Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1903-06-17
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tlLsll l5l,l 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 8 number Of blanket In
dams seated upon boxes and barrels,
very much at home. knew that Gov
ernmcnt employees at all the Sioux
agencies We're notoriously negligent in
the matter of locks and keys, yet l
was surprised ut Kelley's supreme con-
fdence in these Indians.
When we were alone that evening l
spoke to him about the matter.
"Oh," he replied, in his easy way.
"if there are Indians IN the store when
I'm ready for meals, don't send them
out. Show Sioux that you have per-
feet confidence in him. and you can
trust him with anything you've got.
The. best clerk had, in the days when
my trade needed help. was All Indian
Martin Blueshield. Martin saved me
from loss by thievery several times;
the thieves were whites.
"I'll tell you of Martins fracas with
'Big,Kosky. Kosky hada timber claim
over. here on sLaroot Creek. He- was
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 tre-
mendous fellow IN size, with a neck
and chest like a bulls, and he had a
black beard as coarse as straw, that
stood straight out like hogs brlstics.
".lt that tine the Indians here, who
have always been peaccable, were feel
ing very tlmld. 1t was the year after
the Custer fight, and the people Of the
settlements Lereabouts were not well
disposed toward the Indians.
~ don't know how 1t is,' said Kelley.
relcctively, "but most white people
don't seem to know the difference be-
tween a good Indian and 4 bad one.
Fully nine-tenths Of the Sioux have
never taken part in any hostile move
against our people. Yet this nine
tenths have been made 20 suffer greater
priyations than the fellows who did
the fighting.
= We'll. Big Kosky and some others
Took advantage of the situation here,
and robbed the Indian: whenever they
shad half chance: Xosky,at La-oot
Creek, was close to the reservation
line, and he had keen eye for stray
sponies. I suppose he stole and sold n
dozen or fifteen OF them in year.
After every loss the Indians would
sherd their ponies closer for time;
then they'd get a little careless and
more stock would disappear. 1t did
znot the slightest good to complain: both
I and the missionary here went TO the
Ssherifrs in the adjoining counties, and
tried to get them to put stop to the
robbery.
s. "The Indians loon came to fear Big
Kosky much Us some people fear evil
spirits. They thought he had wakan''
big medicine or spirit-"which pro,
tected him. They said he could look
right through q person and see what
was behind him. He usually carried q
two-bitted ay with long handle
which the Indians looked upon as his
warEweapon; and they supposed he
could throw this through q man at O
very long distance.
"He used to come to my store now
and then to trade, and the Indians nj
ways kept away from him, for he
hated them and would glare at them
like mad beast. But my clerk, who
had been educated in white schools
had lost his fear Of wakan men, and
it was amusing to me to watch the play
between them.
"'Good day, Mr.. Kosky" Martin
would say, very politely. will yor
have some rope to-day, or will you have
one Of these fine knives? and he would
hold up butcher-knife or coil ol
rope for Inspection.
big Kosky's eyes would blaze, an(
then he'd mutter something in his OWL
language and turn to me for what ht
wanted. Probably, though, there woult
Lave been no fracas between MartiI
and Kosky if I hadn't been called tt
Fort Berthold on business. Kosky
came over the next day with a cart ant
yoke of oxen after some flour. WheI
he enteredthe store he glared ut Mar
tin as usual, and finding I was to b.
goD3sSSr 2-Meek or two. he turned OF
shis heel and walked out:
ga little while afterward an Indla1
came in and told Martin that the bi:
medicine wasechun"-white man-"hat
taken one of my ponies. which wa
pfcketed in rayine beside the road
The old scamp supposed it was an In
dams pony.
Martin said nothing, but locked tn
store, saddled.his pony, and went afte
Big Kosky. About two miles from th
store he overlook the fellow, with m.
horse tied behind his cart. Then thcr
was q lively time. Kosky got off hi
cart with his axe and charged Martin
yelling like a wild man. The DO,
lodged on his spry pony and watche,
for AZ opening.
ss.HeS Scircled swiftly around tie car
and oxen until Big Kosly was prett.
well blown trying to get at him. TheI
when Eosky was at the opposite sid
of the cart, Martin made sudde
dash at the oxen and helabored then
with stockxs6as Aceded only
cut. at jump
% s. ID, was lef
e 4: :;
s a safe dis
5bny's rope
=. 33S2SS { 81 81 e 't 'Sneward wit