Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-01-07


blankets, baskets, furs. chests or ships
that go down to the sea.
Princess Tom was a young woman
when she began to trade. The trad
ing instinct was as strong in her as
ever it was in Jay Gould or in Russell
Sage. She began by peddling the furs
taken by her husband, and finding that
she was skilled in trade she also made
deals for the husbands of her friends
and neighbors, Then she saw a good
chance to make good trades for herself,
and bought furs from other Indians
and took them to the trading posts.
Meantime, she became collector of
blankets, copper kettles and that sort
of thing. In the course of few years
she amassed vast amount of Indian
wealth, but learned that white mans
wealth was better.
So, as soon as possible, she sold her
Indian stuff for silver money. Later
it came to her knowledge that gold was
better than silver, and she traded her
silver for gold of which she now owns
about $4,000 worth in $40 pieces. Be-
sides these she has innumerable bang
les, bracelets, necklaces and other orna-
ments made from the shining yellow
superior coin of the United States.
Some of her bracelets have as many as
fifteen $40 gold pieces in them, and when
Princess Tom decks herself out in her
golden coin jewelry she is a person of
weight. Her golden treasure is hidden
away in a variety of places. and, as
she never spends any of it, it is getting
fnl hryr 1ny q
look at it very often for fear of at
tracing covetous eyes to it's resting
places.
Princess Toms mail is something
enormous, considering all things. I'M
pecunious persons who have heard of
her and rely upon her being a simple
Indian maiden with a lot of money
she does not know how to spend, write
begging letters. Miss Campbell reads
these to her whenever a sufficient
number have accumulated to make it
worth while. After the fashion of writ
ers of begging letters, most of these be-
gin by statingthat the person who writes
has heard of the good and beneficent
Princess Tom, and admireS her for
her ability and wealth. This sort of
thing the princess enjoys, because she
really believes in human nature, but
as soon as the reader comes to that
portion of the letter which begS or de-
mands money the princess flies into a
rage and will hear no more of it, for
the old lady loves her wealth exceed
ingly.
AS the employer of a large number
of traders, hunters, boatmen and
agents and the owner of a number of
virtual slaves, Princess Tom is kept
reasonably busy looking after her af-
fairs. Her husbands, of which there
are five, are graded in her estimation.
The oldest does no work, those of the
middle-aged men who possess sufii
cient intelligence assist her in manag-
ing her affairs. The youngest and lat
est is being raised a pet" and he
seems to realize that he has good
position, especially as the young In
dian girls of his acquaintance like
him all the better for it, while the
young men, when not jocular, are
wildly envious.
] had several interpreted talks with
Princess Tom and found her to be an
unusually intelligent Indian woman as
tions about American affairs. and par
ticularly those relatingor of interest to
Alaska, showed good sense and more
information than one would suspect.
She hoped, she said, to see the time
hen Alaska would be more closely
governed and the vast interests of the
territory open to intelligent trade.
She knows intimately the details of
hunting fur-bearing animals, and l
judge that she could not be easily
fooled by her agents and middlemen.
She brought some of her choicest sea
otter skins out for my inspection. and
displayed an intimate knowledge of
their uses in other countries and their
value. She also insisted that her pho
tograph be taken with one of her sea
otter skins hanging over her arm. She
carries a gold watch, of which she
we'll knows the uses, and although she
owns a good deal of jewelry seldom
wears any of it. Her clothes she has
made in the American fashion, as
nearly as Alaskan seamstresses can
copy it.
l asked her if she intended visiting
the United States, and described to her
the ease of travelling across the great
stretches of country lying between the
Pacific and Atlantic coasts. She said
that she knew all about that and had
heard of Chicago and New York and
Washington, and knew their popula
tons, but she was now too old. When
younger travel was not so easily ac-
and she was not SO rich,
but now she could not leave her bust
ness and the east must get along with
out her.
She does not make friendships easily
with white men, and has never al
lowed anyone to photograph her.
the good offices of Miss Camp
bell, however, I was enabled to estab
lish such confidence that she readily
granted my request to photograph her,
and grew quite interested in it, al
though she insisted on looking into the
to see the picture as soon as ]
had taken it, and could not or would
not understand why this was not pos
sble until after the plate had been de-