The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1892-06-23

/ r
tho story Is told, party Of Kllckitals
were attacked BY . band Of C@ur
d'Alenes returning from one Of their pill.
gTimages Of invasion. The CenF d'Alene
braves were routed, but moi until they
had carried OF three KlickitaG maidens.
who were highly priced BY the warriors
Of other tribes because Of their beauty,
endurance, and skill Ia the preparation Of
food. The pursuit waa 20 hot that the
captors found that It would be necessary
to release the Kllrkitat women or adopt
some stFateRem. Three young men Of
the tribes volunteered to bring the cap
tives TO the CGur d'Alenes provided they
were allowed to have them for squaws.
'sThe old chief reluctantly gave bis con-
sent, as he had fully intended that at
least one Of the beautiful captives should
brighten his own teepee. II was better
than to lose them altogether, however.
and the three braves took the women to
cave in Palmer mountain. From there
they watched the rescuing party on the
plains below, and when the yOunI Kick.
itat girls saw their people disappear on
the trail Of the ceur d'Alenas, all their
hopes Of liberty vanished. One Of the
eaptives was the daughter Of a medicine
man, and accustomed to handle and cap
ture all kinds Of reptiles, from which her
esteemed and highly veneFated ancestor
was supposed to brew his most healing
potiOns. The maidens appeared perfectly
reconciled TO their fate, and the C@ur
d'Alene braves, with touch Of that van
ity which 10 90 frequently found in his
civilized brothers, Imagined that the
great personal beauty Of . Ceur d'Alene
had captured and enthralled the hearts Of
the susceptible Kliekitats.
"That night there was feast, for they
had not neglected to store the cave with
food and beaFskins. The Kllckitat girls
laughed merrily. In Chinook, the uni-
versal Indian dialect, they carried on a
spFightly conversation with the hated and
despised Ceur d'Alenes, and sang blilhe
songs for their entertainment. At last
the feast was over and the Indians, fol-
lowing the tribal custom, married each
other.
1.-THE Last words Of the simple and
primitive ceremony had scarcely been
said when. almost simultaneously, three
terrified shrieks reverberated through the
cavern. 10 the couch Of each warrior
had been concealed the deadly yellow
rattlesnake, and each KlickitAt maiden
had held each victim securely until the
venOmous reptiles had plunged their fatal
ianHs again and again into the flesh.
Each couch was literally den Of snakes.
1.-THE KIirkitat maidens were immedi.
ately put to death by the terrified Cear
dAIenes, but they expected no less as
they had also been bitten by the rattlers.
Only one Of the three CeuF d'Alenes
lived, and he was captured and burned
at the stake near where Fort Spokane
nov stands by the returning KlickitRts.
The tragedy was 90 unusual that the pro-
verbal stOicism Of the Indian did not re-
strain him from telling the facts before
he was burned alive. and the Klickitats
put up the rude headstones Of which
spoke at the beginning Of this narrative.
The tale travelled from one tribe to an.
other, and even to this day it Is proverb
among the CGuf d'Alenes that the 'em.
brace Of the KIickitat maiden Is death. I"