The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-02-13


The reminiscent strain is quite a gen.
eral and generous one with Mai. T. NJ
Newson. Among the interesting and his.
torical stories in his fund Of such is one
OF the noted Chippewa chief, Hole-in.
tse-Day, with whom he, in company
with other early settlers Of St. Paul. was
personally well acquainted. The story.
IN his own language, is as follows:
While sitting in a small Office in the
Ell Fort Smelling house, st. Pagl, Mimi.
y the year 1853, my attention was ar.
rested by the imposing presence Of
large Indian chief, who, with his blanket
about him, strobe into the room with
the dignity Of Roman senator lie wa.
a large man, with high check bones
well poised head, brilliant black ewes
and hair, and with a pleasant smile be-
exclaimed while passing: "Booshu ne
chee"-how 20 do. friend?-and took q
seat near me. There was q massive
characteristic about the man which did
not belong to the ordinary Indian. and
yet he had all the Indian peculiarities.
DIDN'T LESSEN HIS APPETITE.
Dinner was soon announced and be
took a seat near me at the table. Heat,
with ordinary dclibcration and stoweo
away an ordinary amount Of food, bat
while so engaged one Of the window,
was suddenly darkcned and on lookin.
mp beheld many grimy faces and burn
Ing eyes, with war paint and feathers
the pOssessors of which belonged TO thu
Sioux nation, and which nation had beer
for years and was then at war with tho
Chippewas. Cleaning knives and par
italy covered tomahawks made my 20
sition by the side Of the Chippewa chic
rather uncomfortable, so / moved: bu
he continued to eat, and then the door
opened and some ten or twelve Sioux
warriors filed along i'm front of the fo,
Of their people, with clinched rifles anC
hearts glowing with revenge. Still calm
with not a muscle Of his mobile face de
noting fear, the chief finished his dinner
coolly arose, drew his blanket about him
and with a lordly tread, a compressed
lip and q flashing eve, walked down IL
front Of these hostile Siour and lighting
mis- pipe, deliberately pulled the smoke
into the very faces Of his inveterate foes
That man was Hole-in-the-Day, the CHIEF
Of the Chippewa nation, and the SiouA
warriors were on his warpath, but the,
feared the white mans troops at Fort
Smelling would dart down upon them Tho
moment a blow had been given, so they
restrained their wrath and let the great
chief depart unmOlested.
Hole-in-the-Day was an Indian of re.
markable sagacity and intelligence II,
associated with the whites and comprc
hended their ideas Of civilization lie
was very willy and very brave, and
greatly feared by his enemies. IL j.
said of him that he would float down the
Mississippi river in his canoe 20 St. Paul
paddle across the stream TO the opposite
shore, secrete his boat, lay in wait fOi
the Sioux, who were i'm the habit of fol-
lowing the trail 10 Mendoza, then pOunc,
down upon them, kill one or two, secure
their scalps and make his way back 60
the east shore and thence home lie
visited Washington several times, and
became very well versed in the ways Of
tricksters and politicians. Once while
on a visit to the capital. he fell in love
with a white waiter girl in the National
hotel, proposed to her, was accepted, and
they were married. lie came west, re-
paired his home near Fort Ripley, in
stalled his wife in his tepce as the white
Indian queen, and soon after he was as
sassinated while riding home with his
little son, probably growing out Of the
insane jealousy Of his squaws.
MS TWO SONS.
This white widow of Hole-in-the-Day
lives at present, or did live, in Minneap
oils, where her son held a position in the
postofiice, but l believe he is now in,
some official position on the White Earth
reservation. lgnatius Hole-in-the-Day
the eldest brother, and heir apparent 20
the craftsmanship, was drowned in the
Illinois river in Chicago about one year
ago. OF course he was full blood. His
brother, or rather his half-brothcr, the
son of the white wife, is fine, genteel
well educated young man, and quite at
tractiye in his appearance. The head
men Of the tribe have been anxious 20
have him take the place of his father
but in an interview with me he said,
while he would like to do something foI
his people, he could not go from ciyiliza-
ton back into the habits of the Indians,
as he would be obliged to do TO hold any
power over them.
The chief, Hole-in-the-Day had mag
nificent physical organization. lie was
very straight, quite dignifed, and yet
very afTable, and withal he was very
generally liked by the whites. During
the Sioux outbreak i'm Minnesota in 1862
he had overtures from Little Crow, the
great Sioux chief, to join with him in
massacrcing the whites but he declined
the honor, although some of his people
were anxious to have him do so. ST.
Paul, in early times, without Hole-in'
the-Day, would be like the play OF
Hamlet" with Hamlet left out.
On the bank Of the upper Mississippi,
about Little Falls in Minnesota, lies the
body Of the once great Chippewa chief
and that Of his father, Hole-in-the-Day,
another noted chief before him, both
bodies facing south, 80 they can watch
the isovements Of their enemies-the
Sioux. There is a depression between
the two hills upon which the bodies lie
and in the middle Of this depression
stands lone tree, conveying the idea
from the roadside that a sentinel was
guarding the graves But how changed
is everything nowi Gone are the In
dams and their chieftains, but in their
places have come great cities, and back
Of these roar the great waves Of clvlhza-