The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1893-12-09
JOHNSON'S DEBTOR.
It Was an Extraordinary Job to
Collect from Him.

When O. M. Carter, now president
| of the American Loan Il Trust com
pany of Omaha. sold his post traders
outfit at the Rose bud Indian agency il
! South Dakota to Charles Stemwindel
| johnson, as Ed Hall used to call him.
there were some accounts on the books
! which he threw in as uncollectable
It was Col George Barry starting an
other story of his frontier life in the
cafe at the Lotus club the other even
| ing after the coffee, says the New York
Sun.
! ssWell, one time, after he'd got pretty
fairly well used to the redskins and
some of the surrounding territory, it
struck johnson one day that it would
be good thing to collect some of
those uncollectable bills. Every cent
he got out of them was clean
profit. The worst man on the whole
list was Frenchman named Buche.
who was ranging some cattle over
toward the head waters of the south
-orlk of the White river. Carter had let
Duche run up bill OF one hundred and
sixty dollars, and he couldn't get a
cent of it
Courts. the head clerk, who had
been at the post for years, told johnson
that if he could collect Buche's bill he
could get every dollar every other man
on the Rosebud owed him. well, one
day Johnson got Buche at the agency.
and jollied him along until Buche actu-
ally agreed to pay.
L tell you vat, Thomson the
Frenchman said, I got some cattles
opon re reevaire gift you some of zenl
cattles'
All right Buche, johnson said.
Jack Arkwright an I'll go up an get
'em some day before long,
$50 they had a drink and Buche went
away. In ten minutes he'd changed his
mind about the cattle and concluded
not to pay the bill. He bounced back
snso 1ohnson's store and excitedly ex-
claimed:
- Thomson, keepozose cattles my
self l don't tsink gifts you zose cat
ties Zose is my cattles'
'''All right, Buche. You can keep
your cattle said johnson But the
cattle you gave me are niue, an Jack
Arkwright an I'll go up an get 'em
next Sunday
II Diet you ain goin' get zose cattles.
Nevaire! Zose is my cattles. Eth? !
keep zem. / know Eth? You see me?
! am Buche. Zose is my cattles. So. 1 |
keep zem. Vat you can do? Nozzing!
| know. Eat is good 'ead. Zere is
worse 'eads as Eat in con-n-gress. Eh?'
And out of the store he strobe
johnson saw him once or twice after
that before the next Sunday and each
time said:
"I'll be down on Sunday for my
cattle
"Buche raved around the agency and
'wore by all his vigorous oaths that
ned Fill johnson full of Winchester
loles if the trader made an effort to
get the cattle So on Saturday John
ION went to the agency building and had
lack Arlxwright sworn in as deputy
United States marshal There isn't
cry much law on an Indian reserva-
ion, and in most cases might is right;
nut Arkwrights long official title had
errifying sort of sound to the half
reeds and Jack thought himself only
econd in Importance to the president.
lie had Mexican, Indian and negro {
lood in his veins. and was as fine a ]
pecimen as you'll see in many days
rayel in that country of stalwart men. {
'esides that he didn't understand how )
, be afraid of anything, and he be- q
eyed that a six-shooter was made for
Sc rather than ornament
well, on Sunday morning johnson
nd Arlswright. with his commission as
equity marshal and a herder. started y
Or Buches headquarters seventy-fve
lies away on the river, leaving Ruche II
bling around the agency and swear
Ig all sorts of things They rode
-etty hard, and made about sixty-five $
lies before shutdown. They hadn't .
UGH more than gone into camp before II
uche came by riding like a whirlwind 81
18th a Winchester balanced on the sad
e in front of him. q
/" Be down ip the morning, Buche,
outed johnson, AN get my cattle "
with an angry shout, Buche rode on
ward his camp. Very early the next VI
orning Johnson's party started. They re
ade the ten miles to Buche's camp III
'out an hour, and couldn't find a sign
life.
"'Well, I'm gormed.' said Jack Ark e,