SAINT TAMMANY OF THE DELAWARE TRIBE “WE ARE TENDING STRICTLY TO BUSINESS”]
Every man to whom I have appealed for aid in making my story interesting, through pictures, has been most courteous and amiable. I have written to absolute strangers—often to a Post Master for the name of a skilful photographer in his town, another perfect stranger, and have always been answered promptly and sometimes with enthusiasm. Several have refused pay, saying they had got real pleasure out of the work and were sorry there was nothing more to do. Sometimes they were obliged to crawl out on a roof and shovel away snow to rescue the poor Indian.
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TO show the genuine interest shown in my collection I will offer one letter from a business man in Worcester, Mass:
“Dear Miss Sanborn:—I have come across these figures and think you may use them. They are good examples of their craft and are quite clear. First Punch, he is over eighty years old and is whole from his knee down. I haven’t taken his face because he would have to be got down in order to do so, but if you say you do want it and can wait a week for it I am perfectly willing to take same and not have the other one show; really he has a strong face and I can, no doubt, get a good clean picture, front view.
Am going to tell you all I can remember about them; if it is of no use to you, no harm is done.
First: The Squaw, stands in front of a store; her owner has had same about ten years; she has a lovely face as you see and originally came from Boston.
Second, Punch, formerly owned by a German, claimed there were but two like it in this country.
Third, “Humpty Dumpty,” a likeness of the original Geo. L. Fox, who was the original “Humpty Dumpty.” In conversation with Mr. Sawyer, he said that how he happened to get the figure was thus: “A man in Woonsocket, R.I., took it for a bill due him; he in turn had means of getting rid of a lot of tobacco among the fishermen of Gloucester, so he gave the sign for the tobacco which he in turn sold to the fishermen at Gloucester. Now should you care for any of these, I’ll do them all under one consideration. No more pay; you have overpaid me already for the little I have been able to do and I’m unwilling to accept any more.”