, 1892-06-11
PUGET SOUND KINGS
High Sounding Titles of Indians
in Washington.

A<euAe ~ DbNA4g III blAp Del4A Il 4e4AOAoJN
Chronicle, says:
When the Hudson bay people came tC
Puget Sound they found the family of one
Of the Indian chiefs so pompous in man.
ner and so thoroughly impressed with
their own importance that, in derision
many of the titles belonging to the royal
family of England were bestowed upon
them. The titles, which pleased their van.
ity, were accepted in good faith and today
the descendants of that chief are known
by their English nicknames rather than by
their Indian cognomens.
Ohetz A. Moka, whose memory is dear to
all the inhabitants of Puget Sound because
of his friendliness and helpfulness to the
whites in the early days of their struggles,
was dubbed the duke of York. He was the
head chief Of the Clallam tribe, once very
numerous. Their headquarters were at the
ancient village Of DuWamish, which is now
called jamestown. The tribehas dwindled
away until at present it numbers but a few
hundred individuals, living in little bands
in towns along the coast from Clallam bay,
on Fuca straits, to Port Gamble at the en-
trance of Hoods canal.
A brother of the duke of York reioiced
in the name Of King George, another was
called the duke of Clarence, a third Lord
Jim, while a fourth bore the time honored
name Of the duke of Wellington.
The duKe Of York died three years ago,
leaving two sons, the prince of Wales and
Charley York. He had two wives, Jennie
Lind and Queen Victoria. The latter sur
wives him and now resides near her son, on
Narrow-stone island, opposite Port Town
send.
The Prince of Wales is a thrifty Indian
fisherman, owning houses, lands, boats,
fishing gear and a good bank account. He
lives at Port Townsend with his family,
which consists of a wife and four sons. A
good story is told of the prince by gentle
man who was one OF the party that accom-
panied President Hayes when he visited
Puget Sound. Among the ladies was the
daughter Of prominent general, who was
interested in collecting Indian curios. The
Prince of Wales, ever ready to make an
honest penny, sold her bow, not we'll
equipped with string and arrows for
which he received the muni6cent sum of
two bits" Later, when he discovered
that the young wOman's rank was equal to
his own, he was mortified beyond belief to
think he had received money considera-
ton for what should have been a gilt. To
some OF the gentlemen of the party he
made known his desire to return the
money, but they babe him "keep it,"
This his pride would not permit, so Just as
the young lady was stepping on board the
steamer the next morning he thrust into
her hand parcel, which was found to con-
tain fine bow with a bunch of arrows
and the two bits' wrapped in a piece OF
paper. He had made the amende hon
orable to the best of his ability.
Judge Swan, who has always been a
Jealous friend of the red men, in speaking
OF the duke of York, says: Il first became
acquainted with him in San Francisco in
1850. He came on a lumber vessel to see
the city and 1 showed him the sights. He
was so much impressed with the great
number of whites, with the soldiers, the
ocean steamers and the men-of-War, that
on his return home he told his people that
the BostOns,' which was the name given to
all tn eWhite men at that time, were like
Blades of grass-they could not be count
ed" 1t was during this visit that he and
his wife, Queen Victoria, had their pict-
ures taken, the only ones in existence. The
duke discarded the blanket soon after the
arrival of the 'Bostons," and was usually
attired in a dilapidated suit of clothes
topped of with TyrOlese hat with way
ing red feather. Queen Victoria, however,
clung to her blanket with q woman's te-
nacity.
Subsequently, during the Indian war, he
was loyal to the whites and kept his tribe
and those on the lower portion of the
Sound friendly to the settlers. He was
always friendly to the "Bostons," and
when he died was buried in the Masonic
cemetery. A large procession of the best
citizens followed his remains to the grave.
A marble tablet marks his resting place
and bears this legend "Chetz a Moka
Duke Of York, the White Mans Friend. u
In early days, when white men were few
and Indians plenty, the duke extended his
hospltalties to all newcomers with a
princely hand. His kindness was never
forgotten, and to this day the descendants
OF the first settlers have a kind word and
potlatch (gift) for his family.
On the stone capital of the left-hand
column at the entrance of the new custom
house, at Port Townsend, is a medallion
likeness, life size, of the duke, copied from
the picture he had taken on that memora-
BILE visit to San Francisco. The Prince of
Wales is very proud that his fathers face
IS carved in stone, as it will remain long
after everyone now living has passed to the
happy hunting ground"
Queen Victoria is the surviving wife
For many years she did washing, and was
deemed honest and careful by her patrons.
Jennie Lind, though long the court favor
1te, was lazy and much given to inebriety
According to all stories Of those early
days the duke lorded it over his vassals in
prlncely way. No canoe could be secured
without reference to him, nor any terms
decided upon without his sanction. In 1853
Theodore Winthrop visited Puget Sound
and had occasion to use the duke as a
guide and escort from Port Townsend to
The Dalles. Jennie Lind, whose influence
over the duke was supreme, would not al
low him to go without her; so Winthrop
must needs have them both whether he
would or no. His description Of the royal
pair is very graphic, and probably drawn
without proper perspective as a picture
seen too close at hand. He says:
"A dirty shirt, blue and short, was the
dukes chief habiiment; hers a shirt,
longer but no cleaner When the duke was
prepared for his journey he appeared in a
faded black frOck coat, evidently a misfit
for its first owner in civilization, and trans
mitted down a line of deformed Wearers to
fall amOrphOus on the shoulders of him of
York. For coronet he produced no gor-
geOus combination of velvet, straw berry
leaves and pearls, but hat, or tile, also of
civilization, Wrinkled with years and
battered by world wandering, crowned him
frOWsily. Black pantalOons of brassy
sheen, much wrinkled at the bottom, where
they fell over mOCcasins with faded scar
let instep piece completed his costume, A
very shabby old clo' duke Red paint
daubed over his clumsy nose and about the
flats surrounding his little, disloyal, dusky
eyes, kept alive the traditional Indian in
his appearance. A primitive Clallam, clad
in skins and undevoured by the flames OF
tireWater, he would have done well enough
as a type of fsh-bred barbarism. Civiliza-
ton came, with step-mother kindness, bap-
tized him with rum, clothed him with dis
carded slops, and dubbed him Duke Of
York.
Jennie Lind's face was Indianesque, NOT
fully Indian. There was trace of copper
color, possibly dash of Circassian blood
in her veins. Brazenness of hue was the
result of this union, and a very pretty
color it is with eloquent bushes mantlin9
through it as they do mantle in IndiaT
cheeks. Her forehead was slightly and co
quettishly fattened by art as woman'i
should be by nature"
Winthrop's picture, humorously over
drawn, shows the worst side of Indian ma
ture, as seen in a single personal encoun
ter. Other writers later speak of the duke