The Monmouth inquirer., 1924-07-17
Three Fingered Jack

Tar 10 uttIe TOT the Otnef boys 10 play
with. "Old stickinthemud-"
els this an Indian story?" asked the
little boy.
Yes. Old Northumberland
~Was his name really and truly
Old Stickinthemud?"
"Of course. Well, Old Stickinthe-
mud
was his fathers name Mr.. Stick
inthemud?"
mo, Of course not Indians don't
hand down their names from father
to son the way we do They name
them from something they see or that
happens about the wickiup-"
What's a wiekiup?"
"a wigwam."
whats a wigWam?"
"a wigWam is wickiup-ain't you
got no sense?'
MY mamma doesn't permit me to
play with people who talk to me like
thatl" said the little boy, stern1y.
Then run and playi"
"But what did old Stickinthemud
dor"
"Old stickinthemud said to me,
Three Fingered Jack"
Three Fingered Jack?"
yes. When the Indians meet
brave man they don't call him by his
own name; they give him a new name
that is descriptive of what he kin do. .
And Old Shckinthemud called you
Three Fingered Jack?
"Yes My name in Indian is Three
Fingered Jack. the Tar Heller Terror
Of the Plains"
Have you only got three fingers?a
"Yes. This finger an thumb were
cut off with tommy Ratchet in the
great uprisin' between the Blackfeet
an the Bigfeet tribes"
"But did you have tar on your
heels?"
ION one of 'em. This one.
you see. they had captured me one
night when l was fast asleep, first re-
movin' my trusty gun an knives an
pistols beyond my reach. They were
goin' to dip me in kettle of tar
and"
MAKE a tar baby of your"
'No, they was goin' to make torch
Of me. Well. they stripped off my
clothes"
Weren't you ashamed?"
ANo. They stripped off my clothes
and
Didn't you get goose pimples?"
81 don't know. They stripped off
my clothes and then"
Weren't you scared?"
SHAW! don't git scared of moth
In! They stripped off my clothes and
were goin' to dip me down in the tar.
when Just az one heel went In I give
the kittle a kick and the hot tar
splashed all over the Indians that
were dancin' around the fire. and they
caught fire and half the tribe was
burned up right there"
''Dont Indians have no fire depart
ment"
"Naw! Then / ran"
without your clothes?"
Eyes, without my clothes. / ran
for the mountains, twenty miles away.
where knew there was a big cave.
The whole tribe came after me, run
MIN like deers. / reached the noun
tain pass an ran around the corner
that led TO the cave. and when I got
around the corner where they
oo.,1d~st 600 7 Jt5~5% ~,1v, f,,%- tha oox-o
but jumped straight up over the
mouth of it behind a big stone that
in minute here they came: First
was there and crouched down.
came the warriors. then the boys, an
then the girls an then the old men
and then the old women an then the
little boys an then the little girls,
all comm Indian file an runnin' lick
ETY. split as fast as they could run. the
whole tribe! The first warrior seen
the mouth of the cave an give a loud
whoop an rushed in an the others
whooped and followed"
"Did the little baby Indians whoop?"
"Yes. They"
0dy OS IuSy AdG NuOOptlIS Cough.
"No. They was taught to whoop.
When the last one of 'em went in
gave the big stone a push an down it
fell in front of the cave, shuttin' in
the whole tribe. Then / walked off
whistlin' an left 'em to starve to
death.
"The other side of the range I met
my friend, Old Stickinthemud, and
when / had told him what had done
an showed him the tar on my heel to
prove It he named me Three Finger
ed Jack, the Tar Heeled Terror Of the
Plains. Then Old Stickinthemud, as
/ started to tell you"
"You joint" came the voice of the
washerwoman from the basement
''You good-for-nothin' lazy critter. you
better git busy an bring me a seuttle
Of coal! If I'm goin' to work myself
to death scrubbin' clothes to fill your
good-foI- nothin' mouth"
Does she fill you're mouth with
clothes?" asked the little boy.
gr-1-. 1. - al