Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-03-21
..,...,.,.zxAAAAASAAAs'
aDlVig and ST. Xavier.
~ franklin wELLEs CALK1Ns.

sskkHSEssss00"S'
When Hercules Dousman was 2 cniel
WV tor the Astor Company at Prairie
rhsn be used frequently to tell the
wv If sandvig and st. Xavier, VINO
". nsrhaps as oddly assorted a pair
,ttnds and partners as ever got To-
F rav were trappers. Ole Sandvig
u faxen-haired Morse giant VINO
ND six feet four in his moccaslns,
,i,bad over two hundred pounds, and
\ mt an ounce of flesh to spare.
n,is st Xavier was a dwarf in size,
,s,t as an Indian, and boW-legged as
rOyager boatman. Ole was the soul
/ ,ood bumor. and Denis was cholerlc
hi At times rashly abusive.
pnh however, were of undoubted
m9gp and more than once the got
|.1d little French-Canadian was
.xr,pd from the perils of dangerous
marcel by the pfOWeSS anu vast
rppgth of his big partner.
There had been a protracted and Sc
,e drought in the upper Mississippi
|smfrv. and the smaller streams and
sbs had all gone dry. Fur-bearing
ratures were driven in upon the
lge streams, and the Mississippi it
bill became prime trapping ground for
uthering beaver, muskrat, mink and
Inter- pelts. As there was little snow
b. several winters, many of the trap
H made their daily rounds upon
hates. and covered a wide extent of
GitOry.
During the last of these dry years
aliyig and st. Xavier chose trap
g-gOunds some fifty miles below
Farie du Chen and above the mouth
ian Iowa river. There were, as these
aEeTS believed, no Indians winter
1 nearer than the villages of the
us and Foxes some distance away,
% they put out long lines of traps
lOut attempt at concealment.
Ne night in November there came a
q! freeze" which scaled the Missis-
Rl over with glare ice, and when,
Inc following day, the trappers
Ut their rounds on skates, both were
M aStonished and mystified to find
" every trap had been stoken on
20 bank Of the river.
Anen they compared experiences at
saI they came to the conclusion
indians must be lurking in the
slOOFhood, On the next morning
STATED down the Mississippi to
NOUN Of the little river some
4s below their shack, and there dis
aed traces Of two canoes which
EVIDENTLY broken through a thin
'l o. ice in making their way up
tam.
1'"llg the mystery of the stolen
" Was solved. Indians had, early
Ie night OF the first freeze, gath
'le Whole line" In returning
IeH canoes, they had found the
1u u the small stream thinly COW
d with ice.
II Nnr;,,
XAVIER broke out in frightful
sH' ana to Ole's advice that they
~, ~ ald from the trappers up the
4s would not listen. What were
'A' Ten pilfering Indians, he
'lat two good men should fear
nad not Baptiste LIE Bon gone
" "abasha's Sioux village after
~ ,"!Vn gun, and didn't he make
l., SNe 1t up? Well, then.
~. " the two skated on up the lit
n, IN search of the thieves.
~ lucy ran quite suddenly upon
H., l'iaA village of newly built
!, " Qozen or fifteen of them
~ marsh island formed by an
d.. VI broad bayou. of the river. The
o,,s, sIe OF woven willow built in
M, su OF tall corn-stalk grass, with
y nVU bundles of which they
M sa'Iiy matched. They were pro-
Inv, ''u Eres by the watercourses,
h y; ~ 'Ne winds of winter by the
..nses of willows.
!. ,o nappers boldly approached this
ssrs ,ba WALKING up a narrow path
Shea u, SWaying corn-stalk tops
81 ~ ~ oIe Sandvig's shoulders.
ae cb;as On arriving at the lodge
b 1iel. they found that Conkey
/ ~, notorious Musquakie scala.
esd All mead man." they aban-
b t q. hope of Immediately recov-
b, ~ T., traps. Only the summer
sded -: .ne prairie" st. Xavier had
Pig b '%.s redoubtable scoundrel by
b, bis 4! some emphatic truths
ssgar,L GtSnonorable career.
d Cones the trappers boldly en-
sasd tb': Johns teepee. and de
Johns traps and peltries. Con
bat r,;,,' "ns"er was characteristic
I'd M WY thief. The fellow had
Gagljsb somehow, a fair smatterine
sp Sac eO u. tlaps:" he inquired
ss nigb+ nooer (river). He &C
3 nos1 sa'' Him have many tlap:
De 1rs ,a'' heap skin.
aad =; knew Conkey Johr
ssged HE snfewdly twinkling eyes
enjoyment of the situa.
n thrss s poured forth a torrent O
U.s. until Sandyie draoo;ns