The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-03
q BAD MEDICINE. !"
The Devious Financier Much
Afraid Of the Camera.
Rattlesnake Pete's Elucidation
of an Old Tradition.
EVIDENCE is SIMILAR.
Sculptor Notes Strange Points
of Resemblance
Among the Tribes of the Wild
West Red Men.
EVIDENCE is SIMILAR.

Fremont, May 2.-There is an ancient
superstition that the red man does not
like to have his portrait made. Two
young people who were journeying out
into the Black Hills Of South Dakita
last fall were very much impressed with
this tradition at Fremont. one Of tie
principal stations on the Fremont, Elk
horn and Missouri Valley railroad, which
is the Northwestern systems branch
running up through the cattle country
and the Indian agencies in Nebraska
and South Dakota.
Rattlesnake Pete. the long-haired and
sWarthy person who brought q lot or
Rosebud reservation Indians to Glen
Island last SUMNER was taking MS
charges back to their homes The In
dams had been transported in a special
car from New York by some contract
agreement which did not specify the
route over which they had been carried.
They had been yanked up and down
pretty much the whole United States
over railroad lines doing a small busl-
ness, which could afford to make a rate
for them low enough to complete the
contract. They were eleven days be
tween New York and Valentine, their
destination. They had been taken down
into Kentucky Louisiana, came up the
Mississippi river to St. Louis. whence
they zigzagged to Omaha and were run
from there indirectly to Fremont, the
on the ElkhOrn, the straight road for
home. Which led to a surnise among
those who were interested in the trip
that the Elkhorn did not exactly fancy
that sort of business.
When the special rolled into the Free
mont station the Indians knew that at
last they were on the home trail. They
had been told for several days that they
would arrive at Valentine the nearest
station to the agency, on Saturday
night. But up until the mon ent they
saw themselves on tracks which were
filed with the Familiarity cOlored and
marked ElkhOrn rolling stock, they had
met these statements with calm unDe-
lief. The red man is tragically used to
the lies of the pale face. He knows
what he is going to get when he gets it;
and he usually gets it hard.
A great and tremendous homecoming
song saluted the ears of the passengers
on the regular train to which the Indian
special was about to be coupled. It was
SO loud that 1t reached the car before
even the nasal evidence of the approach
of the Indian-laden car permeated the
Fremont yards. That means that the
song was very loud indeed. The young
eastern tOurists-they were honeymoon
ing five years after date-grabbed their
cameras and made for the back platform.
They saw the front platform of the ap-
preaching special car filled to over
crowding with Indians who were singing
with all the zest of campmeeting Wor-
ViVal. The Indians were not painted,
but they were in all the glory Of their
blankets and beaded hatbands and moe
casins. The tourists began to study their
view-fnders. In the miniature ground
glass it was apparent that terrific dis
turbance was taking place. They looked
back and saw a sight that gave them
cold chillS
Some of the Indians had leaped back
into the car, others were shaking their
fists violently. One or two were cover
ing their faces with their hands and still
another was levelling revolver, while
yet another was brandishing huge
bowie knife.
Loud and cultural bowls Of mo! MOI"
stop" ''Wiu KILL" were shouted across
the intervening space. The young Wo-
snap her shutter anyway. She said she
might as we'll have the picture, whether
she was going to be slain or not Before
she could take another shot her husband
dragged her bodily back through the
car door and threw her on the floor with
what he considered marvellous self-con-
troll. There were only two or three other
passengers in the Pullman and they,
since they were plains people, regarded
the performance with unmoved counte-
nances. only permitting themselves the
luxury of one or two swift stern glances
/ into one another's steely cold eyes
The honeymooners crept back to their
section and congratulated one another
in trembling tones on their escape
Later. after it was too dark to take
any more pictures and while the
strains of the amending homecoming
song were ringing high above the rattle
of the train, the young man stole back
into the smoking compartment and
sought the confidence of Rattlesnake
Pete. The young man was one who
was very sensitive to psychological
surroundings and he had gathered the
/ idea that somehow or other he had not
! the full esteem of the other passengers
/ in the sleeper. His wife said that she
noticed it. too.
Feeling that a man who had been
/ licked by a tenderfoot on the Glen ISL
/ and ferrybOat was one who would be
more likely to get on a reasonable con-
/ versational basis with him than any one
else Of the brethren in the car, he
/ tackled Rattlesnake Pete, who at once
| justified the expectation.
| Indians scarf you some, son, didn't
they?' he asked
.fThey did" said the young man
What was the trouble?"
They thought you had money. You
I look it." said the Indian boss calmly.
WHAT asked the young man with
a happy thrill They didn't want to Toh
me, did they?"
Rattlesnake Pete took a long look al
/ the faces of the three other men who
sat in the smoker. One of them was q
! young eastern man who had lived on q
/ Wood Lake ranch for five or six years
because his father, who is a millionaire
does not feel that he can afford to hire
q governess for his son. He laughed
I The others avoided Pete's eye and
looked at one another and were very
/ grave, indeed.
No. young man." said Pete. III
wasn't that. And it wasn't that they
were superstitiOus about having theil
faces taken, as you seem to have
/ thought It was dough they wanted
/ II you had given them q quarter apiece
you could have taken pictures OF them
/ all right
Did they learn that at Glen Island 2
asked the young man
They practiced it there, all right.
was the reply. But they didn't learn il
there. It is one Of the traditions Of the
people now. Perhaps they first learned
/ It when Colonel Cedy used to take
them out from the reserva lions year,
and years ago for his Wild West show