Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1931-02-26
Little Journeys IN
Americana
An Unusual Indian
By LESTER B. COLBY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
An Unusual Indian
JAMES B. FINLEY emigrated to
- Northwest Territory in 1798 as
child with his parents. He lived
among the Indians for more than
seventy years. He became a preach
er and worked long and trelessly at
the almost hopeless job Of rescuing
the red men Of that day from saw.
agery.
Among the Indians he was known
as Rah-Wah-Wah or 'The Old Chief.n
In the evening time of his life ha
wrote book, a sort of memoir Of his
years on the frontier. I have never
seen but two copies of this book and
possess one of them.
In the book he pictures some Of the
remarkable personalities he knew
among the Indians. One character
especially intrigues me. The man
was known as Captain Shigser. He
must have been most unusual sort
Of Indian. Too, he had an unusual
sort Of wife.
! / feel that l can do no better than
to let Finley describe him. I quote:
/. HE was among the handsomest,
best made, and, think, the proudest
man ever saw. He was remarkable
for his entire abstinence from all in
tOxicating drinks, or mingling with
the company of any Indians when
drinking. He was married to squaw,
half white, said to be the daughter
of General Butler.
"She was beautiful woman. Her
skin was not dark; and her large,
blue eyes; her long, black hair, and
tall. well-proportioaed person, with
her rich and embroidered dress, gave
her a magnificent appearance.
He was dressed In the finest
brOadclOth, made in the fashion OF
the Indian costume, with thirty silver
half-mOOns hanging on his breast ana
down his back. His headband was
filed with silver hobs, and his linen
bosom was stuck full Of silver
brooches; his belt was Of the finest
and best Of wampum, and interwov-
en- with beads and pOrcupine quilts;
his leggins were fringed, and filed
with silver hobs, and beautifully dec
Grated with horse-hair, dyed red; his
mOccasins were lined with green silk.
and ornamented with porcupine
quil.S. All they had was in perfect
keeping.
"His tomahawk blade, pipe, and
handle, and his rifle barrel and stock
were inlaid with silver; and their
horses were of the best kind; and
all their equipage, blankets and ev-
erything about their camp were in
the same style. They did not pitch
their tent close to the other Indians,
and very seldom associated with
them.
Il have given this description to
show, that even in savage life, there
are great distinctions in their hab-
its and ruling passions. do not
know what became Of this couple,
but l should not wonder if they both
fell prey to savage envy, for those
drunken Indians did not like them.
Lucy Sdlu, 1OO uuCu pTOuus
II never knew but two other Indi-
ans but would drink and become in
toxicated at times-the one was q
Mohawk, and the other a Seneca"
Compare Shigser with Billy Wyan-
dott and his squaw, Betty. Betty and
Billy used to get lordly drunk and
knock each other about They would
shove each other into the fire, club
each other, slash at each other and
at times would have murdered each
other but for interference.
Finley describes a general debauch
in which Billy and Betty participated.
He wrote:
This was an awful scene for a so
Der man to look upon. Here were
encamped between two and three
hundred Indians, and one-third, If not
0ne-half, drunk; men and women,
raving maniacs, singing, dancing,
fighting, stabbing and tomahawking
one another-and there was the
rumseller tering their whisky till
it was not strong grog, and selling
it for four dollars a gallon-his hired
men gathering up all the skins and
furs, then their silver trinkets, ear
hobs, armbands, halfmOons, silver
crosses an. Notwithstanding gill Of
grog for dozen silver brooches
then their guns. tOmahawks, and
blankets. till they were literally
stripped naked, and three or four
were killed and wounded.
1.-THE reader may set what estimate
he pleases, or call it by what name;
yet, if there ever was a greater rob-
Der, or a meaner thief, or a dirtier
murderer. than these rum-sellers, he
is vt to be SEEN"
Finley records, however, that Billy
and Betty finally quit the bottle"
became teetutalers. and lived to q
ripe cid age. Billy was blind for ten
years before he died.
These old books are yellowed with
years. They are strangely interest
ing. Much of their content is heav-
lily written. They run to long para
graphs and many commas and semi
colons. But they paint, nevertheless,
some remarkable pictures, some beau
tiful canoes.