The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1904-04-27
s..essr MUM"
20 t'isieixasnws We're Taught
enaiing Of the Expression.

--N&
aesnl the earliest corners to the
IIafchc country, in western Tennes-
see, was sir. Barnes. a blacksmith,
who became friend OF the chIckasaw
Indians and often mended their guns
without charge. Barnes was poor
man, sut obtaining on credit donkey
named Moses. which was valued at a
considerable sum, he imported the ami
mai and stabbed II at the smithy. says
the Youths Companion. II was the
first IN that region. One morning he
found the door open and Moses gone.
lie followed a trail to the bank OF the
river and lost It. The stream was In
Hood, aud lie believed his valuable ami.
: final WAS drowned. Unless he found
some way TO raise the money to pay
for IL he was ruined man.
Two months later trading scow
CANE down the Hatchee from Bolivar,
and on the roof, spread out In the sun,
was the hide Of Moses. unmlstakable
in its soft and handsome grays. Barnes
related his story to the trader and re-
ceived the skin, which had been
bought at Bolivar from trader there
As no white man would have shot a
donkey Barnes concluded that the In
dams, who had never seen one, but
who were then bunting on the Hat
chee. We're the offenders
10 trap them he tried little stiata.
gem. He organized shooting COMES.
and offered rs a prize ..the handsomest
skin ever taken on the Hatehee, tie
pelt OF a beautiful animal"
a Chickasaw brave was the winner
OF the contest and claimed the prize.
Barnes brought forward the skin OF
Noses and spread ii on the ground
There Is your prize he said.
Me shoot uni Me shoot umr' cried
the winner, running TO the skin and
pointing TO bullet hole. Then he told
how he had been wandering down the
river bank and had seen this strange
wild animal, Ike nothing he had ever
seen before, breaking through the
cane. He had shot IL and sold the
hide at Bolivar. He was delighted to
get il back.
This was what Barnes had hoped
for. Standing, he addressed the Chick
asaws.
My brothers, he said, ''Fou know
me. ! am poor man. but | am d
friend to the Chlckasaw. / mend his
gun for him and deal fairly by him.
This animal WIS my white mans pony.
! bought II far away and brought II
here. It cost me much wampum. the
price Of many Indian ponies. To lose
1t viii lose me all. 1t escaped me and
went 10 the woods, and there Chick
asaw killed Il.
When ] am in Chickasaw country. l
obey chickasaw law. When Chicka.
saw is in white mans country, he
should obey white mans law. White
mans law is that whoever kills my
pony must pay me for it. What will
ChiclSasaw doY'
The Indians had listened attentively.
When he had finished. they went TO
their ponies, tethered near by. The
Whites watched them meanwhile with
intense interest The Indians unteth.
cred their ponies and brought them up.
take um," they said. Indian have
only ponies. Give um ALL"
How manyg" asked Barnes.
you say how many"
Barnes appointed an appraiser, who
selected number of ponies equal in
yalne to the donkey. These the black
smith sold TO his nelghbors.
The Indians gave up their hunt and
went back to their villages. poorer, but
satisfied. They had maintained, for
their tribe at least, some claim to the
title, Honest InJun."