The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-01-17
WAPPER-JAW JOHN.
How He Demonstrated His Friend
liness for the Whites.

1 remember ''Wapper-Jaw Sohn," the
gray-haired Winnebago, who, when /
was boy, used occasionally to visit the
neighborhood in which 1 lived Despite
his strikingly deformed and ugly face,
people who knew him seemed always to
be kindly disposed toward him. They
bought his curiously-wrought willow
and splint baskets, and often gave him
food and a nights lodging.
His face was angular and deeply
wrinkled: the under jaw was set with a
curious twist on one side, and it twitched
and grimaced grotesquely when he
talked-and he could talk only brokenly.
He was harmless old fellow, with a
good deal of shrewd sense. He was I'M
like the other members of his tribe, and
kept apart from them. The other Win
nebagOes, so far as we knew them, were
worthless, begging vaSabonds, who, to
the number of hundred or more visited
us semi-annually.
John did really earn an honest liv-
ing, and was never known to beg, al
though, like other wandering Indians,
he carried his papers, lot of written
testimonials certifying him to be "a
good Indian" Two or three of these
precious documents were of considerable
length, and they narrated Johns serv-
ices and friendly exploits in behalf of
white people in times of Indian out
breaks. He carried the papers in a
beaded buckskin wallet in pocket that
he had made for this purpose in the
breast of his coarse shirt.
One of these accounts covered several
foolscap pages. 1t was written in q
close. fine hand that was perfectly leg
ible, though the paper was yellow with
age and wear.
l remember the evident pride and sat-
isfaction which John displayed and
the great care with which he handled
the paper when, occasionally, he pre-
sented it to some member of our family
to be read or inspected. He always got
it out when he came where there were
children or young folks, for they liked
to hear the story repeated.
At this date can not, of course, re-
member the exact sentences in which
johns narrator had told of his brave
and humane exploit, but the incidents
are still fresh in my mind.
1t was in June, 1882, several weeks
after the outbreak of the Sacs and
Foxes, remembered as the Black Hawk
war, that Wapper-Jaw John rendered
heroic service to venturOus little fam
lily of settlers in one of the narrow val
legs among the bluffs opposite Sank
Prairie. At this time, according to
Smiths History of Wisconsin," the
Sacs and Foxes chad scattered their
war parties all over the North, from
Chicago to Galena, and from the IL
linois river into the Territory of Wis
consin. They occupied every grove,
waylaid every road, hung around every
settlement and attacked every party of
white men that attempted to penetrate
the country"
This condition of affairs lasted nearly
month, compelling settlers on all
hands to gather themselves and their
effects at fortified points and into
hastily-cOnstructed block-houses Yet
in this perilous time one family, a
young man and his wife and child, whose
home was upon the extreme northern
frontier, were living in complete ig-
norance that there was any Indian out
break.
Early in the previous April James
Streeter had moved up from Northern
Illinois with his small family, and had
settled upon squatter claim in a pocket
of the Black Earth valley. He had the
property usually possessed by the
mover upon the frontiers in those
days, it consisting of yoke of oxen and
wagon, a cow or two, some chickens and
few simple household utensils.
After their arrival upon the claim the
young settler and his wife were kept sc
busy in building small cabin and in
clearing, breaking up and planting a
small patch of ground that they found nc
time to cultivate acquaintance in a re
gion where their nearest neighbors were
nearly twenty miles distant.
AS the coming of this family into the
region was unknown to the other set
tiers, it's members failed to receive
warning from the couriers who spread
the news of Black Hawks uprising
mong the hills south of the Wisconsin
liver. Fortunately for the Streetel
ami y, its whereabouts was also I'M
known to the hostile Indians, the cabiI
being little beyond their usual range
of attack.
The husband and wife worked on un
ca, L
and three acres of ground thoroughly
broken up and planted to corn, potatoes
and garden seeds. The plants ha6
come up, and had been hoed once, wher
the couple found that their small stock
or provisions was nearly exhausted.