The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-11-07
PIUTE PRINCESS DEAD.
Remarkable Life OF Sarah Win
nemucca.

| Mail advices from Nevada brin,
the news that Sarah Winnemucca
the Princess of the Piutes, died sud
denly on the 10Th inst. at Monida
Mont, while on visit to a siste
at that place.
Sarah Winnemucca was the mos
famous Indian woman of this coast
because of her efforts to improve
the condition of her tribe and te
teach the Indian Department lit
tie common sense. Her work was
mainly fruitless, because of the pig
headed opposition of Indian agents
whom she detested, but her life is
noteworthy for what she accom-.
plished in self-education, as we'll as
for what she tried to do toward the
elevation of the Indian race.
| Sarah Winnemucca, though the
daughter of the old chief of the
Piutes of Nevada, had no more ad.
vantages than any Indian maiden
of her tribe. That she did not live
out her days in a wickiup on the
Pyramid lake or Walker river res
ervation, ignorant, dirty, ragged,
with no thought beyond preparing
the scanty food for her family, was
due entirely to her own efforts. She
was remarkable specimen of self
education, for, unaided, she gained
a good knowledge of the English
language, which she spoke huently
and wrote with ease. She picked
up this education while working in
the families of white settlers on the
Comstock. She readily adopted
American customs, to the great dis
gust of many of her tribe. When
she grew to womanhood, so great
was her desire to get an education
and do something to lift her tribe
out of it's degradation, that she
took in washing and bought books
with the money that she earned.
She had the gift of vivacious
speech, which is common to so many
of her people in their own language,
but which they lose entirely when
wrestling with the English. She,
however, mastered the strange
tongue as well as the Spanish, so
that for several years she served as
Interpreter at the agencies and at
the military camps whenever there
was any trouble with the Indians.
When misfortune fell upon her tribe
she was spurred to making pleas in
their behalf before Western audi
ences, and in this way she has be-
come we'll known on this coast as
very effective platform speaker.
She was at her best when metaphor
ically scalping the Indian agent, to
whom she attributed most of the
ills of her tribe. The army officers
she praised for their fair dealing
and she declared that all the West
ern Indians would fare better were
they turned over to the care of the
Sarah had an eventful life judged
by civilized standards. She served
as intermediary in many disputes
between the whites and her tribe,
and in the Bannock war she rem
1ered valuable aid to the Govern
ment and saved the greater part of
her people from casting their for
.unes with that rebe llious tribe.
Twice she was married. The first
venture was with Lieutenant Bart
ett of the army, who was stationed
IT Camp McDermot, where Sarah
vas employed as interpreter. The
couple eloped to Salt Lake, as Nat
,hez, Sarah's brother, swore she
should not wed a white man. Sa-
'ah's husband was very dissipated,
md after helping to support him
or several years she obtained a di-
7orce in Oregon. About eight years
lgo she was again married in this
'itv to Mr.. Hopkins, a commissary
;lerk.
In 1885 Sarah went East to lec-
ure in order to get means for keep
ng her people. In Boston she made
great impression on people inter-
sted in the cause of the Indian,
nd from Mrs. Horace Mann and
Hiss Peabody she secured the funds
or publishing her book, "Life
Among the Piutes," a naive story
# the idyllic existence led by the
ribe before the white man came
With his whisky and his vices. Sa-
ah lectured in Boston and New
(ork, but when she came back here
he could make no headway in her
york because of the supineness of
he Indian Department.
The writer recalls an interview he
ad with Sarah Winnemucca in the
winter of 1885, just after her return
rom the East. The Princess was
a good health, but she was cast
own in spirit over the slow prog
ess which she made in the great
York of her life. She was dressed
lainly, but neatly-a short stout
gure, with the typical Indian fea-
ures, swarthy skin, broad face and
Ugh cheek bones. Her features
7ere fairly regular, her mouth
howed great decision and her eye
'as full of intelligence. She spoke