their furs fur blankets
an grub an ammunition.
"Arter a while when they found thar
wa'n'tenough for the military 10 do lookin
arter tae Injuns, they set them to huntin'
us traders jest tu keep their hands in like,
an at the same time give this govern
ment a sorter nominal return 10 show fur
their grub and wages. They KEEP huntiu'
us an runuin' US outen, fust one camp
an then another. an we KEEP shinnin' OF
up this way till we KEN to the conclusion
y,
an then we stopped right in our tracks an
said we wouldn't be took on British terri
tory.
up hear with the Soutb Crus an Black
feet I KEEP on trsdin' lest the same way ~
| had with the Assinnabroines, Crows,
South RiEans an the rest OF 'em down ia
Montana. and it riled those other cusses
because they wa'u's doin' 80 well.
tradiu' an took 70 'voifa' A lot Of 'em
was along Ga what wa called High
River. but IL was called tie 'SpiJzie then,
that's the IuIu name.
They got along pretty well fur while
sn' than they thought they'd Jest run this
kentry and kinder lsgjsi.te far lt 20 they
pissed law that no trader should sell
ammunition % the Inilus
Il hee red of it an' 7 laid awake nights
thinkia' Ct &c. I was doia' well an maxim
money hand over fst. an somehow 30
made ne dssperit ike 10 tLink that
should have ny hvin aB everything ! had
in the world taken away from me ey io'
of no account critters that hal so tns
name OF be.n Teck sss hy swaria loud an
buiiyia' enT Iniaa t'at they ketcH By
hisseif knew there va NJ nucn f-at IN
en- exosuc tseF hsi long way tae oest Oh
e. bus nsis ~es jest taen they hsd tae
best on Dr.. OWN t0 most every BODY beia
sfsared q 'en TheY ~as other traders
n th-kt-.-v es k-7ved EN- as vel -
ga h~- ~a VS. so scattered aho1t th sr
r. c--1 . -t s-a0l ~ escs otaer very weli
We-rs6s.s a.l Kicked arin THE re-1 e.
H-- Says re. .the IBians s. peacenls an
friendly. "a it tkey wanted 81 20 - y