A FIT PUNISHMENT.

Bruce Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3030, 24 January 1899, Page 3

A FIT PUNISHMENT.

According to popular belief, fostered by Btory writers generally, Indians look down upou their wives and make them simply beasts, of burden. That the "squaw" is, however, sometimes regarded by them as something more than an equivalent for so many cattle, i 3 shown by the following: A good many years ago a warrior of the Penobscot tribe of New Hampshire got. drunk. When he came home he was in a bad humour and finding ,his wife in his way he stuck her feet in the fire and burued thum. 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 the elder bucks interposed and gave his advice. "No shoot him; make him live long as squaw live; when squaw die bimeby, theu we shoot." This advico 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 Bhe 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.