Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1904-05-26
"HONEST MUM"
How the ChickaSaws Were Taught
the Meaning of the Expression.

the Meaning of the Expression.
Among the earliest corners to the
Hatchee country. in western Tennes-
see, was a Mr.. Barnes, blacksmith,
who became friend of the Chickasaw
Indians and often mended their guns
without charge. Barnes was poor
man, but obtaining on credit n donkey
named Moses, which was valued at a
considerable sum, he imported the ami
NAL and stabbed it at the smithy, says
the Youths Companion. 1t was the
first in that region. One morning he
found the door open and Moses gone.
He followed a trail to the bank of the
river and lost it. The stream was in
food, and he believed his valuable ami
NAL was drowned. Unless he found
some way to raise the money to pay
for it he was ruined man.
Two months later a trading scow
came down the Hatchee from Bolivar,
and on the roof, spread out in the sun,
was the hide of Moses, unmistakable
In Its soft and handsome grays. Barnes
related his story to the trader and re-
ceived the skin, which had been
bought ut Bolivar from a 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 hunting on the Hat
chez, were the offenders.
To trap them he tried little strata
gem. He organized a shooting contest
and offered as prize 1.-THE handsonest
skin ever taken on the Hatchee, the
pelt Of beautiful animal"
A Chickasaw brave was the winner
Of the contest and claimed the prize.
Barnes brought forward the skin of
Moses and spread it on the ground
''There is your prize" he said.
''Me shoot UNI. Me shoot um" 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, like nothing he had ever
seen before, breaking through the
cane. He had shot it and sold the
hide at Bolivar. He was delighted to
get it back.
This was what Barnes had hoped
for. Standing, he addressed the Chick
asaws.
my brothers." he said, you know
me. | am Il poor man, but | am a
friend to the Chickasaw. | mend his
gun for him and deal fairly by him.
This animal was my white mans pony.
l bought it far away and brought it
here. 1t cost me much wampum, the
price of many Indian ponies To lose
1t will lose me ali. 1t escaped me and
went to the woods, and there Chick
asaw killed It,
when | am in Chickasaw country,
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
Chickasaw do?'
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 UNI they said Indian have
only ponies. Give um all"
How many?" asked Barnes.
you say how many"
Barnes appointed an appraiser, who
selected a number of ponies equal in
value to the donkey. These the black
smith sold to his neighbors.
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.'