Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-05-13
"HoNEST iNJUN."
How tho chickasaws Were Taught the
Meaning Of the EXPRESSION.

ITO" tno Snickaoa"s "efo iau9nt tne
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 a poor
man, but obtaining on credit donkey
named Moses, which was valued at q
considerable sum, he imported the ami
NAL and stabbed 1t 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 trail to the bank Of the
river and lost 1t. The stream was in
flood, and he believed his valuable ami
NAL was drowned. Unless he found
some way to raise the money to pay
for 1t he was a 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 at Bolivar from a trader there.
As no white man would have shot a
donkey Barnes concluded that the In
dianA who had never seen one, but
who were then hunting on the Hat
chee, were the offenders.
To trap them he tried little strata
gem. He organized shooting contest
and offered as prize "the handsomest
skin ever taken on the Hatchee, the
pelt of a 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 uni" cried
the winner, running to the skin and
pointing to a 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 1t 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 kno"
me. I am a poor man, but I am
friend to the Chickasaws. mend his
gun for him and deal fairly by him
This animal was my white mans pony
bought 1t far away and brought II
here. 1t cost me much wampum, the
price Of many Indian ponies. To lose
1t will lose me all. 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 1t. What will
Chickasaw do?
The Indians had listened attentively
When he had finished, they went to
their ponies, tethered nearby. 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 many?" asked Barnes.
| You say how many"
Barnes appointed an appraiser, who
selected a number Of ponies equal ir
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, fol
their tribe at least, some claim to the
title, Honest Injun."