The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-06-25
AsTORY OF FORT WHOOP UP

An hour after sunset on November Il,
1852, l drove q very tired and ~leg-weary
pair Of mules into the strong and spacious
stockade Of Fort whoop-Up, in the SOUTH
ern portion Of the province Of Alberta, in
the Canadian Northwest.
A half-breed boy took my mules to q
comfortable stable inside the fort, while
the only other occupant Of the place gave
me a hearty welcome and invited me into
his quarters.
A few minutes later we sat down to an
excellent supper Of antelope steak, warm
bannocks, and strong tea, and when the
meal was over l was invited to TAKE O good
cigar n seat in n Of two big rush bot
tom chairs, which were drawn upon either
side the big fireplace, in which q great
fire Of dry cottonwood logs was blazing
cheerily.
Presently / introduced the subject Of
''old times' and he quickly warmed with
the theme.
"D'ye know, stranger said Mr.. Akers,
''it's not often / come across anybody !
kin talk to like you. One man comes
along an he DOM know anything 'cept
about bull whackin' an VIOLIN and SIGH
like, IN p'r'aps the lei is some English
swell as kin only talk about Germany an
ItOO6tlu, All luJta dIl 0lauStOne, an YET
he couldn't harness a boss nor cook a
meal OF vittils TO save his life. Now. /
like q man as knows suthin' about this
kentry an other kentries, too; a man rs
kin ride a yus an drive a mule team,
an yet knows suthin' else besides. The
Lord knows i hate n tenderfoot, but he
don't make me as mad as some fool of a
mule-skinner who comes TO this kentry,
an in two years forgets everything he
ever knew outside of il, thinks Injuns was
only made to be killed, and swears jest to
show off.
~ had a little experience with some of
EN- when / fust KEN up here from Mon
tana, an IL We like I'll tell we about IT,"
OF course l readily assented, and Mr..
Akers, lighting a splinter at
the fire, lighted a fresh cigar, and after
inviting me to profit by his example, COM
menced as follows:
"You see, when l fust KEN out from
Maine. 1 struck fur st. Louis, an from
thar KEN up the Missouri, tradin' an
huntin' an trampin'. till l struck Fort
Benton. I got around among the Injuns
an like the rest of the traders in those
days l found whisky was the best stock l
could carry. Or course,I had other truck,
but thar was more profit on whisky than
anothing else. But l never doctored my
whisky. I'd just take out n few kegs of
high wines an never put nothin' in
1t but water, an the more they'd
drink the more water I'd chuck in
it., an SO they'd never get drunk. The
other traders used to put s~trychnine, an
red pepper, an terbaccer, an all sorts of
pizenous drugs, besides the water, i'm
their'n, an give il TO 'em, the same
strength right OH ill they were crazy,
fightin' drunk, or less laid out paralyzed.
snow that wasn't my way at all. I'd
sell 'em all the whisky as was good fur
'em, AN all the drink tsich as il was
that they wanted, but I'd keep 'em from
gettin' tightin' drunk.
you've heerd tell about Injins goin'
crazy when they gifts the taste OF liquor;
that's all rot. They're just like anybody
else. They take whisky, il makes 'em
feel good, an bym by they want to fight.
Now, the difference comes in right here :
White men III thump an bite an ras-
Injuns don't know nothin' bout that kind
o. fightin'. They allus fight with knives
and guns, an of course thet's danger
Gus;
give 'em just enough whisky To make 'em
feel good, and not TO let 'em get fightin'
drunk. The more they took the weaker
I'D make il. I'd git all their furs and robes
jist the same and when they'd "A k up
next mornin' broke, and think they'd had
an awful spree, they wouldn't be a mite
sick, an they wouldn't be any of 'cm
knitted. They'd all be thar, an ready Ia
go right out huntin' an trappin' agin jest
the same as IL they'd sold their furs fur
blankets an gruD an ammunition.
"Arter awhile when they found thar
wa'u't enough for the military To do look
in arter the Injuns they set them to hunt
in us traders Jest to keep their hands in
like, an at the same time give the govern
ment a sorter nominal return to show fur
their grub and wages. They kept huntin
us an runnin' us outen, fust one CAM
an then another, an we KEEP shinnin' of
this way till we KEN to the conclusion
that we was outen Uncle Sans kentry
an then We stopped right in our track
an said we wouldn't be took on British
territory.
sup here with the South Crus an
Blackfeet l KEEP on tradin' jest the sam
way as l had with the Assinnaboines
Crows, South Pigans, an the rest OF EN-
cusses because they want doin' SO well
"After a while they mostly gave ul
tradin' an took to VIOLIN. A lot of ZEN
was along on what was called 'Higl
river but ii was called the 'Spitzie' then
that's the lnjun name.
"They got along pretty well for awhil,
an then they thought they'd jest run thi
kentry an kinder legislate fur il. s.
they passed n law hat no trader shoul,
sell ammunition to the Injuns.
~ heered of 1t an 1 laid awake night
thinkin' of il. l was dom well n max
ing one hand over fist, an somehow
made me. desperit like to think thatl shout
nave my livin' an everything ! had il
the world taken away from me by To-
Of no account critters that had go
the name Of bein' reckless by sweariI
loud an bullyin' any Injun that they
ketch by hissclf. l knew there wan
much fight i'm 'em except they had a Ion
way the best on il, but as IL was just the
they had the best on IL, OWN To mos
everybody bein' afeared of 'em. The
was other traders i'm the kentry as knowe
'em as well as / did, but we was so sea
tered about that we couldn't stand by eac
other very well.
ave traders all kicked again this req
lation. Says we: The Injuns are peac,
able an friendly, an IL they wanted TO b
ugly thar amt no settlers 10 massacre IL
hundreds o. miles. Nobody's here b,
big, able bodied mel with knives an