Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-07-25
A FALSE PROPHET.

A FALSE PROPHET.
gon valley Michigan, was one vast wilder
ness. One of the first white men to cast
his lot among the pines and strike for a
home and fortune in the valley was Jacob
Horson.
He came with his family, cut swathe
along the south bank Of the river, and
erected a water mill.
The result was thriving settlement in a
few years. The woods were yet the hunt
ing ground for numerous body of In
dams, and the fat at the mouth of the
stream where Horson erected his mill was
used by the Ottawas as a camping ground
in the spring of the year-the sugar season.
A few miles back from the river were
immense forests of maple, where the In
dams made sugar, and "toted' it to the
river camp, where it was stored during the
season.
There were forty wigwams erected on
the fiat one spring, twoscore years ago.
when the incidents occurred that / am
about to relate.
Near the bank of the river was large
bark wigwam, which had been erected as
storehouse for sugar, and here, now the
end of the sap season, a thousand pounds
of stirred sugar was stored in birch bark
receptacles made for the purpose by the
Indians.
One pleasant spring morning as Jacob
Horson was crossing the mill dam, going
from his house to the mill, he noticed
considerable commotion among the Indi-
ans and squaws, large number of whom
had gathered about the storehouse on the
river bank.
Mr.. Horson knew that something was
wrong, but paid no heed to it at the time.
An hour later two stout Indian bucks ap.
peared at the mill and asked to see Hor-
son.
1.-TWO bark gone-full sugar"
This was the announcement made by the
two Indians when the pioneer confronted
them. A little inquiry ELECTED the fact
that two birch barks, containing at least
100 pounds of sugar each, had been stolen
the previous night from the storehouse.
Jacob Horson was indignant at the
thought that any of his mill crew had been
guilty of such work, and he ut once assured
the Ottawas that he would have thorough
investigation.
At the noon hour, when all the men had
gathered in their room a. the boarding
house, Mr.. Horson, accompanied by the
two bucks, presented himself before them
and stated the case pointedly.
''If any member or members of my crew
have stolen sugar from the Indians | want
to know it. 1t may have been perpetrated
as n joke, and confession now and restitu-
ton will save the mischief makers from
discharge.
The men seemed surprised. Each for
himself denied the theft, and the mill
owner believed them. The two Indians
shook their heads and went away mutter-
ing.
Several days passed, and the discomfort
grew more serious Jacob Horson did not
believe one of his crew had perpetrated tho
theft. 1t must have been some wandering
hunters, he said and so for time the mat
ter rested.
"Madge, did you know that great In
dian prophet had appeared down at Pages
landingf" said young Austin Woodston,
the mill blacksmith, who often visited tho
kitchen of the Horsons to see the pretty
hired girl, Madge Mason.
Woodston was a superior young man
boarding house was full Mr.. Horson ad-
mitted the young blacksmith to his house,
where he took so well he seemed like a
member of the family.
Pages landing was ten miles below tho
mill settlement.
81 hadn't heard of it" remarked Madge
"Well, it's true, it seems, for Mr.. Stowell
told me so this morning"
us he fortune tellerf"
II guess not that, but an Indian seer, a
prophet. The Indians have gone down to
consult him about the loss Of their sugar"
"The ideal What nonsenser and Madge
laughed merrily.
$50 think, but Mr.. Stowell believes in
It. He said he believed the Indians would
now find their stolen property"
"The idea that a man like Mr.. Stoweli
could be so superstitious.
That afternoon, however, a delegation of
Ottawas visited Mr. Horson at home.
1--WE know the thief" said the spokes-
man in fair English. "He lib with you"
what do you meanW demanded the
mill owner, quite surprised at the visit.
He supposed the red men had given UP all
thought of finding the stolen sweets.
Great spirit tell medicine man we find
tnleI your mousse
"Do you mean to accuse mel"
"Will you let US search housei Man
steal our sugar, young. with hair on lip
blue eyes"
"Do you mean woodstonl He wouldn't
do such thing. Yes, search the house II
you want to. You'll have your trouble for
your pains. I'll lead the way"
The mill owner opened his own trunk to
the red investigators. He did not care to
have the enmity of the Indians, and was
willing to satisfy them that none of the
stolen sugar was in his house.
At length they entered the young black
tmith's room One of the Indians pounced
upon a green chest in one corner, and
threw up the cover, II not being locked.
Loi and behold, there, exposed 20 view.
was heap of maple sugar, partially en-
veloped in pasteboard box.
The Indians gesticulated violently, and
seemed both pleased and enraged at one
and the same time.
Jacob Horson was thundeTstruek.
He sent for the young blacksmith at ones.