Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-10-24

III " Il 4 OINI w "A SOU1 6AlAIa
who with our broken knife had pre-
pared our poles. With the rudest
tackle and the Indians bait it was not
difficult to take a nice string of fine
bass, perch and pckerel by the middle
of the afternoon.
Indian Guests.
I'VE returned with the Indians to
their camp. AS usual the squaws ask
ed us to eat. Hanging near one of the
tepees was the carcass of q large bear,
the skin still on, and none of the meat
seemed to have been taken off. The
odor from the kettles and from the
/ fragments dropped into the fire start
ed the saliva in our mouths and caus-
ed us to accept the invitation with
unanimous voice. OF course the visit
ing 'skin-aways' We're favored guests,
and my Indian companion brought to
me fresh clean piece of bark on
which lay a steaming piece of that big
bear My hands almost trembled in
hungry and appreciative expectancy
Then | saw that / was offered a whole
unskinned, unscraped foot of the bear.
| put it from me, but my companion
skinned away the bark, took the hot
paw in his dirty hands, pulled off the
nails and hair with his teeth and spit
them out. then ate that foot ] had
not noticed the cooking process till
now. one of the kindliest and most
active Of the SquawS sat in the door
of her tepee rapidly drawing into the
| kettle at her left the entrails of the
bear, as with her right hand she strip
ped out their contents.
keokuk and Black Hawk.
These first few years of our resi-
! dence We're the last years of the Sacs
and Foxes in this locality. Both Keo-
lkulS and Black Hawk We're With the
tribe. Keolsuk was the chief. and his
coming and going was remarked both
by the Indians and the settlers. He
was of fine appearance, dignified and
/ austere. Black Hawk, on the con-
| trary was not very highly regarded
| by the tribe, and not much noticed
! by the settlers until his death in 1888
few miles above here, when a great
deal was said about his life and
| achievements by both whites and In
dams. Both Keokuk and Black Hawk
We're often at our cabin, and I remem-
| Der their appearance we'll. The latter
was sadly dilapidated in appearance,
! wearing i'll kept garments of the
! whites style and manufacture. while
| he was nearly always in state of at
| least semi intoxicaton. / have heard
| this fact disputed in late years, but
IL can positively assert its truth. We
| thought little of their doings at the
| time, but now it seems strange that
! they should have been wholly inter-
/ ested in the compensation the govern
ment was making them, and not have
regretted leaving the rich sugar stree
/ groves in which they had so long lived
! along the Cheauest, or the graves thai
1 they had made along the hills and riv-
! or banks above its mouth.
/ o Settlers Duties.
! The duties of settler on his claim
4 and OF his Wife about the cabin We're
! simple though severe. The RESPONSE
/ bility was all theirs, but they had the
! finest k8laclS of distributing it. Father
| directed the outdoor force, planning
/ every task, yet relying for its certain
and correct execution on the boys un-
der the management of John, aged
20. How father urged and excited even
/ the youngsters to heap the brush and
/ logs all day long for the sole appa-
rent purpose of the delight of the big
fire at night! / did not learn for TWEEN
ty years that he was getting overtime
| out of me. His management through
| John admitted of his necessarily long
and tedious trips into Illinois and Mis-
| souri, to mill and market. On these
trips he usually took one of his chill
dren. TO that extent relieving mothers
cares.
I. Tasks of the Pioneer Women.
ION her part, mother used the same
ingenuity, having Maria, aged %, upon
| whom to rely. Every child able to car
ry wood or run errandS was Maria s
assistant. Mother bore and cared for
| the babies. saw that the floor was
! white and clean, that the beds Were
made and cared for, the garden tend
/ ed, the turkeys dressed, the deer flesh
cured and the fat prepared for cam
dies or culinary use, that the wild
fruits We're garnered and preserved OF
dried, that the spinning and knitting
was done and the clothing made. Sac
did her part in all these tasks, made
Enearly all the clothing and did the
4 thousand things for us a mother only
Il fnds to do. But as assistants in the
.l'training of the children, the perform
lance of hard labor and the bearing OF
/ The burdens of the settlers lives. the
IJofns and Marias of pioneer life have
4 never received their full credit.
/ Observe the Sabbath.
/ "Devoutness is characteristic OF
| Outstanding, abode in our mother
Father less filled with grace, enforced
the rules of righteousness i'll our fam
/ lily. and to others outside, with sterl
4 eXactness. 1t was he who made il
\ compulsory that we keep our promise
L attend any religious service WltAli
walking distance and observe the Sab
i bath. And my fathers cabin was rul-
ed as every other settlers. The hab-
its of the settlers We're strangely
alike. Exceptions there We're where 9
cabin was occupied by settler pre-
i pairing for and awaiting the arriva
of his family from the east, or where
lone bachelor occupied his claim.
tnever knew a settlers cabin presided
over by childless woman.
Father had been tayernkeepei
and in small way dealt in live stock
in Steubenville. Ohio, prior to coming
to Fulton county, Illinois, where hi
lived three years. The family left il
Illinois good stock of kitchen ana
table necessities, and frequent trip'
there supplied our cabin with q bette
equipment than was usual among thu
settlers. The idea in moving int
Iowa, and across the river was tina
the open country would furnish FREE
! pasture for much stock, and our fore,
was sufficient to break enough grounc
on our claim and otherwise to carr
J for it. Driving the stock to easter
markets would be done by our ow,
!. force and without expense. There wa
; full intention of acquiring title Il
quarter section when we came, bu