Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 121, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 October 1903 — THE INDIANS PAID. [ARTICLE]

THE INDIANS PAID.

Whst the White Men Charged Them -j/ For Killing One Donkey. In “Reminiscences of Old Times In Tennessee” a story la told of the good faith and honor of a party of Chickasaw Indians. While hunting one fall they shot a donkey, mistaking the creature for a wild animat They sold the hide, and it finally came to the hands of John Barnes in Lipton. When the Chlckasaws returned to the region of Lipton for their annual hunt the next fall, Barnes Invited them to a shooting match, the prize to be the skin of a very rare anltnaL Thirty braves appeared at the contest, and one of them won thb prize. When he saw the skin, he turned It over and said: “Ha, ha, me kin him! Me shoot him! See!” And he pointed to the fatal bullet hole. Then Barnes told them that they had killed a donkey, a very useful animal, but he was sure that they had done it by mistake, believing it to be a wild animal.' 7

1 The Indians listened attentively to the white man’s words and then consulted together a few minutes. Finally they separated, each brave going to his pony, unhitching him and leading him to the spot where a gang of White men stood, Barnes in the midst of them. Then one of the Indians spoke: , ,( We sorry we kill donkey. We think he belong to the woods. We find him in cane. We think him wild. We sorry; now we pay. We take no white man’s boss, pony, nothing of white man. W T e honest. We have ponies, that’s all. Take pay.” And he motioned to the long line of ponies, held by their owners. “How many?” asked Barnes. “White man say,” returned the Indian, “take plenty.” The honor of the red men was not equaled by the white men, for,' be It recorded to their shame, they took from the Chlckasaws 35 ponies to pay for the accidental killing of one donkey. •’