The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-01-12

!: 4: 6: :: s; :: 8: Il: !:
ing / had ever
read about, with , n u,ood
heart palpitating,
of killing women and little chill
dren while they were asleep. Inc
old volunteers exploits were at
discount with me after that, and
|declined even more when Ok Sam,
some months later, told me in his
pidgin English what had happened
at Thacker Pass. He made no ad-
ditions to the story, but it was the
feeling in the things he said that
Sackett did not possess. The old
Indian buck was one day sitting on
sack of charcoal at the door of
the half dug-out cabin which we
used as an assay office. I went out
and sat down beside him, asking
him how his squaw Maggie and his
papooses were. "Pretty good" he
answered. I said, "Sam, tell me
about Thacker Pass" He glanced
up with distant look in his eyes,
murmuring, "Long time ago. No
much talk about now" But l said,
"Sam, l would like to know why the
white men kill Indians. Do you
know?" Sans eyes narrowed. "Yes.
1 sabe. You no sabe?" 1 told him
that l did not. Sam began:
"Long time ago same time l born,
maybe before, no white man stay
in Nevada. That time Piute live
pretty good. In spring, catch EN-
plenty fish, dry EN-, smoke EN-. Lots
duck, lotsa goose, smoke EN-, too.
In the fall, kill EN- deer, jerk EN-
meat. First time frost come, catch
EN- plenty pine-nut. All time lotsa
rabbit, lotsa sage-hen. Piute no
sabe big ranch, no make EN- farm,
all same live pretty good. Some
time Bannock, some time Shoshone
man steal EN- Piute squaw. We make
EN- fight. Some time Piute steal
Shoshone, Bannock squaw; make
EN- pretty good fight. Some time
make EN- big gamble; some time big
dance; some time big pow-wow.
Hot, cold, all same. Piute live.
When him die, make up big pile
rock, him stay inside. Got bow and
arrow, good knife, kill EN- good
pony~ Piute go happy hunting
ground. Everything good.
"White man, he come. He make
EN- little farm, some time marry
Piute squaw. That's pretty good.
Mix EN- blood all same like Ban
mock, Shoshone. Pretty soon come
more white man. Him prospector;
him pretty good. I no sabe, all
time dig hole, make EN- big pile rock,
dig EN- more hole. He no stay long
one place. Soldier man come. No
sabe soldier. He no got EN- farm,
he no dig EN- hole, he no do moth
ing; say all time Uncle SAM He
all live one house, no woman. I no
sabe. All time talk EN- 'squaw,
squaw.' He got fire-water, give EN-
Piute, make EN- crazy all same white
man. All Indians have big pow
WOW. Big Chief say, what matter
now? Too much trouble all time.
Indian like EN- water, fire-water
he no good. Soldier give Indian
fire-water. No like fire-water. In
dian sell EN- mink-skin, badger-skin,
all kind of skin to soldier. Sell EN-
squaw, too, for fire-water. By and
by Indian he crazy. No more fire
water, all same crazy. Chief say
soldier not much good. Indian say
all white men not much good
Pretty soon white man kill EN-
Piute. Indian no much sabe, he kill
EN- white man. That's pretty bad
time. Soldier hunt Piute all same
coyote. That's time Thacker Pass.
Lots of Indians going Quinn River
sink to get ducks, goose. That
morning soldier come quick, shoot,
shoot. ! cut wickiup skin behind,
so quick and get on big white horse,
ride fast; soldier no catch EN-, no
shoot. EN-. ride Disaster Peak.
Long time hide. My father, my
mother, my sisters, my brothers, !
no see no more. Long time ago.
Not much talk about now"
, Old Sam ended with tremor in
his voice and moisture in his eyes.
, "Yes, / sabe, / sabe." Grasping his
hand, said, "You stay a little
while, Sam. Well have dinner
, pretty soon."
; There was wide historical mean
, ing in the brief story that Ok Sam,
, the Piute Indian, told me. 1t began
when the earliest settlers stole Man
, haitian Island. 1t continued across
| the continent. The ruling class
} with glass beads, bad whisky, Bibles
and rifles continued the massacre
from Aston Place to Astoria.
J Halfway between the camp and
the mouth of the canyon there was
a big ledge of quartz, the outcrop-
ping of which stood high, cleavine
the mountain from base to summit
Charley Day, who was then working
in the Ohio mine, had located this
cropping, but said that he never in.