Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-02-15

and shake hands with the Omahas,
another tribe, which the Indians
knew would be certain death. When
the hunters returned and found
what had been done, they started
in the night for the Cherokee, and
commenced their depredations.
Some forty or fifty of the whites
were killed and several of the In
dians. When l tell you that liquor
was the moving cause, my readers
will not need any further explana-
tion. have read several incorrect
statements in relation to the origin
Of this massacre, but this is the first
so far as l know, that gives the
true history. II those roughs had
behaved themselves, the Indians
would have retired and this sad af-
fair would never have taken place.
During the summer months when
not at school, was employed by a
Mr.. Pease, carriage painter, with
whom / learned something of the
business, though l never became an
expert at it, Mr.. Pease was fine
mechanic who understood his busi-
ness thoroughly and had remained
with him 1t is likely would have
made success of it; as it was
learned only enough to make me
just an ordinary workman, which
after all, may have been quite as
we'll, all things considered.
There was young fellow among
my associates, an easy going, good
natured, sentimental sort of chap.
who was given to imagine that all
the girls were in love with him, his
personal attractions were so great,
he really thought he was irresisti-
bic. 1t must in justice be said.
however, that his mania assumed
mild form and did no other harm
than to make him the subject of
much amusement among the young
folks who seldom failed to enjoy
themselves at his expense. He was
the owner of guitar and fondly
imagined he was something of an
artist with that instrument, vain
thought. He never attempted any
thing when any one was present ex-
cept the Spanish Fandango," be-
lieve he called it. and whenever he
wrestled with that he was thrown
quite as often as he downed it.. But
he never became discouraged. he
stuck to 1t with a persistency worthy
of nobler things. 1t was his unfor-
tunate listeners who suffered; they
always became down hearted the
moment he began to twang the
strings, and one after another, 1t
seemed to be borne in upon them
that they had quite forgotten some-
thing down town which must be
attended to at once.
None of US, however, had any,
thing to boast Of. We seldom felt
1t to be quite safe to get gay at
one another's expense, for we were
all about equally ambitious to shine
in the musical world, or elsewhere.
Alas! that it should be so. o, how
we did torture the popular songs
of the day. l have often thought
in later years, how annie Laurie"
Belle Brandon" and g Rosalie, the
Prairie Flower" must have suffered
had they been conscious of what we
were doing to them. What a deep
sense of injury must have pervaded
their souls and shocked their SEN
sibilities as we mercilessly tortured
them in our maddening attempts to
make any unfortunate, unhappy lis
tener who could not make his es-
cape acquainted with their virtues.
! am sure II those unfortunate
heroines had possessed the sense Of
hearing and the powers of speech.
they would have Indignantly pro-
tested against our we'll meaning, but
misdirected efforts to do them hon
or. AS it was they could do no
more than to suffer in silence while
we tortured the night air in their
praises.
Ito be Continued.