Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-11-18

she was perfectly well. But in .
few months she suddenly died
There are those who ssy she wa
poisoned. On the reservation wtr,
a very old Indian and squaw. The,
owned eighty acres Of valuable land
The squaw was blind, the man wa
bedfest. One night two men wen
to their log cabin, raised the old
man IN bed, put pen in his hand
guided his hand TO make a mark on
a sheet Of paper, then let him
fall back upon his poor bed.
Ii was on c lonely road in q
forest. No help was near. Before
morning the Indian was dead. The
old woman heard no voices, saw
nothing. She only knew something
terrible was being done and that
her husband was dead. Soon she
died. A deed was recorded Of that
Iaud signed by the Iudian, but the
names were OF no persons known
In time the land passed from one q
another until ifcame into the hands
Of well known thieves who had
doubtless robbed the old Indian on
his death bed.
In June 1852 there WAS 4 curious
case in the circuit court in Chane-
cry for Isabella county. Henry
Strong and Eva Robinson, both
Indians, were complainants against
Peter Pay-mOs-e-gay and others.
The others were b and L.. The
salt was for the possession OF forty
acres OF land patented % Eva's bfst
husband and hell in trlst for him
ana his heirs by the United States
under the original treaty OF ls55.
Eva's first husband, also an In-
dian, was Union soldier, and died
or was killed i'm 1858. Years after
wards PaymOsegay, acting for
B. and l., took possession
Of the land as an heir Of the dead
Indian soldier. Eva had a child
when her husband joined the
arms. but 1t died the same year that
he lost his life. The child being
dead PaymCsegay claimed to be sole
heir, on the ground that the child
died before the father and therefore
he was next Of kin. Eva denied and
claimed that the father died first
leaving his child sole heir and hence
her claim upon the land. The prin-
cipsl witness for Eva was an Indian
woman who had been the wife in
earlier years Of a very honorable
Indian. She had, however, been
turned from her house by her Eus-
band for bad conduct and had
fallen low. "Bscky," as she was
called, told a straight story that
made 4 strong impression upon the
court She sWore that Eya's dead
husbands body was brought home
when the Indians were on the
plains picking blue-beTries, that is,
in the summer. She was positive
in regard 10 that. She was equally
sure that Eva's child died the same
year when the leaves were falling;
that is, in the autumn. Her testi-
mOuy cOuil not DE shaken. Then
l., who was counsel for the
other side, undertook to break her
testimony by forcing her TO i'm
peach her own character. / have
said che had, years before, when a
beautiful Indian girl, been married
to an upright, honorable man OF
her own people and had been
turned from his home for adul-
terry. From that time she mad
gone down bill, but still
she was and is yet a bright woman.
l. pressed her with questions
that mate her hang her head in
shame aud threatened her with i'm
prisonmeut If she did not answer.
Finally he wrung from her an
that confirmed his state
ments a. to Becky's character,
turned 10 the court with q leer Of
triumph and sat down. But Becky,
gOaded by the sneer, turned al-o to
the court ami, with tears streaming
down her dusky cheeks, she
pointed Ut l. and declared: Gle
was the cause Of my ruin; he was the
cause Of my separation from my bus
band. He would send my husband
oil 10 look land ami come to my
house with whisky 10 make me
drunk and baL!' a more tragic
was never witnessed in a
court. The woman's
manner left no room for doubt.
Her charge was in keeping with the
Of her GccuseF. He was
overcome by the denunciation ami
attempted no reply anu Eva won.
Take II all In all there has never
been a more hesTtless robbery or a
more Infamous degradation ola body
Df Indians on Inc continent than was
porpotratsd upon the isuUIaui. huip-
ess, friendless ChippewGs Of the
Isabella reservation, and IL vas
lone by Christians; that il, 10y
church members. One Of them had /.
been educated FOR the Catholic /.
priesthood and il is said he has /
DOasted that ''for $3.50 and a flask Of 4
he had "s,aid all night I
with n squaw aud got her patent Tor I
10 acres OF lanI!''
One wonders what had become Of (
he native courage Of the Indians
hat they did not kill their Oppres- /
'OTs, a. they should have done. IL 1
lad oUzed cut in fear OF he'll taught |
hem 10y missionary frauds. In all
he hundreds Of cases Of robbery
,Ould learn Of but one Indian VINO
lad the pluck 10 make the thieves
Oe the mark Of justice. lie was
Iudiau who had no
aith in missionaries. Under cover
4 a timber deed ais land had been
tolen anu sold to a white immi-
rant. He walked into the Office OF
he thieves with his gun 70 his
boulder and drove the men 10 the
ourt house aud compelled them TO
eed his land back 10 him.
Those men not only robbed the
indians, but they rCbbgd the un-
Inspecting whites who came ia from
'anala AMI bought lands from them
hat they did not own. In another
rticle | may tell you how | put a
top 10 that work also. Several or
lese thieves, finding that they 4
'ere being condemned for their
-eatment OF the Indians, attempted I
} stop talk by aiding churches.
lille their victims came 20 their
lck doors and picket scraps from
will tubs 10 appegSe their hunger.
'hen | tell you that / have pub
shed their infamy all over the east
on need not wonder that they
ught me and persecuted me. or ,
lat they continue to 10 50.
ut were L To meet the same
ate Of affairs again | should 10 as
d in this ease. He who stops in
Ie shadoy Of n crime t. count the ,
st of doing his duty viii not ex- :
lse it, but In his failure TO act he I,
comes party 70 the crime. While :
live and can use my voice and pen
e oppressed are the brothers aud
sters who shall have my heart and
md, the oppressoTs need no help.
lille the Christian church stands !
the apologist for and the protector
thieves and seoundTels, It shall
I'VE no word Of praise from me.
CHARLES Ellis.
Cheap Living in London. I
A once famous American disap- a