Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-12-25
GREATEST CHIEF OF ALL.
"Adlrondacks" Murray's Glowing
Tribute to Sitting Bull.
The Killing of the Sioux Medicine Man
Was Murder--The Brightest Man of His
Race--Gaun niles nf His Eloauencp.

III u great hllGIlNdll lbuIlliil NulthliiS tiS
murder of the great Sioux prophet, Sitting
Bull.
| say murder for murder il was and
murder il was intended to be, unless all the
reports sent eastward for the last month
| have been lies.
And so he was murdered.
His death is sad enough II would have
been sad to many of us who knew him as
he was and admired him for what he was
| had he died in peace amid the remnants of
| his people and the mourning of his race.
| But killed as he has been in obedience to
| conspiracy and as the outcome Of a plot to
make an end of him, untried by process
| of law, proven guilty Of no crime, uncon-
victed of any overt act, we pronounce his
| killing crime and his sudden removal in
| the manner and substance of it an outrage
and Il murder.
! knew this man; knew him in relation
| to his high Office among his people and in
his clements as a man. As to his Office or
| rank honured him He filled station
Older than human records AS man !
admired him. He represented in person,
| in manners in mind and in the heroism
of his spirit the highest type of race
which i'll many and rare virtue stands peer
among the noblcst races of the world.
liut to5the red men he, whom the whites
in their ignorance misnaned the medicine
man, the physician, the healer was the
| prophet of the Great Spirit to the tribe, the
seer of God, as samuel was 10 the Jews,
holding the relation to the war chiefs Mai
Joshua held to Moses, and holding 10 their
religion and its rites the same great rank
| and office as the High Priest among the
Jews held TO the Temple.
This man Sitting Bull was prophet, not
war chief, to his people. The seer, III the
line Of secrs Of a race, beside which, rs to
antiquity, the Jews are but mushrooms.
What was missioner Joke, term Of
f.aNa 4ffHas
| ancient things, to the red mentor the
term Indian rs applied to them is also 2
misnomer and proof Of 14th-ccntury liz
I norance-was q rank above all ranks won
or bestowed by the tribe; an Office above
all earthly offices, connected with and sym
bolic Of the highest truths and deepest
mysteries Of their religion.
Hence, by virtue Of his Office Old rs Gus
tom and tradition, this man Sitting Bull,
| was counsellor of Chiei>. the Warwick be-
hind the throne stronger than he the
throne, the oracle If mysteries and of
knowledge hidden from the mass; hidden
even from chiefs, to whose words Of advice
and authority all listened rs the last and
highest expression ei wisdom.
such was sitting ltUll rs 70 his Office, as
interpreted and understood from stand
point of knowledge Of the religion, the
traditions and the superstition Of his poo
ple That he was faithful to his high
]
counsellor Of chiefs, that d Joshua did ~
Moses So he III hour Of battle upheld Their
arms till the sun went down and the battle
was lost or Won let All who fought his
tribe declare. that Tie gods Of his race
found IN him high priest faithful 10 his
trust none may eyer deny. lie iycd and
lie has died. Il red man true To bis Office
and his race. That leaf Of laurel none can
deny 10 his famc--n0t even his renegade
murdGres
But no office, however great, is as great
as the man 4 he tills il greatly, and this
man sitting Bull was greater Is man
than he was even as q prophet. | met HIM
often; studied him closely as one Of intel
ligence Studies thetypc OF Il rlee-l may
add of Il departing race-and knew him
well. And this ! say Of him lie was n
sioux OF the sioux, a red man Of the red
mon. In him his race in physique in
manners, IN virtues, in faults stood incars
nate. Iii lace DO was Tie only man ever
sitw who resembled GlalstuuG-large feat
Ilrcd thnughtiuly grave reflective, re-
, pusrful when uueNtitel. In wrath his
countenancc was a collection Of uncX-
! plndCl or exploding tlunder-the awful
/ embodiment of mtAsurcless passion and
, power.
in conversation he was deliberate, the
user Of few words, but suave and low
voiced. In moments Of social relaxation
he was companionablc receptive of humor,
q genial host, pleasant guest. In his
family GENTLE atlectionate andnot opposed
10 mcrrimcnt. When sitting in council
his department was d model; grave, delib-
l e!ate, courteous to opponents, patient and
! kindly to men Of lesser mind, ! suggest
! that our senators copy after him.
E IN pride he was equal to his rank and
/. race rank 70 him level with pupc's and
{ n race the oldest aud brarcst In the world.
T. | OF vanity uevpr saw one trace in him
Il f.aIl !,
! Webster rs ,liirklN us with him. He was
never uyer-dresscd. He wore the insignia 81
i his office as a king his robes or a judge hi-
8 gown, In eating he was temperate; from
= Sprituous drinks an ubstaincr Ills word
once given wss q true bond. He was u born
diplomat No Zoe ever l,thomcd hi,
thought, have watched him by the hdui
h When | knew his heart was hot Will
! wrath, but neither from eve nor lip nnl
ehrek nor nustril nor sinewy hand NIGH
l. one get hint of the storm raging within
, There MAS no surface % him. lie was Iii,
= embodiment Of depths
Was he eloquent What is elOqucncc
I Who may say--whh may lgrcc lis To It
i Men tell mu tha, Mr., DepeW Il eloquent
" and that New Yorker 90 wild with tn,
II glasses IN front ni them when their Mr.
y thoatc i spcakinE. | have read thc
y words, Their clupHcnrp IS moi that of tlsi
y great Si0ttN prophet, Here ARE some woru
!. II his. Yoliuan compare them with you
= orators best
e you tell me Of the Muhwks NJ,
= fathers knew them. Ihry drmlude,
> tribute Oft them, The sioux iIughvi. They
I" Went t1mect thcnE lU,Gnh3rsGucu Til
y MuhuWks saw tlIeui coming. mlir them
:, feast and returned homo Iuu toll me d
~ the ihenaznis, They are our ftrotalher
y and me tuf,lAthcrs ufall Icd mon The,
- We're tile men of the daSvn. Fllry cam
II from tlle east, they Were burn in Tn