The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-08-19
ROBE OF THE ROONAH CHIEFS.
scuavs OF tho Last Of the Line Carry It
to the Paleface.


squavs OF tho Last Of the Line Carry 1t
to the Psleface.
Nearly everybody in and out Of Alaska
has heard Of Dick Willoughby and hls
Silent City, says Juneau (Alaska) let
ter to the Chicago Record. have
vague recollection Of photograph that
gives dim outlines Of castles and other
shadowy architecture-a city without
any beginning or ending, but with faint
suggestions of splendor that recall the
vlories of the Arabian Nights" DICK
Willoughby says he took the photograph
and would be glad to believe 1t, but
the story that goes with the picture Is
even more elastic, vague and shadowy
than the picture itself. The only tangl-
BILE thing relating to the Silent City IS
Dick Willcughby himself.
The shelves, crannies and corners IN
his shack are filed with the accumuia-
ton of third Of a century OF rowing,
from the Mackenzie river to Berlng
sea. He is prospector above everything
else, and consequently ores predominant
gold bearing quartz and many specl-
mems of unidentified minerals-but he
has also rare collection of Indian Gu
rios. He has a sealskin of rare species.
which is sale to have been owned by the
chiefs of tribe of Hoonah Indians for
100 years. In 1879 Mr.. Willoughhy
made an expedition to the copper Is
lands, where the Indians come down
from the interior to take sea otter A
son Of the chief was i'll with consump-
ton. and it came in Mr.. Willoughby's
way to give him some medicine which
may have prolonged his life. for awhile.
At all events, it won him the friendship
of the tribe. The young man died, how
ever, before the spring came. During
the funeral rites Mr.. Willoughby no.
ticed that the body was wrapped IN
fur robe of singular markings, and be-
fore the cremation of the body, accord
ing to the custom of these Indians, 8
souaw took the skin and, folding 1T
carefully, laid it avg. 1t had two large
oval spots Of reddish brown color, enc
on each side, on white field. Willough-
by calls it the skin of the extinct sea
COW of northern waters, but it is more
probably the pelt Of rare or extinct
variety Of hair SEAL The nearest ap-
proach to it in Alaska is said to be the
harp seal of the western ard northern
coast, which has black markings OF crcs-
cent shape on its sides. Willoughby ap-
preached the old chief with an offer to
buy it.
II cannot sell that" answered the
Indian. EVERY HooDah chief as far
back as we know-my father, and his
father, and his grandfather was
wrapped in that robe when be died. And
so, likewise, was my son, and so will |
be when die. and then-wel, 1 don't
know So Willoughby relirquished
the idea and thought no more about it.
At that time the Sitka Indians had
arroyated to themselves the rights CT
middlemen in all negotiations between
the interior tribes and the white men.
They had been able to maintain this po-
sition for many years by threats and
Misrepresentation. When spring came,
the old chief had experienced good luck
in taking furs, and ne was very desirous
of visiting and trading with white men
at Sitka.
"Go with me, ;" said Willoughby.
"But the Sitka Indians will kill Us. "
"Not if you 20 with me. My father
has big war vessel in harbor there,
and the Sitxas will not dare to harm
you
Before the Indians started on their
return trip the chief said to Willough-
by:
at am the last of my line. When I
die, if you want it, will have tho sea
COW skin brought to you. D."
Two years later, when Willoughby
had trading post at Pert Frederick,
four Indian women came and tarried
around, as klcotches 60, waiting to be
addressed. They lad to wait q long
time, as the trader was busy, but after
a while he noticed that they were the
squaws of tho Hoonah chief. They un-
rolled bundle, which proved to be the
funeral robe Of the Hoonahs. The old
chief was dead, and his squaws had pad
died o canoe through so miles Of open,
perilous sea to carry out his last wish.