St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-06-10

sgss over over the his'i tomb li5t Of
~ Victor Trevit,
the founder of Lewiston, Idaho, and one
of the most remarkable characters the
history of the Northwest has ever
known.
Victor was half breed. Through his
veins course the blood of a NeZ PerceS
mother and French father, and during
the latter half of the 40 years that he
lived he was looked upon by the Nez
PerleS Indians with reverence, and
when he at last went down to the dust
under the weight of years they accorded
his remains the highest tribute i'll their
power by laying them in a specially
prepared tomb followed out of the
rocky bosom of the island where, in the
years past, only their chieftainS and
their noblest warriors had been laid,
and over his crumbling form they
granted the citizens of Lewiston liberty
to erect the tombstone that to-day bears
his name.
There are two incidents in the life of
this pioneer well worth the telling. one
being the manner in which he won his
bride after a desperate duel with
knives, the other being the story of
how, in game of draw poker with a
miner. he staked his wife against a
prospector'S claim that eventually made
him exceedingly wealthy.
HOW TREVIT WON HIS WIFE.
Among the Nez Perces was a beauti
full squaw, the daughter of Tall Pine, a
noted chief She was known as the
Blushing Rose, and although in the
sixties and still bachelor, Trevit con-
ceiyed passionate love for the Indian
girl. and intimated to Tall Pine that he
desired to make her his wife, offering
him much money and many horses as
soon as the squaw should become his
property. The proposition pleased the
old chief, who promptly declared it
bargain. but when the plan was laid be-
fore BluShing Rose she signifed her
displeasure by declaring that she would
chop kindling wood and build fires for
no man but Leaping Panther, hand
some young brave, who had distin-
guiShed himself in the chase. and whose
intrepidity and skill in the use of the
rife was the wonder and admiration of
all the tribe.
But Leaping Panther was poor, and
if ne had been given the hand OF the
young squaw he could not have en-
riched her father one whit, so the old
chief. with an eye open to his own per-
sonal interest, laughed at the protests
of his daughter and coClly informed her
that she must throw aside her silly in
fatuation and become Treyit's wife,
whether the prospect pleased her or
not. She threatened to kill herself if
she was pressed into this distasteful
union. and Trevit and the old chieftain
were in quandary as to what move to
make. when the brave young warrior,
Leaping Panther, offered a solution to
the difficulty 10y suggesting that he and
Trevi fight a duel with knives, the
girl to become the wife of the winner.
With the frmeSt confidence in the
strength and bravery of her Indian
lover, and believing it impossible for
him to suffer defeat, Blushing Rose
agreed 10 this manner of settling the
question of whose chattel she should be-
come, and it was agreed that the two as
pirantS for her hand should meet in a
canyon among the foothills east of the
Indian camp, and about ten miles from
Lewiston, and in the presence of ali
who cared to be present do battle for
her.
TIE DUEI. WITH KNIVES.
The prospect OF a duel between the
two men was told throughout the camp,
and an hour before sunset the evening
the men were to fight q molly crowd of
women and children had gathered in
Jangling circle among the shadows of
the canyon anxious for the fray to be-
gin. A little apart from the crowd,
Rose with compressed lips waited 81
lently for the appearance of her two
lovers. They came at last from among
the powders and faced each other in the
center of the living circle. Both looked
determined and confident. Two war
riors quickly removed their shirts and
strapped their left hands behind their
backs. Thus, each naked to the waist,
with a cleaning knife in his right hand,
fl,.a, ,@l,
the stealth Of the tiger i'll their move
mentS and the cunning of the fox in
their eyes.
The combat was not of long duration.
Trevit suddenly arose to the full limit
of his splendid hight and rushed upon
his foe with a force and yell That
caused the young squaw by the bOwlder
to turn pale and tremble, but smile of
eXultation lit up her face a moment
later as she saw the massive form of
TreVit reel and the blood guSh in flood
from his side. Leaping Panther's
agility had served him well, and with a
spring he was on his wavering antag-
oniSt, who, with wild sweep of his
long arm, sent his glittering knife
through the muscles and tendonS of the
young braves shoulder, and the two
men fell together in a helpless heap on
the ground. For many days Trevit lay
at the point of death, but his fine con-
stltutiOn pulled him through, and he
became himself again. Leaping Pan
Their never recovered the use of his right
arm. 1t hung helplessly by his side,
and for him the pleasures of the chase
were forever past. but worst of all he was
obliged to relinquish Blushing Rose to
Trevit, as he had been declare | victor
in the fight since he had rendered use
less the arm of his antagonist. So in
due time the young squaw became the
wife of Trevit. but she never forgot her
first love, and two years after becoming
the wife of the old pioneer, one morn
ing her remains, together with those of
Leaping Panther, were found at the
bottom of the Snake river. They had
deliberately gone to their death clasped
in each others arms.
The welded life of Trevit and his In
dian wife was not happy one. There
were jars and jangles, and many times
the young sQuaw fOrSOok the home of
her husband for the tepee of her father.
but the stern old chief had received the
money and horses from his influential
Son-in-law, and as often as his daughter
came home he would send her back
charging her to remain true to her
marital VOWS.
TREvIT's GRAND PASSION.
Trevit was an inveterate poker player,
and often impoverished and as often
enriched himself by his manipulation of
the cards. He was looked upon as the
shrewdest draw poker player in that
part of the territory, and yet there were
those who had the temerity to face him
across the card table, and sometimes
their good fortune rather than skill
brought them to the end of the game
with winning to their credit. Trevit
was an exceedingly reckless player
when luck was against him, and would
never stop until his last cent was gone.