The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-01-02
OUR REDsKINNED BROTHER.

/ have been interested in q syndicate
story now running called the Chinese Inva-
sion. Ittreats in q bright way of a sudden
expedition from China striking this country
near Port Townsend and overwhelming us
with war. The details have becn 10 care
fully studied that very little il left to the
imagination. The tale from the beginning
is full Of interest and suggests several i'm
probabilities. For instance, let us imagine
a sudden uprising Of the Chinese in this
country, with the supp0Sitions that norm
Gus strength may be commanded. suppose
then thst they swoOp down upon
Helena like a band of wolves and relegete
us to the Northern Pacific or some other
addition and say: ''You are our prisoners
of war. surrender Your arms and stay there
forever more and we will feed you q certain
mount of corn and meat each month";"
How long do you think We would stay?
It occurs to me that this picture is q pos
sible likeness to the position Of our Sioux
friends in Dakota. Their ancestors were
here long before the Puritan fathers landed
at Plymouth Rock. by the natural title of
inheritance they own the land and they in
h0AltiOIi u Az ~ SOuhoRV ~ ~
tain it. But what do nerve and courage
count to overwhelming numbers and su-
perior intelligence and modern science in
warfare. We will say nothing Of the white
mans selfishness, Of his greed Of power or
his innumerable advantages. He is here
and he will win. even if necessity reduces
him to the cowardly assassination of m
Indian chief among chiefs. The extinc-
ton of the hereditary owner of the soil will
bring countless legends Of his character.
We now look ut him as a cruel and muir
derous ficnd, very commonplace and worthy
only of the rudest sort of a grave. IT. ID
barely possible, however. that the future
race will regard the redskin as We are
wont to look at the almost mythical cave
lier, a man in many ways less worthier If
we are to respect the truth of history in
place of the legendary lore.
4#x
Let US remember one thing. His idea of
civilization is the history of the past, and
no length of modern education can bring
the true Indian to a different view. His
paradise was found in the excitement of
the chase and in the freedom from
restraint. Sitting Bull, from an Indian
was a patriot. He may have
been ~treacherous and cruel, but his history
shows him as q man with but one end, that
of fighting to restore his people to their
former dominion. His treacherous cruelty,
if it existed, seems to have been directed to
the encroachment Of the whites. He is
dead and gone, but we have left the spec
tacle of his tribe fighting when the fight is
hopeless. It is useless to think that they
are ignorant of the real situation. They
are fighting as we would fight if we were
banished by the Chinese to a reservation in
the valley.
In the spacious lobby of The Helena
of the day / met Col. Charles Curtis, Sir
Hugh McQuaid and the well-known actor
and manager, John Mcguire. After ex-
changing greetings Of the day all fell to
about the Indian character and in
this way several interesting "reminiscences
were gathered. You know, we are accus-
to speak of the Indian in a stereo-
typed way as a stoical character, a man
with neither feeling nor inspiration except
directed against the white race.
If there is al old-timer in Montana not
acquainted with the big heart of Major
Pete Roman his name should be registered
for public inspection. The major probably
knows more about the Indian character
than most men iH the northwest. His po-
sition as agent of the Flatheads gives him
many advantages in this study and he has
published an interesting book IN the
of the Flathead tribe. He
is constantly devising new methods for
their improvement and is wonderfully
with them. A few days ago he
down to the hanging bee'' at Mis-
with his little boy Matt. The two
in the corridor of the Jail where the
four Indian murderers were waiting for
the sheriff's signal to go to their death. 1t
was a scene for lasting remembrance. The
four men dressed for the last act were rest
Iessly moving about, occasionally chatting
the officers and gazing n~ervously at
the crowd without. Baptiste, the chief
after carefully rolling their blankets
stood with folded arms in one
of the corridor and gazed silently at !
the men. He was dressed in blankets and
his long white hair hung in almost straight
lines to his shoulders. Major Roman and
his boy sat On the iron stairs. The young
ster probably did not realize the meaning
of the situation until Pierre Paul, a splen-
did picture of Indian physique, came along
and bent his straight, broad shoulders over
The lads head. In his own language he
said PLENTY Grizzly Bea."-that is the
name with the FIatheads-"I am
going to die with these Indians" When
Pierre Pau stood back the youngsters
eyes filled with tears and he wept as though
his heart would break. The Indian stepped
back and looked at the weeping boy for a
that this was the first white man who SEEM
sorry for him. 1t WAS an incident never
to be forgotten by those standing near.
III
The most picturesque feature of the In
dian character is found in the application
OF everything to some form of nature. The
who called him a child of nature knew
his subject. Soon after the majors daught-
er Katie was born the Indians about the
agency were invited by the major to see the
infant. AS they went in the room and saw
the little form in a cradle a burst OF sun
hine came through the window. The sup-
gestion Was not lost on the untutored son
of the forest and thereafter the little girl
WIS known to the Indians as Sunshine.
Soon afterwards Miss Sunshine came into
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