Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1892-02-12
CHIEF CROWFOOT,
An Interesting Chapter On the Character
of Late Indian Chief.


kinds and many thousands-was the
late Chief Crowfoot, of the Blackfoot
people. More like king than chief
he looked, as he strobe upon the plains,
In a magnificent robe of white bead
work as rich as ermine, with gorgeous
pattern illuminating its edges, glo-
fious sun worked into the front of it,
and many artistic and chromatic figures
sewed in gaudy beads upon its back.
He wore an old white chimney-pot hat,
bound around with eagle feathers "a
splendid pair of chaperajos all worked
with beads at the bottoms and fringed
along the sides, and bead-worked moe
casins, for which any lover of the In
dian or collector Of his paraphernalia
would have exchanged new Winches-
ter rifle without seconds hesitation
But though Crowfoot was so royalty
clothed it was in himself that the
kingly quality was most apparent. His
face was extraordinarily like what
portraits we have of Julius Caesar, with
the difference that Crowfoot had the
complexion of an Egyptian mummy
The high forehead, the great aquiline
nose, the thin lips, usually closed, the
small round protruding chin, the strong
jaw-bones and the keen gray eyes com
posed face in which every feature was
finely moulded, and in which the war
rior, the commander and the counsellor
were strongly suggested. And in each
of these roles he played the highest
part among the Indians of Canada from
the moment that the whites and the
red men contested the dominion of the
plains until he died, short time ago.
He was born and lived wild Indian
and though the good fathers of the
nearest Roman Catholic mission believe
that he died Christian, l am con-
strained to see in the reason for their
thinking so only another proof of the
consummate shrewdness of Crowfoot' S
lifelong policy. The old king lay on
his death bed in his great wigwam,
around him, and never once did he pre-.
tend that he despised or doub ubted their
magic When it was evident that he
was about to die, the conjurers ceased
their long-continued, exhausting for.
mula of bowling, drumming, and all
the rest, and, Indian like, left Death 10
take his own. Then it was that one of
the watchful, Jealous priests, whose
lives have indeed been like those
of fathers to the wild Indians,
slipped into the great tepee and ad
ministcred the last sacrament to the old
pagan.
'Do you believer" the priest inquired.
Eyes, | believe" old Crowfoot grunt
ed Then he whispered, But don't tell
/ my people,
Among the last words of great men,
those of Saponaxitaw (his Indian
name) may never be recorded, lut to
the student of the American aborigine
, they betray more that is characteristic
i of the habitual attitude of mind of the
wild red man toward civilizing inhu
( ences than any words | ever knew one
to utter
AS the old chief crushed the bunch
, grass beneath his gaudy moccasins a
the time saw him, and as his lesser
! chiefs and headmen strobe behind him
we who looked on knew what a great
, part he was bearing and had taken il
Canada He had been chief of the most
powerful and savage tribe in the north,
and of several allied tribes as we'll
, from the time when the region west OF
the Mississippi was terra incognita tC
all except few fur traders and priests
: | His warriors ruled the Canadian wilder
ness, keeping the Ojibbeways and Cree'
I, in the forests to the east and north
routing the Crows, the Stonies and the
Big Bellies whenever they pleased
and yielding to no tribe they met ex
cept the Sioux to the southwark, in oul
territory, The first white man Grow
foot ever knew intimately was Father
Lacombe, the noted old missionary
, whose fame is now worldwide among
scholars The peaceful priest and the
warrior chief became fast friends, anC
from the day when the white man frs
broke down the border and swarmeC
upon the plains, until at last they rar
what Crowfoot called their fire
wagons Qocomotives) through his
land he followed the priests COUNSEL
, ing in most important matters, He
treated with the authorities, and there
:, after hindered his braves from murder
|, massacre, and warfare. Better thar
- that, during the Riel rebellion, he
more than any other man, or twenty
. men, kept the red men of the plains a
. peace when the French half breeds
led by their mentally irresponsible dis
: turber, rebelled against the Dominion
. authorities.
When Crowfoot talked, he made laws
. While he spoke, his nation listened il
silence He had killed as many mel
. as any Indian warrior alive; he was
= mighty buffalo-slayer; he was torn
Scared and mangled in skin, limb ant
= bone. He never would learn Englisl
or pretend to discard his religion. H,
u was an Indian after the pattern of hi
ancestors At eighty odd years of ag,
there lived no red skin who dared ans
wer him back when he spoke hi
mind But he was shrewd mai
, and an archdiplomatist. Because h
!, /, had no quarrel with the whites, ant
l because a grand old priest was his tru
) est friend, he gave orders that his bod
. should be buried in coffin, Christian
fashion, and as rode over the plain
{ in the summer of 1890 | saw his burial
place on top of high hill, and kney
that his bones were guarded night an
day by watchers from among his pee
8 pie. Two or three days before he die
o his best horse was slaughtered for bun
, ial with him. He heard of it. "Tha
= was wrong" he said; there was n
, sense in doing that; and besides, tn
$ horse was worth good money" But h
r was always at least as far as tina