The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-05

we're less preclpltous. Some of the cat
tie were lying lazily by the trail and
| only moved when we came too near.
The Indians who own this stock and
till the small, rich fields that are half
eEcircled by every bend Of the river,
| live IN smoAe-stained skin tents near
the shallow. noisy stream. The men
were lounging about the small, cone
| shaped house with dogs and children
! in large numbers. The women were
all busy carrying loads of brushy wood
| upon their strong, broad shoulders from
the thickets of willows. They were
evidently preparing for the season Of
snow that was approaching. They
| trudged past us and frightened our
horses with their moving heaps of
brush But the women never looked
up from the deep. worn path which
they had evidently made with their
moccasined feet in the rounds of duty.
They neither turned nor looked to the
left nor to the right. though our
horses snorted and we coaxed or
scolded. We always vacated all of the
road for the use of the burden-bearing
women of the plains
AS we approached the end of the
pretty village even the canyon became
frowning columns of rocks, and the
river rushed through gloomy, shaded
gorges. There was house of logs that
was tumbled down with decay, and
dark and fOrbidding in its dingy aspect
of Abandonment. The sunburnt grass
and dead weeds about the door were
untracked by human foot, but still
there was not the solitude that gives
peace to the grave. Everywhere was
the unrest of q tormented soul in a
living tomb.
Over these hills and by the door of
this house was the deep cut trail that
led to the mines where people thronged
in the days of Idaho's fame as an
hldorado. In this house in the days of
gold there dwelt sub-chief of the
great Nez Perez tribe known as Eagle
He was noted at that time as trader
and man of great wealth. 1t is not
known that any man ever came to
Eagle for food. clothes or horses with
out having his wants satisfied. if he
had money. He was noted alike for
his shrewdness and heartlessness. A
footsore man might plead for the use
OF horse or hungry man might beg
for bread with his last breath, but
Eagle could never be moved. But the
old chieftain's resources were without
limit. The mining camps in the noun
tains at one time had population of
ten thousand. Their fresh meat all
came from old Eagles herds Of fat cat
tie. Not once did he fail to fill an
order when the yellow dust was forth
coming. For many years this Indian
gathered a harvest of gold from the
fruits of his fields and from the stock
on his boundless ranges. His great
wealth no man could estimate, and it is
said by the Indians that he measured
his gold by the sack like he did his
wheat and corn.
Chief Joseph, the general of the Ne1
Perez war in 1877, was nephew Of this
old Indian financier. When guns and
were wanted the young
warrior made acquisitions upon the old
mans hoard. And when war was for
mally declared old Eagle packed his
gold on ponies and joined the savage
forces. With the souaws of his !. ouse-
hold to aid him, he filed the Office of
treasurer in every camp during that
bitter war. On these famous retreats
the gold was secured in buckskin sacks
packed upon the horses and driven by
the squaws. At night the gold was
heaped around the old man and he dis
bursed it with robe for teller's eoun-
ter. Joseph's trusted messengers came
and went for many months and they
were always supplied with the sinews
Of war. It was the gold old Eagle had
gathered in the years he bartered so
heartlessly with the miners.
When the war closed old Eagle re-
turned to his cabin. He was too old to
be held as prisoner by Gen Howard.
For fifteen years he has lived lonely,
life without friend in the
world. The white people were his foes
in battle and the Indians who did not
lay down their lives in Joseph's cause
he scorns as towards. Except when
buying his scanty stores of the sutler, |
he has never been known to voluntarily |
with any human being |
since the war. He is the most striking
picture OF human misery that ever was
He was reclining on the |
floor half hidden behind the lamb of |
the broken door. As we passed his hut |
be glared at us with the furiousness of |
4 furious beast, and we were relieved |
when the picture was no longer to be |
seem