Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1896-04-09

Suicides among the North American
Indians have been exceedingly rare-a
fact which, added to the pathos, the
romance and the dramatic incident OF
the occurrence itself, makes the story
OF the suicide of ki-Me-Aki, daughter
of once noted Chippewa chief, Que
comic, one of unusual interest. The
suicide occurred on the evening of Jan.
IA, near Tower, Mimi, and the story
has just been brought to this city by
a Minneapolis gentleman who was
then travelling in that region.
Tower, Mimi, is the chief mining
center of what is known as the Yer
million range, one OF the rich deposits
of iron ore in which Charlemange
Tower of Philadelphia, as we'll as
other capitalists residing in the west,
has immense interests The town is
located within the limits of what once
constituted an Indian reservation in
Guiding Eermillion lake. and the small
band of Chippewas now living in the
crude mining town are but a sorry rem
nant of the once powerful tribe over
whom Que-co-mic reigned as chief by
hereditary right.
Que-co-mic's band of followers are
now known as the Sucker Point In
dams Sucker Point is a rugged
rocky, sparsely timbered cape jutting
out into VermillioI lake. and forming
a quasi harbor for the small steamers
no ,,lI- rTounr o,1 tho o,,t1nt
of the lake, a body of water which is,
by summer and winter, a highway be-
tween the numbering camps in the
pineries to the north of the town and
the traders at Tower who furnish them
with supplies.
On this small point of land, reserved
to Que-comic as ar individual holding
by special treaty with the government,
the Sucker Point braves and their fam
lilies live, il the summer in rudely built
bark huts, and in the winter in log
houses that are but little better shell
ter. 1t was in one of these log huts
that the suicide occurred, and til
causes that led up to it, as we'll as the
conditions surrounding it, are charac-
teristc of many of the North American
Indians, III their inability to adapt
themselves to the circumstances thrown
around them by the advance of civili-
zation.
The life of ki-me-aki. though she
was the daughter of a chieftain, was
not a happy one, and although she was
possessed of all the stoical traits of
her race she finally yielded to the
temptation which preyed upon her in
the dep,h OF her misery, and put an
before the deer had been scared away
from her native forest by the un-
familiar sound of locomotive bell and
whistle and by the advent of White
men il, search of the treasures of min
tral stores in the earth, she had been
woocd by a young brave belonging to
her fathers tribe, and had loved him
but in vain Her father did not APP
prove of her choice. and bargained to
give her hand in marriage to one of his
sub-chiets, who was an object of loath-
ing to ki-me-aki.
That was II years ago, when Kline
aki was but Is years of age. Kline
aki yielded to the wish of her father,
and lived with her unloved husband
until his death as the result of dissipa-
ton several years ago. Since then she
has spent her time in rearing three
children born OF her unhappy mar
riage, and when her father tried 10
coerce her second time into marrying
man of his selection, she refused and
added the wrath of her parent to her
other miseries. For some time after
his daughters refusal to remarry, old
Que-co-mic treated her with great
harshness. He did not drive her from
his lodge, for he was in a position of
influence in his band and was re-
strained by the traditional usages Of
the tribe, which demanded that he Sue
cor the widowed daughter until she
should marry again. But of late the
attitude of father toward daughter has
been undergoing a change, for Kline
aki recently became the victim of dis
ease, some pulmonary ailment such as
is very common among the Indians.
Noticing her failing strength, the old
chief relented from his severity, and
again spoke kindly to ki-me-aki, but
it was too late. Her life had been en-
Filtered, and the melancholy which had
taken possession OF her spirit was too
heavy to be shaken off.
A few days before the suicide oc-
Cured Que-cO-miC left his lodge on
Sucker Point. being required 20 make
journey to the other end of Lake YER
million, some 50 miles away. He is an
old chief, but still strong, though his
once erect and mighty frame has be-
come bent with age He is well known
to every trapper ard cruiser who ever
spent any considerable time in the
northeastern part of Minnesota. and it
is claimed that he was among the first
TO give information to the whites OF the
existence of iron in the black, gloomy
hills about Lake Vermillion.
Que-co-mic made the trip to the out
let Of the lake, which discharges its