River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-04-12
shoes, and that they would bet every

4
cent they had on their ponies. and as
they had just been paid their anriui-
| ties by the government, they had
money III bales. and we could get 1t all,
| if we had horses that were any good,
and money to back them. His idea
was to give out that owing to some &C.
cident we could not give an afternoon
| performance. and just get out the
| horses, and bet The Indians to stand
still, and win al their money, and
give free evening show, as sort OF
| consolation to the Indians.
Well, it looked good to pa, and he
talked to the other managers, and the
result was when we got to Guthrie
we had made up our minds that as
money was what we were after, the
easiest way was to get it by racing our
| horses.
So when we got settled in Guth-
rie,, and got the tent up, we an.
nounced that part of the show was in
a wreck down the road in Arkansas,
and we should have to abandon the
afternoon performance, but in tire
meantime there would be little horse
racing on the side, if anybody in
Oklahoma had any horses they thought
| could run some.
Well, / thought there were Indians
| and ponies and squaws enough before
| the announcement was made, but in
less than two hours more than thou.
sand ponies were being brought in,
Oh .s4k n
our bareback hippodrome horses, and
| they were being led around and ad
mired, and we all laughed at the little
runts of Indian ponies, and the In
dams got mad and backed their
ponies.
Pretty soon the races began in the
vacant lot just outside the town. The
old Snowman we had brought up from
Memphis was made master of cere
monies, cause he could talk Choctaw
and Comanche, and other Indian jar
gon, and things got busy. The In
dams wouldn't run their ponies more
| than an eighth of mile, or a quar-
ter, and we consented, because the poor
| little things didn't look az though
| they could run a block, they were SC
| thin, and sleepy. Pa was afraid the
| humane society would have us ar.
rested for cruelty to animals, All ou1
| fellows were provided with money
and they flashed rolls of bills in the
faces of the Indians, and finally Mr.
Indian would reach down under his
clothes and pull out roll, and wei
his thumb and peel off big bills, and
before we knew it we were investing
fortune in the racing game. Then
the racing began, and the horses were
sent off at the drop Of hat, or the
| firing of a pistol.
| I was given some money to bet with
the little Indians, cause pa said we
wanted to get every dollar in the
tribe, for if we didn't get it the In
dams would spend it for fire water
| The first race was between one of Oul
best runners and sleepy little spot
ted pony, and when the hat wa:
dropped the pony made few Jumps
and was off like a rabbit, and oul
horse couldn't see him for the dust
| and our horse was distanced. The
next race resulted the same, and al
day long we never won a race. and the
Indians took our money and put il
in their pants and never smiled. The
| old Snowman we had befriended
seemed crushed.
When our money was nearly al
gone to the COMPOUNDED Indians, and
the sun was going down, he went uI
| to ma and said: "Uncle, what does
this all mean. thought your horses
i could run?"
Pa said: "Damfno. never was nc
horse racer, nohow."
When our money was all gone, and
our horses were nearly dead from IA
tigue, the managers all got together
in the big tent for consultation or
finances, and it was the saddest sight
I ever saw. Pa tried to be cheerful
and he said: "Well, we will give the
evening performance, and when the
Indians are all in the tent, we car
turn out the lights and turn the boys
loose on them, and maybe they viii
find some of the money in their breeel
clouts."
"Yod don't mean to rob them, dc
your" said the boss canvassman, and
pa said: mo, no; far from 1t. We
will borrow it of them. 1t is no harm
to borrow from an Indian"
Just then the treasurer came in witt
an empty tin box he had carried the
money out in, and he said there would
be no use Of having an evening per
Torrance, cause the Indians had taken
their ponies and squaws and money
and gone towards the setting sun, and
pa said: where is that old show
MANI" and the treasurer said: HE
has gone with them. He is their lega
adviser, and went down to Memphis
| to rope us in to the game"
Offered a Reward.
Mrs. Grumpps-Did you advertise FOL
poor, dear, little FidO?