Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 August 1898 — To Fit the Crime. [ARTICLE]

To Fit the Crime.

According to popular belief, fostered by story writers generally, Indians look down upon their wives and make them simply beasts of burden. That the “squaw” is, however, sometimes regarded by them as something more than an e<Biivalent for so many cattle, is shown by the following: A good many years ago a warrior of the Penobscott tribe in New Hampshire got drunk. When he came home he was In a bad humor, and finding his wife in his way he stuck her feet in the fire and burned them. The other Indians discovered this promptly, and tried him by a very summary process. The general opinion was that he should be executed forthwith; but one of t! e elder bucks interposed and gave this advice: “No shoot him; make him live long as squaw live; him carry squaw when she want walk; when squaw die bimeby, then we shoot.” This advice appealed to the other men. and they decided to punish the buck as the old chief suggested. So the buck carried his wife about on his back, whenever the tribe moved, whenever she wanted to go anywhere. However much he disliked the arrangement, he did not dare to ill-treat her, much less to kill her, because his life depended on hers. Whether the woman died first or the man, and whether he was finally pardoned or executed, Is not recorded.