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TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1844-1845
people are not many and rich, the'ir women and children want meat, and their men have not guns powder and lead plenty, all their people want bread, and their women have not axes and hoes to make it. Long and strong peace always drives away all these evils, and make the red people rich and happy, like those that never make war or steal. There are some bad white men, and there are some bad red men. To make peace last al- ways chiefs must watch these bad men, and make them follow their good counsel. to do this they must never do bad them- selves. If a Chief or captain does bad, or counsels his people to do bad or puts blood upon the path of peace, he is worse than a bad man, and should be no longer a chief, but be put below the lowest man. The white people do this. If bad men steal or put blood upon the path in time of peace, chiefs should punish them as they deserve. If a bad white man kills a good red man in time of peace he, himself, is killed. this is the law of the chiefs of white men. good red chiefs will do the same. If a bad white man steals the horse of a good red man, the horse is taken, and sent back to the chief of the red men from whom he was taken a11d the bad man punished. this is the law of the chiefs of the white people. If horses are stolen by bad red men from good white people they must be taken from these bad men and sent to the trading house, and given to the agent, that they may be sent to the white men they were stolen from. If bad white men go among the red people to steal and they are killed it puts no blood in the path, and the chiefs say nothing about it. if bad red men go among white people to steal and get killed it puts no blood in the path, and chiefs say nothing about it. Since the path of peace was made white no white men have been among the red people to do them harm. they have killed no red man, or stole a horse. Trouble hath fallen in the path of white people by reason of bad red men ; this must be taken out of the path by the councels of good men. Some good white men have been killed. some horses have been stolen from the white people and we want all the chiefs now here to tell us all they know about it. of what nation the bad men were; how many bad men there were; and how many men they have killed-how many horses they have stolen, where the horses now are; and how they may be brought back. In this way trouble can be taken out of the path of the chiefs of the red and the white people, and evil kept off of the red people who have done no harm, but have all walked by the words of good council. Some
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