Rensselaer Union and Jasper Republican, Volume 8, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 April 1876 — Indians After an Honest Man. [ARTICLE]

Indians After an Honest Man.

Indians may be treacherous, but they can be just, and they can be honest, ana who shall say how far the dishonesty of others has led to their treachery. They know when they are cheated, as our Government has found to its cost. An old trader, who had established himself at what happened to be a favorable locality among the Northern Indians, tells a good story of his first trials with his red customers. Other traders had located in the same place before, but had not remained long. The Indians, who evidently wanted goods, and had money and furs, flocked about the store of the new trader and carefully examined his goods, but offered to buy nothing. Finally their chief, with a large number of their tribe visited him. “How do, John?” said the chief. “Show me goods. Aha! I take that blanket for me and that calico for squaw —three otter skins for blanket and one for calico. Ugh! pay you b’m by—tomorrow.” He received his goods and left. On the next day he returned with a large part of his band, his blanket well stuffed with skins of various kinds. “ Now, John, I pay.” And with thiß he drew an otter skin from his blanket and laid it on the counter. Then he drew a second, a third and a fourth. A moments hesitation, as though calculating, and he drew out a fifth skin —a very rich and rare one, and passed it over. “That’s right, John.” The trader instantly pushed back the last skin, with—- “ You owe me but lour. I want only my justdues.” The chief refused to take it, aud they passed it several times back and forth, each one asserting that it belonged to the other. At length the dusky chieftain appeared to be satisfied. He gave the trader a scrutinizing look, and put the skin back into the blanket. Then he stepped to the door, and gave a yell and cried out to his followers: “ Come—come and trade with the pale face, John. .He no cheat Indian. His heart big!” Then turning to the trader, he said: “ Suppose you take last skin, I tell my people no trade with you. We drive on others; but now you be Indian’s friend and we be yours.” 1 * t Before dark the trader was'waist deepYn furs and loaded down with cash. He found that honesty had a commercial value with these Indians.—lV. T. Witness.