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Indian Lives and Anecdotes ca. 1886 - 1941 part 8 (ms158_b3f003_008.09.pdf)

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Joe Mitchell (of Joe Mitchell's Rock)

Some time in the seventies early, old Joe & his family had been at Grand Falls on Passadumkeag catching and salting eels. One day when they were absent Stickney's cows wandered across the bridge & tipping over a barrel of eels ate a large quantity for the salt. One of the cows died. Stickney, in a rage, demanded pay for the cow. Joe heard him gravely.

"Mis'r Stickney, your cow been eat up my eels?" "Yes" "Sposin my eels gone your cow, been ate it your cow I pay cow. Spose your cow come my eels, ate it my eels, you pay eels." But the boot being on the other leg, Joe got no pay.

Joe haunted Passadumkeag waters at all seasons. He married a French woman & spoke a jargon that was neither French, Indian nor English but a queer mixture of all three. "He don' speak nothin that Joe Mitchell" said one of the others.

Description: Pages from Fannie Hardy Eckstorm's notebook 10 (X)

Link to document in Digital Maine

Language: English

Date: ca. 1886 - 1941

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