, 1884-11-25
A SWARTHY HERO.
A Regular J. Fenimore Cooper
Type of Indian.
Delicious Poetry Surrounding the
Son of a Great Chief.
How an 0ld-Fashioned Romance
Was Abruptly Terminated.

The trial of Cook, the half.breed In
dian, will be had in the District Court to-
day. Cook is something of a genius, in
an cratic and vacillating way. He is
sometimes called 'Wahula" and, at n
time, figured here as the son of some
great, but it must be admitted INDICATED,
Indian chief. He came to the city last
Spring and by ~cultivating a number of
people obtained some little free advertise
ing in the shape of character sketches.
AT that time Mr.. J.. B. Morrow was pro-
prietor of THE LEADER and Mr.. w. P.
Carroll was doing local work. Morrow
picked mp the l~ong-haired, p~oetical look
ing cuss, as Artemus Ward would say,
and took him around to The LEADER
Office. Carroll saw the oliye-tinted half
breed and, approaching the opportunity,
wrote a number Of quite interesting little
sketches, in which "Wahulan poised as
the hero in pleasing and romantic cpl
sodes. His lie was tinted with romance;
the odor Of the forests, the wierd charm
Of boundless prairie roamings and the
witchery Of a recent life among the savage
braves gave a glamour of genuine
romance, a sort of Minnehaha
poetry, to the able-bodied lies Wahula re-
lated with such charming nairete. DR..
Rafter was also induced to take some in
rerest in the young chief, and often talked
with him. One Saturday night, as DR..
Rafter and Wahula were leaving the of
fee of The LEADER, the Indian loitered
a moment, and mysteriously winking at
Morrow, called that gentleman aside, and
borrowed a dollar, The next day
Morrow saw DR.. Rafter and the Wahula
walking together, evidently on their way
to the Episcopal church. Morrow beck
oned to the Indian, who vent across the
street and met Morrow, who at once took
him into the Presbyterian church. The
next day the Indian was arrested for
horse stealingl Let us not tear aside the
veil that should at least hide the feelings
of the gentlemen who had found such a
treasure as Wahula.
When the Indian was taken to jail his
pockets, in accordance with the usual GUS
tom, were searched by the officers, and
his effects were exposed to official scru-
tiny. While he had been entertaining
Morrow and Carroll with tales of the he
rUic deeds of his warlike ancestors, he had
also been appropriating any easily portable
articles, not too large for concealment
about his person.
Among other things he had taken a
stub-book of receipts and a check book.
He had filed out a number Of these in an
indiscriminate and peculiarly individual
manner, a receipt and a check being all
the same to Wahula. Several checks
were payable to funds" and signed by
cash money" The amount were indi-
Gated thus, ''ifti 81, while the spelling
evinced a picturesque scorn of the white
mans rules. The only use to which the
checks could possibly have been put
would be in the working Of impositions
upon the Indians, to whom Wahula
doubtless intended soon returning.
Wahula has also achieved a notoricty
in a pictorial way. One Of the flash
publications of the day once published a
full page illustration of the deeds of
"Woodbox Jim,' who. was represented as
a Western desperate with ~sixshooters in
hand, while a brace of cowboys were sup
posed to be dancing an involuntary High
land fling at the command of the des-
perado. The scene was laid at Hartville,
some two years ago, and "Woodbox jim"
was none other than Wahula.
Word was received here yesterday that
Dora Newman, n of the leading wit
nesses against the Indian. was i'll and I'M
able to be present for a few days. Just
what progress will be made in the trial to-
day will depend upon the motions Of the
attorneys and the rulings of the Court.
By a sort of poetic justice, Mr.. W. P.
OoAAoh Was dcoiktlcu " ueleuu llc luuldu.
Since his s%ojourn in the Jail Wahula or
Cook, or Wood-hox Jim, or Wunkehunke-
wawa, or whatever you choose to cali him,
has bleached out considerably, and of late
he has been suffering from adisease which
is quite common among Indians. The trial
promises to DO an interesting one, and will
attract considerable attention. For the
sake Of those who became SO interested in
Wahula it really seems a pity hat he is
charged with plain horse stealing, but
some consolation may be found in the fact
that the ownership of horses is a matter
at once vaguely Appreciated by Indians and
by their hereditary legends is subject to
such rapid changes of possession as oppor-
tunity may make possible. Hence an In
dian, in order to enjoy the Constitutional
rights relating to religion and the pursuit
of happiness, naturally turns to horse
stealing as the embodiment Of all that
happiness and religion can afford TO NOR
tai man.
Delegate Post Leave.
Hon. NJ. E. Post and Mrs. Post leave
this morning for Washington. Mr.. Post