Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 July 1882 — Seventy Twin Brothers. [ARTICLE]

Seventy Twin Brothers.

A band of Cree Indiana woke up one snowy morning to find that about a dozen of their choicest ponies had been taken during the night. Pursuit was soon organized and within a few hours a fresh trail was found m the snow. After following the trail some thirty miles it entered the Saskatchewan river, the animals evidently heading for a wooded island in the middle of the river. Smoko was rising from among the rocks and trees on the island. After some reconnoitering an opening which seemed to be the mouth of a cave could bo seen in the face of the rocks. Presently a single Indian—a Piegan, the pursuers decided from his appearance—showed up in front of the opening. He was painted and arrayed gaudily. Pretty soon a dog at his feet scented the Crees, and began growling and barking. The Piegan instantly turned and entered the cave. In a moment another Piegan came around the rocks and also went in; then another, and another, and another, there being but a few seconds between them. The Crees lay silently in the bushes watching and counting, until upward of fifty Piegans had come around the rocks and gone into the cave, and still they kept coming. What seemed remarkable was the fact that all these Indians were to all appearances exactly the same size, were dressed and painted exactly alike, each carried a Winchester rifle, and, most remarkable of all, each one seemed a little lame in the left foot, limping slightly. They were a gaudy crowd, and the Crees counted seventy of them. That seemed to be all, for no more came. As the idea of seventy twins was an impossibility, the superstitious Crees naturally concluded that the evil spirit had something to do with it, for there was no doubt that that there were seventy Piegan Indians on the island who were all exactly alike. The Crees had counted them several times as they filed in and out of the oave. So thoroughly were they filled with the idea that the devil was mixed up with the twin brother mystery that even when reinforcements arrived, which was within a few hours, they were very reluctant to attack the island. While they were debating what to do one less superstitious than the rest volunteered to swim over to the island during the night and investigate. He did so. On approaching the supposed cave he was surprised to find it was no cave at all, but only an opening leading some ten feet into the rock where it made a crook and came out on the other side. The opening at this opposite side was out of sight from the shore, and here a fire was burning, and a solitary gaudily-attired Indian sleeping beside it. The stolen ponies were tethered near by. It required but a glance to understand what had seemed so mysterious before. The sleeping Indian was the only occupant of the island, and the apparent presence of sixty-nine other warriors was caused by a sharp trick of the Piegau chief.