The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-02-08
A GREENVILLE STORY.
Sad Death of a Noted Indian Chief
ESs Life Work.

few weeks ago the writer unearthed a
curious story about 'Deek Won Goodrich
and his baggy Knickerbockers." This was
a veracious history of an old settler in
G~reenville, when that little sleepy place was
the tail end of Old Bergen. Contemporary
with Deck is the history of a famous organ
ization and its leader.
The organization had, strangely enough,
sprung out of a certain band of Indians who
were in turn a part of d bigger wlgwam
known as Bai-Vew. 1t was held in a lodge
on the confines of the ever famous Little
Zuyder Zee, and was composed of the best,
the bravest and shrewdest of the Indians
who had laid aside the bow and arrows,
war paint and feathers of savage life and
donned the garb of civilization. The chief
of this minor band of the lodge was a tall,
thin man of rare ability and foresight.
He was universally respected, notwith-
standing his peculiarities, the possession OF
of which in modern times would nave
stamped him as a crank.
Lew-Hee, for that was his Indian name,
and he was known by none other, was q
power in the wigwam. He could not talk IN
eloquent language IN commerce, like his
brother chief, "The Farmer" the perpetra-
tor of the Joke on eDeek,n neither could he
tell of uch hair breadth escapes from scalp
ing as his friend, Big-Show. He was not
versed in the politics of the wigwam like
Man With The Gold, and knew little of the
mysteries practissd by the Medicine Man
but for all these shortcomings he was
possessed of good sense and judgment and
was as honest as the sun.
Lew-Hee particularly disliked the music
of the itinerant minstrel whose sole per-
formance consisted in making a noise for
fire water. Another of his dislikes was to
find any young brave smoking, instead of the
historic and venerated calumet, a ridicu-
lousy modern imitation consisting OF wrap
ping the sacred weed in small strips of a ma
terial manufactured from rags and prairie
grasses. You couldn't offend Lew-Hee
more than to give wampum to the former
and initiate the latter. Occasionally some
| adventurous brave, filed with fire water at
| Jams hostel ", would venture in Lew-Hees
presence to puff the abomination, whereupor
an explosion would Immediately ensue.
For years he pursued his smooth life, go.
ing daily across the river to Manhades ano
! spending a few hours there in a store. BY
| and by the saline atmosphere of Greenville
affected him and he began to show the
traces of an insidious disease on his frank
noble face.
All levity with him now was cast aside
| and one and all, even the most frivolous
brave, viewed their companion with sorrow
| and compassion.
The cold wintry winds were blowing
across the sandy dunes of Greenvllle; the
ground was covered with the silently falling
snow and the canal and bay were sheetec
with ice when Lew Hee's soul passed to tn
abode of the great Manitou.
There, on the hill overlooking the bay OF
the Zuyder Zee, where ..heaves the turf in
many a Wondering heap" was laid, with the
loving hands of the members of the Lodge OF
Bai-Vew, the noblest Indian of them all.
He sleeps now in his narrow cell, uncon
scious of the summer zephyrs or the wintry
gales which blow over his head; but man.
years will roll by before he is forgotten
Like the sprigs each brave threw on his bier
his memory will be evergreen.