PIUTE JIM GETS MAD.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 523, 21 February 1876, Page 3

PIUTE JIM GETS MAD.

The Piutes have for a considerable time been hanging about the stores of the Relief Committee, at Virginia City, casting wistful glances upon the piles of clothing, the heaps of blankets and the ‘lashins’ of grub. They have longed to participate in the business of carrying off all these things. The bucks have daily flattened their noses against the window panes and the squaws have peeped in at the open doors. It was as with Dives when he saw Lazarus reposing at his ease on Abraham’s bosom. They saw white men and white women, Chinamen and negroes—all kinds and all colours of people but the poor red men—getting loads of flour, blankets, coats, shirts, and all kinds of things, and why they were made to take a back seat was more than they could understand, Piute Jim had been an active peeper and intelligent flattener of his nose. He has, indeed, so coveted the things he has seen, he was ready to burst with envy of every one that was given so much as a pint of flour or a calico shirt. He chased Rev Father Manogue around town for about a week, then hunted Bishop Whitaker as much longer, bound to get something on the lay of religion, all attempts on other tacks having failed. (Jim travelled to California in the early days, and picked up a fe\y sane tuary droppings among the Catholic missions.) He was ready to be either a Catholic or a Protestant, provided he could come in for his share of the rations. Much vexed at his rebuffs in all quarters, he one day said to us : —‘ How this ; all white men git plenty blanket, plenty grub ; Injun no git nuffin?’ ‘Well,’ said we, ‘white man house all burn down,’ ‘All Chinaman git blanket, git shirt, git grub ; Injun no git nuffin!’ ‘Well, all Chinaman house burn down,’ said we. ‘ All nigger, all Spanish man git grub, git hat, git blanket; Ingin no git nuffin!’ pursued Jim, scoowling and bitterly muttering. ‘Don’t you see, Jim, all the houses of the coloured people, and of the Spanish people were burned down, and all that was in them was lost. The Piutes are all right; their houses were not burned, so they can’t get anything. The blankets and grub and clothes were only sent to people whose houses were burned ! Don’t you see ?’ ‘ Yesh,’ said Jim, ‘me heap see. Me go now right away burn every dam Piute house, come to-morry git me plenty grub, plenty blanket. Dam house, we want um gru b—want um blanket. Me all houses burn um. Me dam mad !’ Proper explanations doubtless prevented the whole heavens hereabouts being lighted up that night by the flames of the scores of Piute shanties scattered among the surrounding hills.