The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-16
PAR0LED TO PLAY TOLL.
WaIIa TOnaka VIII Return to Be
Executed for Murder.

Executed for Murder.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Aug. 15.-Tow-
ering above his swarthy companions,
the sun glinting from his raven black
hair, rushing into the thickest of every
scrimmage, his eyes flashing and his
bronzed chest heaving with. the strain
that comes when the steely muscles
Of powerful athletes meet in the abo-
riginal game of toll" Walla Tonaka,
the condemned ChoctaW, seemed utter
ly oblivious of his impending fate. His
voice was the strongest when the war
cry of the red men of the nation was
sounded over the field at Fairmont
park yesterday afternoon, and it was
largely through his eXertions that vic
tory rested with his side when the
score or the day was summed up.
Walla Tonaka and seventeen other
members of the Choctaw tribe of In
dams arrived in Kansas City yesterday
from Eagle county, Indian territory, to
give an exhibition of toll, a game that
is played in the open field, in the CEN
ter of which is a goal ten feet square.
through which ball about the size of
base ball has to be driven. Each
player carries two bats, hickory sticks
about as long as base ball bats, but
not so unwieldy. One side tried to
send the ball through the goal; the
other to keep it away.
members of the tribe were ordinary
looking Indians, but he was about as
perfect specimen Of the red man as
was ever seen outside of one of Cooper's
novels. His hair is long and straight
his features are regular, the high cheek
bones of his race being conspicuously
absent. He is of a copper color. His
arms are almost as long as F'ftzsim-
mons and his nerves were like steel.
strong fearless
welding thirty-six clubs in a careless
and Indifferent manner and all surging
and fighting, striking and plunging at
diminutive object, is sure to result
in bruised bodies and sore limbs, with
here and there an eye gouged out and
here and there nose ready for Surgi
cal attention. The score was IL to 8
in favor of the reds, the blues scor-
ing the lesser number.
"Walla TOnaka fears not to die" said
the Indian through an interpreter be-
fore the game had begun. "OnIy the
squaw and the squawman trembIe and
are afraid" He drew himself up
proudly and his fine black eyes flashed
Il have seen men die" he continued,
land they made less noise than men
who live. 1t is but a moment The
white flag falls and there is a puff Of
smoke, but you hear not the noise of
the guns. The body loses it's life and
the spirit is free to go where it pleaSeS.
The pappoose cries in the night md
the squaw trembles when strangers
come near, but WaIla Tonaka laughs
at danger and knows no fear. He will
die as the flower fades and the old
men in the years that are yet to be will
tell around the camp fires when the
shadows are falling across the prairies
how Walla Tonaka gave up his life to
the law. When the hour comes Walla
Tonaka will be there. He will face the
rifles, but he will not fear"
Walla Tonaka's name at the agency
is William Going. He is to be execut-
ed according to the customs of his
tribe in Eagle county the latter part of
next October. According to tribal Gus
tom he is given his freedom until the
hour for the execution to take place,
when he must appear and be duly shot
An Indian who fails to keep his ap-
pointment to be executed is dishonored
forever and will be shot down by mem
bers of his own family on sight
1t was originally intended that he
should be shot yesterday, but the gov
ernor of the Choctaw nation is a man
of tender heart and a rooter of the
thirty third degree. Wherefore when
he learned that to hold the execution
would interfere with a game to be
played in this city, he postponed the
interesting ceremony.