Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-07-29
cANNIBALS ON EXHIBITION.
How the Chief Played Poker on the
French Liner La Lorraine.

How the Chief Played Poker on the
French Liner La Lorraine.
Saloon passengers on the French
liner La Lorraine. in from Havre last
| Sunday" says the New York Com
| mercial, "were much interested during
the voyage in the 81 half-cannibal
Ogowes from the Congo region, who
had quarters in the steerage and were
on their way to the exposition at
i Buffalo under an exhibitors contract
for six months. BY permission Of the
ships officers small parties of pas
sengers were frequently made up and
took a tour through the steerage in
order to see these strange blacks who
were out into civilization for the first
time.
'The nine women Ogowes were
especial objects of interest, their
rather primitive and decidedly scant
attire attracting a deal of attention
and comment until, about the third
day out, the cool weather compelled
them to wrap up more warmly, and
then gunny sacks, rugs, pieces of car
pet and old sails, rubber blankets and
pea Jackets served to conceal their
decidedly picturesque costumes.
Upon hearing that these black women
were uncomfortable from the cold
many of the saloon ladies secured ac-
cess to their baggage and fairly
dulged their Congo sisters with gifts
of 'second-best' golf capes, Elton
jackets, petticoats, skirts, shirtwaists.
old hats, storm coats, steamer rugs.
glove and ribbons.
zone young girl from Wheeling, on
her way home from a two-years
course on the violin at Berlin and
Leipsic, fished fullf1edged evening
frock out of her trunk-pink carleton
decolette and short-sleved-and pre-
scented it to one of the three wives IF
Chit Obendaga who are accompanying
him on his Pan-American trip, the
other 81 being obliged to stay at home
and keep house during his absence
Mrs. Obendaga thereupon shuckled off
her combination costume of gunny
sack and golf skirt and eagerly donned
the pink evening gown, in the presence
of all hands, her shiny black arms and
neck forming striking contrast to the
delicate pink fabric. A young drafts
man, returning to his home in Phila-
delphia after two years work on the
Trans-Siberian railway, gave the
| chiefs wife pair Of green goggles,
and in order to make the outfit COM
plete another passenger furnished her
with a pair of tennis shoes and a
much-soiled pair of white kids that
came above the elbows, but had to be
cut open and then laced up with black
shoestrings in order to admit her fat
arms. Thus rugged up Mrs Obendaga
received her dipper of coffee at meal
| time, and refused to take off her
gloves when she peeled the potatoes or
gnawned a hambone. A prOuder or d
! more satisfied woman could not be
found abroad La Lorraine, and she
| was the constant envy of her eight
black companions, while provoking
renewd admiration from her husband.
.And the chief himself was not
| forgotten. A job lot of wine-sta1ned
WdlSCCOdCS, gun COcb"0, Ac'ANJ hOoO NoAAN
| back-number silk hats fell to his lot,
and he persisted in wearing two and
sometimes three waist-coats at once
over a loud-pattern fancy shirt, whose
! tails he allowed to hang down outside
of his trousers. On Thursday night
there was a rather lively company IN
the ships smoking room and some
young blood slipped away quietly and
, got Chief Obendaga from the steerag3
and enthroned him on card table
| with a cigar box for crown and a
| bottle of Bass ale in each hand. He
was intensely interested in a game ot
poker going on at of the corner tables,
and finally, when young Halsteao
Todd, of st. Stephens, N. B., stood pat
on a pair of duces and drove all hands
| out on a fine bluff, Obendaga drew out
from somewhere underneath his shirt
handful of French coins and ex-
pressed a wish, through the inter
prefer, to sit in
''He was permitted to do so. and
nearly all the men among the cabin
| passengers crowded around to watch
the play. The chief knew the game
thoroughly, with the exception OF the
passing-the-buck' and the progressive
Jacks features, but quickly caught on
to these, and played rather cautiously
for about 20 minutes. Then he dis