Show I 1 amsk KM little journeys americana 0 by LESTER B COLBY an unusual indian JAMES B emigrated to northwest territory in 1700 as a child with his parents he 11 red among the indians for more than seventy years ue became a preach er and worked long and tirelessly at the elmost hopeless job of rescuing the red men of that day from sav agery among the indians he was known as hah wan wan or the old chief in the evening time of his life he wrote a book a sort of memoir of hla years on the frontier I 1 have never seen but two copies of this book and I 1 possess one of them in the book be pictures some of the remarkable personalities be knew among the indians one character especially intrigues roe ahe man was known as captain lie must have been a most unusual sort of indian too he bad an unusual sort of wife I 1 feel that I 1 can do no better than to let fonfey describe him I 1 quote lie was among the handsomest best made and I 1 think the proudest man 1 ever saw lie was cemarka bla for his entire abstinence from all in drinks or the company of any indians when drinking he was married to a half white said to be the daughter of general butler she a as a beautiful woman her skin was not dark und her large blue eyes her long black hair ana tall well proportioned person with ner rich and embroidered dress gave ner a magnificent appearance ne was dressed in the anest broadcloth made in the fashion of the indian costume with thirty silver moons banging on bis breast one down his back ills headband was ailed with sliver bobs and bis linen bosom was stuck full of silver brooches bis belt nas of the finest and best of wampum and interwove eo with beads and porcupine quills his leggans ere fringed and tilled with silver bobs and beautifully dec orated with borse calr dyed red lila moccasins nere lined with green silk and ornamented with porcupine quills all they had was in perfect keeping ills tomahawk blade papu and handle and his ralle barrel and stock were inlaid with silver and their horses were of the best kind and all their equipage blankets and ev about their camp were tn the same style they did not pitch tent close to the other indians and very seldom associated with them 1 I have given this description to bhoj that even in savage life there ere great distinctions in their hab its and ruling passions I 1 do not know what became of this couple but I 1 should not wonder if they both tell a prey to savage envy tor those drunken indians did not like them they said too much proud 1 I never knew but two other indians but would drink and become in at tim estlie one was a il and the other a seneca compare with billy vyan 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 bae murdered each other but for interference fanley describes a general debauch n which billy and betty participated ue wrote this was an awful scene for a sober roan to look upon here were encamped between two and three hundred indians and one third if not one half drunk men and women raving maniacs singing dancing stabbing and tomahawking toma hawking one another and there was the rum seller watering their whisky till it was not strong grog and selling tt for four dollars a gallon his hired men gathering up nil the skins and furs then their silver trinkets ear bobs armbands arm bands half moons silver and brooches giving a of jog j og for a dozen silver brooches then their guns tomahawks and blankets till they were literally stripped naked and three or four were killed and wounded the reader may set what estimate he pleases or call it by what name yet it there ever was a greater robber or a meaner thief or a dirtier murderer than aliese rum sellers he la yet to be seen fanley records however that billy and acy finally quit the bottle became tee and lived to a ripe old age billy nas blind for ten years before he died these old nooks are yellowed with years they are strangely interest ing much of their content Is beav lly written they run to long para graphs and many commas and heinl colons but they nevertheless some remarkable pictures some beau alful cameos ua letter B colby |