The Irish standard., 1891-01-24
FATHER De SMET TASAPILOT.
The Indian Missionary Goes as Guide
With the First Overland Train
to California.
GENERAL BlDWELL's TRIBUTE.
He Says That the Celebrated Black
Gown Was One of the Saintheat
Men He Ever Knew.


Men He Ever Knew.
/ A finely.executed engraving Of the
veteran Jesuit missionary. Father 7. j
DE Smet, adorns the highly interesting
parratlve which General John Bidwell.
himself one of the members Of the expe-
dltion, contributes to the latest Issue OF
the Century Magazine on the passage
OF the tirst overland train to California,
in l84l. in guest of the gold which had
then been discovered there. In the nar-
rative itself. General Bidwell relates
how the expedition, shortly after it had
started westward, came to a halt be
CAUSE none of it's members knew what
was to follow. in which predicament
sbey were persuaded to wait for some
Catholic priests who we're reported en-
route for the Flathead agency, and the
General describes the meeting Of the
gold seekers with the missionaries, who
were found to be three IN number,
Fathers De Smet, Point and Mengarini.
or the former, the narrative in question
speaks very enthusiastically. aud Gem
eral I}idweli declares that Father De
Smet was the saintiiest man he ever
met, and one WHOM, he could readily
understand why. the ludians believed
10 he divinely protected. Mention is
also made Of previous journey which
shis venerable missionary made TO the
Fiathea0s, and as q supplement- of ten
.eyal Bidweli's story the following &C
.e.mnt of that journey and Father DE
sgnet's missionary labors among the
western aboriginas NAV not lack inter
,SsS.
What frst directed Father Lsa Smet's
steps to the wi!ds OF the Rocky moun !,
tains WAS petition which the Fiat
heads sent to st. Louis, over half cen'
Sury ago now. asking that ''biack
guwns,n by which term the Indians
designated Catholic priests, should be
sent among them. In answer 20 their
rec aest Father De Smet, early in l54o.
started for the Rockies, and the irst
Indian tribe he encountered proved to
Ds the Cheyernes. who welcomed him
warmly and were so delighted to see
MIN that, 80 the good missionary related
IN q letter he sent back to ST. Louis,
thev killed three Of their fattest dogs
and served them at the banquet WHICH
they rendered him. Pushing farther
W eastward, Che indefatigable jesuit al
length encountered a Flathead delega
tion that had come to meet him, and
was conducted to their chief encamp-
ment. where his advent was hailed with
OF great jov. lt was
late in the summer when the missionary
reached his destination. and he at once
went to work to evangelzs the indians.
and succeeded so we'll that within three
months he had prepared for baptism no
loss than thousand Flatheads. an0
bad received invitations from some or
the vicinal tribes to vi it them and
preach the gospel OF Christia 1lty. Dur
ing his first visit to the Indians the
missionary had the pleasure Of meeting
with Belgian countryman Of his. who
sor thirty years had hunted aud traded
Iii the Rockies. and he also learned of
the missionary work which those other
pioneers Of Christianity, Fathers Blan-
chet and Demers. were doing on the
Banks of the Columbia river. in Oregon.
Early the following year, lS4l, Father
De Smet. foreseeing that he alone
would never be able to perform all the
labors which were to be
done in the r. ,ckies, went back to st.
Louis in quest Of coadj tutors, and 1t was
on his return again to his Indians that
& General Bid we'll and the first train of
overland fell in with him
and hrs companions, as related in the
Century Magazine. AtSt. Louis Father
DE smet secured two other priests of
his Order, Revs. Nicholas Point and
Gregory Mengarlni, for the Indian mis-
SONS, and with these he buried back
again to the Flatheads, who met him.
August Is. on the banks OF st, Mary's
river, and in various ways expressed
their delight at his return. In one of
lis tier. to his superiors at St. Louis,
the missionary thus described the events
which followed his arrival. for the sec
tmd time. among his Indian q ,ck: '.On
the following Sunday our good Indians
placed themselves and their children
under the projection of the immaculate
Heart OF Mary. OF which we then cele
brsted the feast. The act Of devotion
was performed by the great chief in the
name OF the whole tribe. on the feast Of
her Holy Name. On September a, the
feast Of Our Lady Of Mercy, we arrived
at the river called Bitter Root, on the