Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1903-06-17
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~ office, to await the slow
Sllsl| ll5l,3 coming of the mail, and
found that the proprietor
had gone out to supper and left the
door unlocked. He had no clerk, and
inside were number Of blanket In.
) dians" seated upon boxes and barrels,
very much at home ] knew that Gov.
ernment employees at all the Sioux
agencies We're notoriously negligent in
the matter of locks and keys, yet /
was surprised ut Kelley's supreme con-
= fidence in these Indians.
When we were alone that evening
spoke to him about the matter.
"Oh," he replied, in his easy way,
{ .if there are Indians in the store when
s I'm ready for meals, don't send them
out. Show Sioux that you have per
5 feet confidence in him, and you can
trust him with anything you've got.
& Ihesbest clerk Ishad, in the days when
my trade needed help. was All Indian
Martin Blueshleld. Martin saved me
from loss by thievery several times;
the thieves were whites.
"I'll tell you OF. Martins fracas with
tBig,sKosky. Kosky had a timber. claim
oversshere on aLaroet Creek. He--w
some kind Of foreigner and had
worked in the pinerics; he was the big
gest and the meancst man that ever
came into these parts. He was q tre-
mendous fellow iu size, with neck
and chest like. bulls, and he had a
black beard as coarse as straw. that
stood straight out like hogs bristles.
CAT that time the IndIans here. who
have always been peaceable, were feel
inS very timid. 1t was the year after
the Custer fight, and the people of the
settlements hereabouts were not we'll
disposed toward the Indians.
81 don't know how 1t is, said Kelley.
re1cctively, "but most white people
don't seem to know the difference be-
tween good Indian and a bad one.
Fully nine.tenths of the Sioux have
never taken part In any hostile move
against our people. Yet this ninG-
tenths have been made 20 suffer greater
Rriyst!ons than the. fellows who did
) the fighting.
- We'll. Big Kosky and some others
took advantage of the situation here,
Z and robbed thesIndian.: whenever they
had half n chance. z2osky, ,at Laroot:
Creek, was close to the reservation
line. and he had keen eye for stray
ponies. I suppose he stole and sold a
dozen or fifteen of them in a year
AFTER every loss the Indians would
herd their ponies closer for n time;
then they'd get a little careless and
more stock would disappear. 1t did
mot the slightest good to complain; both
Il and the missionary here went TO the
ssheriffs IN the adjoining counties, and
tried to get them to put stop to the
robbery.
@ 'The Indians DON came to fear Big
SKosky much sc, scr.c people fear evil
spirits. They thought he had wakar"
big medicine or spirit-"which pro-
Stected him. They said he could look
right through person and see what
was behind him. He usually carried q
two-bitted AK with long handle,
which the Indians looked upon as his
warsweapon; and they supposed he
could throw this through q man at a
very long distance.
Il He used to come to my store now
and then to trade, anu the Indians al
ways kept, away from him, for he,
hated them and would glare at them
lo I1,,t o1n
had been educated in white schools,
had lost his fear Of wakan men, and
1t was amusing to me to watch theplay
between them. - =
"'Good day, Mr.. Kosky!' Martin
would say, very politely. .Will you
have some rope today, or will you have
Sone Of these fine knives!' and he would
hold up butcher-knife or a coil of
rope for inspection.
big Kosky's eyes would blaze and
then he'd mutter something in his OWE
language and turn to me for what he
wanted. Probably, though, there would
have been no fracas between Martin
and Kosky if hadn't been called to
Fort Berthofd on business. Kosky
came over the next day with a cart and
yoke of oxen after some -four. When
he enteredHthe store he glared ut Mar
tin as usual, and finding I was to be
gop2zSsr a-Meek or two. he turned on
shiS heel and walked out:
ga little while afterward an Indian
came in and told Martin that the big
medicine wasechun"-white man-"had
taken one Of my ponies, which was
picketed in rayine beside the road
sirhe old scamp supposed it was an In
dian's pony.
Martin said nothing, but locked the
store. saddled1his pony, and went after
Big Kosky. About two miles from the
store he overlook the fellow, with my
horse tied behind his cart Then there
was q lively time. Kosky got of his
cart with his axe and charged Martin,
yelling like wild man. The boy
lodged on his spry pony and watched
for an opening.
excircled swiftly around the cart
and oxen until Big Kosky was pretty
well blown trying to get at him. Then,
when Kosky was at the opposite side
Of the cart, Martin made a sudden
dash at the oxen and helabored them
with a stockSsssfs1ssz Needed only al
scut o. at jump,
.,saS sls5 'S Id, was left
"a IS IS.
u = Is "a; 7:sE Ia safe dis
bny's rope,
Z III s3 81 3lheward, with