Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-09-02
JonN GRASS DYING.
One or the Greatest OF sioux Chiefs Near
Ing HIS End-Some Personal
"Reminiscences.

John Grass, the great chief of the Black
feet Sioux, is seriously Ill at Fort Yates,
North Dakota, and is not expected TO live.
He has telegraphed to Che Cheyenne agency
for White Swan, his mother-in Law, 10 come
TO his bedside. IL is alleged that herbal
poison was mixed with his food by brace
of young bucks, adherents OF Sitting Bull.
The alleged poisoners have fed to stand
ing Rock, where Sitting Bull now is The
Indian medicine men and white physicians
who are attending Grass have abandoned
all hopes Of his recovery. dc Is dclirious
most Of the time.
bitterness of feeling between Grass, the
most progressive and intelligent Of the
Sioux chiefs, and Sitting Bull, who Is re-
gardcd with disfavor and suspicion. Grass
urged the Sioux commission TO remove
sitting Bull from the reservation and i'm.
prison him. Tho commissioners promised
TO submit his recommendations with their
Endorsements. Fearful lest he should be
removed before he had squared accounts
| Sitting Bull sent two of his young men TO
Fort Yates, 1t is claimed, 70 poison Chief
Grass. Saturday night they stole two
| ponies belonging to the sick chief and do
1 parted In the direction of Standing Rock.
| II Grass dies there will be general up
| rising among the Sioux that may result In
the determination Of Sitting Bull and his
I band.
The chief whose death Is now momcnta-
rily expected was one of the greatest men
| of the Sioux nation. He was shrewd and
intelligent observer Of events and devoted
his whole life to the best interests Of his
| tribe. John Grass Is chief of the Blackfcct
Sioux and supreme Judge Of the nation.
He is about forty-seven years old, is nearly
| six feet tall and perfectly formed spoci-
men of the Indian race. In personal APP
pearance he is man of a singularly pleas
ing face, with large, dark and brilliant eyes
and fine white teeth.
| His manners are most s,,aye and courtly.
and he displays great tact and shrewdness.
He is n Christian, and dresses in white
| mems clothes, and takes a great pride in
his appearance. His phSiogrnphs, are ire DIS, hs.
steadily refused to be photographed IN In
dian costume. He generally wears large
overcoat and fur cap. He still wears
moccasns and keeps his hair plated. There
are no Indians to-day like those 80 graphi-
| cally described in Coopers novels or the
Indian tales that used 10 delight the aver
age American school boy of thirty years
| ago, but John Grass comes as near to the
ideal Indian Of the novel, the good Indian,
the noble red man, as any one of his race
now living. Among the whites with whom
he has come In contact he has made many
firm friends. General Custer knew him
and liked him very well, and Gen. Crook
was also one of his admirers.
John Grass possessed tho entire CONT
terrible fighter in his day his people paid
equal respect TO his judgments in time oi
peace. After the surrender Of Sitting Bull
and John Gall, II was decided to gradually
accustom the Sioux Indians 10 self-govcrn-
ment, and the officials who had the matter
In charge agreed upon the establishment OF
native court for the trial ofpetty oflenses
John Grass was the man selected to carry
out this idea and he was appointed the
first judge of the nation, with power tc
sentence offenders on conviction of Their
| rhnS ynrat t, IA nj (n
III approved of by the Indian agent. This
high position John Grass has hold owe,
since and II IL the testimony of Major JAS
Mclaughlin, the agent, that his ruling'
were uniformly just.
He has small farm, which he manager
with ability. He never took sides Will
any faction and consequently Is tho only
one among all the chiefs who command,
tho entire respect and confidence OF tho
community.
submitted TO tho inevitable. Whom ncgo-
tiatlons were first opened with the Sioux
he was selected in the great council tc
speak to the Pratt commission for the
whole people. II was he who denounced
Captain Pratt 10 his face for refusing To le
a newspaper correspondent be present n
their conference so That the American poo
pie could understand their claim. Ho nj
ways claimed that the commissioners wht
secured the Black Hills treaty from th
| FSlOuA liutt ~ HItdt iuuN iiiSItpitscutss
tions and gave promises which were move
kept.
In the beginning of the recent nogotia
tions Grass was very much opposed TO Thu
opening Of tho Sioux reservation, bu
finally used his influence In favor of tn,
government treaty, and that settled tn,
question. II Is said that attempts were
made To bribe hin to consent to tho treaty
but he Indignantly rejected all such o1Ier'
and only yielded when he saw that til,
Al.
then he attempted TO get tho best terms h'
could. From time TO timo no has given tn,
government very valuable hints a. to tho
proper way to advance the interests of the
Sioux. In an interview recently ho said
"our future depends on the schools. !
they are properly conducted my people
will advance rapidly and take their plac,
side by side with the whites. We oxpeC
7Aur children to be citizeIs The oln poopl,
are ignorant apdk now very little. Indian
government Is passing away. The triba
relations are failing. Everything is tending
will elect our children to speak for us In
Dakota ana In Congress- We would sooner
elect some one of our own race than 20 have
q stranger repre- q as When our child
They will read the newspapers and find on
what Is going ON. Each will think for him
self and my people Will not run after on,
man like flock of sheep.
"ln our own way we can govern our
selves now. Our judgment Is good enough
but our education Is poor. As far as any
thing concerns ourselves we are smar
enough to protect our interests when ",
understand the facts. 1.-two men were put
up for us to vote for we could select a mai
who would best represent us. We selected
a man 10 talk 10 tho Pratt commission, anC
we can Just rs well select n man to talk II
the house Of the Great Father at Washing
ton. 1t would help the Indians if they
could vote. We were tested this summer
They gave us the right to examine oul
own minds as to whether we would sigi
the red treaty or the black treaty. W,
would sign neither. Some were in favor
oft and some were opposed To IL. Al
were allowed to do as they saw fit. Right
ia the council ! was accused of holding
back the people from signing the treaty
denied II. Three times | called upon my
people in the council To say what the,
would do and every time they refused.
1--WE are learning to practise self-govern-
ment now. On any question affecting tht
whole tribe we meet and agree on what
ought TO be done, and we take a VOTE yes
or no, lust as white men do. We under.
stand that we are not strong enough tC
fight the white men for our rights, The
time for wars is past. The Sioux will
never so on the warpath again. lfinjustict
Is done to us we viii protest and keep ask
ing for justice till we get it,"
In the death of John Grass tho Sioux
nation will lose its most gifted statesman
and truly eloquent orator.
BURNED TO THE GROUND.
A Pennsylvania Railroad Pump Hous,
Destroyed by Fire saturday Night.
ON the Mt. Joy branch of the Pennsyl,