File #6031: "ms158_b3f003_002.02.pdf"
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Joe Polis.
Old Joe Polis Thoreau's guide, died March 24, 1884 age 75 [underlined] years. This date my father saw on his head stone.
The name Polis was often called Porus, though of his brothers Newel [sic] Polis and Piel Polis the latter was never called Polis but Pielpole = Pierre Paul. Newell [sic] ran away to Anticosti and later became a doctor in Boston; he was the one who gave us the South Sea island war club which he had obtained from a whaleman. "Pielpolis" was a great scoundrel and made his headquarters at Moosehead and at Chesuncook. The three brothers once went to Anticosti hunting
Joe Polis had a son ^an adopted (says Peter Ranco) Newel Polis who was drowned in crossing from Indian Island to Oldtown. Old Clara Neptune that was 1915 that he had an adopted [underlined] son.
Joe was a very mysterious man, full of quiet drollery. He would come up and extending his hand at full arm's length, look me gravely in the face and perhaps give some exclamation in Indian, asking its meaning, though he knew you did not know.
Joe had an Indian almanac made by himself