The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-10-17
A Peacemaker.

COriginaLJ
Old Peter Burnham was in his time
| one of the shrcwdcst of Indian agents.
For many years he labored with
and made promises to the Indians, ar
gued with the whites and made repre-
sensations to the great father at Wash
ington. Since the Indians were not
the aggressors the whites would not
desist, and the great father at Wash
ington being too busy to pay attention
to the agents communications, the
trouble went on.
Slowly the Indians began to prepare
for revenge and resistance. They did
not do so openly, but Burnham could
see that. to use Il nautical expression,
they were clearing the decks for ac-
ton" Then one night settlers shack
was burned and the settler and his
family murdered. The Indians were
called upon to produce the culprits,
but avowed that they did not know
them. A few days later another Set
tier was murdered, then another and
another. Burnham reported the mat
ter to Washington, with the result that
a small number of troops-illl that
could be spared from the then meager
United States army-were sent to 'pac-
ify" the Indians.
All this happened when an Indian
war was Il serious matter. The troops
sent to conquer the redskins We're a
mere drop in the bucket of What were
required. Durham knew that if the
war opened in~eeas,Tnest the government
Would~have to send a dozen times
their number, and even then, owing to
| the nature of the country. it would be
a long while before the Indians were
reduced to obedience. He wrote out
an agreement on the part of the gov
eminent to redress the wrongs that
had been inflicted. which he designed
| to submit to the chiefs, but he had so
long put them off with promises he
| was not permitted to fulfill that he
| had no hope of persuading them to
| accept the proffered terms.
The railroad was then being laid
| across the continent and ran some
| fifty miles north of the scene of these
troubles. Burnham had occasion to
| go to the terminal for supplies, one of
those wild west places where there are
gambling and dancing and all manner
of shows. He stopped before one of
| these shows and viewed the perform
ers, among whom We're a yentriloquiSt
| and q conjurer, AS he looked Il plan
| occurred to him of keeping the peace
with the indians He made the Ven
| triloquist and the conjurer a liberal
propositiOn to go back with him. and
| they accepted.
AS soon as lie Had returned he an
| nounced to the chiefs that he had
proposition from the great father at
Washington to make to them and in
vited them to conference. At the
appointed hour they appeared at the
place designated. an open space in
| closed by timber. and in order to be
prepared for treachery brought an
ample number of warriors. When they
| were all seated cross legged Durham
announced that the great father had
sent two of his sons to give them evil
dence of his power and introduced the
conjurer.
Then followed wonders such as the
simple Indians had never conceived of.
The con jurer took Burnham's watch,
rammed it into the mouth of Il blunder
buss and fired it at target. where
it hung in perfect order suspended by
hook Then he bred rabbits so fast
that they tumbled over one another
trying to get out of the basket where
they were born. These maryels We're
continued for some time, when the per-
former took hat, set it on box be-
fore him and proceeded to extract
from it munitions of war ad lihitum.
Pistols, cartridges, cannon balls fol-
lowed one another in endless profusion.
BY this time the Indians We're duly
impressed with the great fathers mar
velous powers, and Burnham concluded
to give them talk-wonder that would
include some good advice. The ven
triloquist stepped forth and sat on
camp stool. holding on his knee an
image that he introduced as the great
fathers grandson. The process was
necessarily slow, since the performer
was obliged to speak through an in
terpreter, but there was not much to
interpret, and that was to the point.
'What has the great father to say to
the chiefs?" asked the ventriloquist of
the image.
"To have confidence in the promises
Of his servant, the agent. The great
father will see that his promises are
carried out"
"And what will the great father do
If his red children put on the war
paint?"
"He will send his son to make pow
der and ball for the soldiers
HAS the great father any other mes
sage for his red children?"
."No. The great father does not talk;
he acts.'
This ended the show and the con-
ference as well. The Indians had
been struck dumb by the marvellous