The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-11-17
AN INDIAN TRAGEDY.
A Curious Story Of Jealousy and Frat
ricide from the Woods Of Canada.

Mr.. Charles Rankin, an officer of the
Hudson Bay company, has reached Toron-
to with the details of brutal Indian muir
der in the Nipissiug region, the murdered
man being Canachintch, chief Of the TEN
agamingues, and the murderer his brother
Shargosee, the Moose Calf. The brother,
with Shargosee's wife, daughter. aud son,
we're travelling together on hunting expe-
dition in the Round Lake country. Cana
chintch, or Cleft-in the Rock, had three
wives, with the youngest OF whom ne sus
pected that Shargosee was too intimate.
As they sat By their campfire one night
Canachintch began to sing favorite Indian
song, which runs something in this strain:
He was my brother and loved hims
bathed his temples when he was wearys
killed him food when he lay in fever;
But while hunted he loved my love.
.. false and wicked brother
Who, while hunted loved my love.
Shargosee felt that this song was aimed
at him, aud he ordered his brother to stop
singing Canachintch then addressed Shar
sosees wife, telling her that her husband
loved other women, and bidding her return
to her father, the Chief Karawee, who lives
near Mattawa He also made speech to
Shargosee, 10 which he upbraided him for
his conduct, and to Shargosee's son and
daughter, in which he deplored their faith
or S crime, which, he said, would cause them
be hated and despised by the whole TEN
agamngue nation After this the cnie.
withdrew from the fire aud, retiring to a
swamp near by, chaDted the Indian song
| OF desOlation" as evidence that he was IN
great grief. Shargosee aud family retired
| also, but about daylight the former reused
his son Louis, a lad OF Q. and told him that
| though his eyes had been closed he had not
slept, for he bad made up his mind to kill
Canachinteh. Louis cried, but his father
| threatened to kill him Also The father
aud son then approached the swamp where
| Cauachintch was still singing his moarnfu
song. Chargosee asked HIM how he felt
bat CanachiDtch turned his back to him
on which Shargosee drew an axe from his
belt and struck him on the back of the
head. Canacaintch rolled over into the
swamp, but managed to stagger to MS feet
He was a man of great strength, although
upward of 10 years old, and, seizing a stici
of wood, cried out that he would not dit
alone. He reached forward to strike Shar
gosee but stumbled over log, and the lat
ter struck him another blow with the axe
splitting his skull. The lad Louis on thi
ran back to the FIRE and awoke his mothe
aud sister, who, on seeing Shargosee drag
ging his brothers. corpse toward them, We
hemently denounced him as a murderer
ShargOsee was enraged at this, and drop
ping the body rushed at his daughter
whom he accused of having been intimat,
with Canachintch. She fed and Shargo
sees wife held on to bin until she was ia
out of his sight The girl reached Mr.
! Rankin's post at Round Lake that evening
! and party returned with her to the seen
J of the murder. They found Louis and hi
mother sitting by Canachiutchs body
which Shargosee had mutilated in dread
ful manner. Shargosee himself was foun,
1 next morning in the woods and was arrest
] ed aud taken down to Mattawa jail judy
/ DOraD, of Toronto, left to hold the preim
mary inquiry. Shargosee's defense is tina
p he killed Canachintch because of his init
macy with his daughter, but she and he
n mother aud brother. who are detained a
Mattawa as witnesses, deny that and te
the story as it Is given above.