American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1877-11-24
A Curious Indian Crime.

Mr.. Charles Rankin, an officer of the
Hudson's Bay Company, has just reach
ed Toronto with the details of brutal
Indian murder in the Nipissing region,
the murdered man being Canachintch,
Chief of the Temagamingues, and the
murderer his brother, Shargosee, the
Moose-Calf. The brother, with Shargo-
sees wife, daughter, and son were trav-
cling together on a hunting expedition
in the Round Lake country. Cana
chintch, or Cleft-in-the-Rock, had three
wives, with the youngest of whom he
suspected that Shargosee was too init
mate. As they sat by the campfire one
night, Canachintch began to sing a fav-
orite Indian song, which runs some
thing in this strain:
He was my brother and loved him;
bathed his temples when he was weary !;
l killed him food when he lay in fever;
But while hunted he loved my love.
o, false and wicked brother
Who, while hunted, loved my love.
Shargosee felt that this song was aim
ed at him, and he ordered his brother
to stop singing. Canachintch then adj
dressed Shargosee's wife, telling her
that her husband loved other women,
and bidding her return to her father,
the Chief Karawee, who lives near Mat
tawa. He also made a speech to Shar-
gosee, in which he upbraided him for
his conduct, and to Shargosee's son and
daughter, in which he deplored their
fathers crime, which, he said, would
cause them to be hated and despised by
the whole Temagamingue nation. After
this the Chief withdrew from the fire,
and, retiring to swamp near by, chant
ed the Indian IS song of desolation," as
evidence that he was in great grief.
Shargosee and family retired also, but
about daylight the former reused his
son Louis, lad of 8, and told him that
although his eyes had been closed he
had not slept, for he had made up his
mind to kill Canachintch. Louis cried,
but his father threatened to kill him al
so. The father and son then approach
ed the swamp where Canachin9ch was
still singing his mournful song. Shar-
gosee asked him how he felt, but Cana
chintch turned his back to him, on
which Shargosee drew an ak from his
belt and struck him on the back of the
head. Canachintch rolled over into
the swamp, but managed to stagger to
his feet. He was man of great
strength, although upwards of 70 years
old, and, Selling a stick of wood,
cried out that he would not die alone.
He reached forward to strike Shargosee,
but stumbled over log, and the latter
struck him another blow with the ak,
splitting his skull. The lad Louis on
this ran back to the fire and awoke his
mother and sister, who, on seeing Shar
gosee dragging his brothers. corpse to-
wards them, vehemently denounced him
as murderer. Shargosee was enraged
at this, and dropping the body rushed
at his daughter, whom he accused of
having been intimate with Canachintch.
She fled, and Shargosee's wife held on
to him until she was far out of his sight.
The girl reached Mr.. Rankin's post at
Round Lake that evening, and party
with her to the scene of the |
murder. They found Louis and his
mother sitting by Canachintch's body, |
which Shargosee had mutilated in a
dreadful manner. Shargosee himself |
was found next morning in the woods, |
and was arrested and taken down to
Mattawa Jail. Judge Doran, of this
own, left yesterday to hold the prelim-
nary inquiry. Shargosee's defense is
hat he killed Canachintch because of
MS intimacy with his daughter, but she
md her mother and brother, who are
detained at Mattawa, deny that, and tell
he story as it is given above.-Toro'ato
Letter to the NeaO York World.