The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-14

Bull Thigh. the Picturesque Chey-
onne Brave.
HE AVOIDS THE WHITES
Does Not Approve OF His Tribssmsn
Learning English Adheres Strictly
TO the Customs of Ancestors.
Story OF His Life.

@@N ~ III
brave. who has been In the city for
several days. presumably for the pur-
pose of giving testimony before the
grand jury in an assault case of re-
cent date near the Tongue river agen-
cy. is an interesting character in a num-
Der of senses He has made IL a lifelong
practice to avoid English associates
and to positively refuse to learn the
language OF the whites. He prefers to
be a true type of the Indian and unless
a remarkable change occurs in his ca
reer he viii cross the Styx on the ferry
to which none but the redmen are as
signed. Neither does he approve of any
OF his people or tribesmen learning my
thing but Indian. The only thing sug-
gestive of the white man in his habits
aud he doesn't look at 1t that way-is
the "tailor-made" cigarette which is al
most constantly in his mouth. He
says the cigarette belongs to the Indian
and that the white man is infringing
on the rights OF the red man when he
smokes II.
Bull Thigh Ii 81 years old and never
wore a pair OF boots. a sock. hat. coat.
pants or any other garment worn by
y Lht fitA u W Nv
custom of his fathers in regard to
clothes. The quantity Of his apparel Is
governed by the weather and the quail
ity the best to be had on the reserva-
ton. He never drank anything stronger
than alkali water, never chewed to-
bacco. never slept in the shelter of a
white mans habitation before he came
to Butte. has yet TO measure his length
on a mattress OF the p~alefalce's manu-
esra IA alnnf IN thA AnAr wHhfIa
here. The blanket he claims as his own
to use as he pleases. He never rode in
a wagon and his first ride on the cars
was on his trip TO this city the other
day. He never a the toothache or was
sick a day In his life: has been mar
ried Is times and prides himself on the
fact hat he differs again from the white
man in that he never had any children.
He has Travelled all over Wyoming,
Colorado and Eastern Montana, and
killed game in the National park Ions
before the white man Eve visited the
Wonderland. IL was his custom hen to
watch for n deer As IL passed a hot
spring. shoot IL just as IL was passing
the brink Of the boiling pot. and by the
time he reached his quarry II would be
boiled sufficiently to be palatable. and
there he would enjoy his daily feast.
Through an interpreter the old In
uldh Ofd an inNtltSNAhb VI us
life on the rontier. Hunting game has
been his chief source OF enjoyment and
most of his life has been devoted to
this pursuit. He emphasizes with n
feeling OF pride the statement that he
never killed a white man or an In
dian. or tried TO. He always managed to
be away from camp whenever his peo-
pie were on the warpath. IL has ever
been his custom 10 counsel peace on
any terms and at any price. 1t has
long since dawned upon him that the
civilized whites would eventually come
into possession of the vast domain
which had so long been the earthly par
adise OF the Indian. While he dearly
loved his country. ne yielded TO the adj
vancement of civilization with COM
mendable grace. He admits that he is
lazy. and says that laziness pays bet
ter thar ambition in his case. The old
man SAYS that so long as the white man
comes up regularly with his rations he
viii continue to regard him as his bene-
factor and treat him as such. In his
youth he had grown to believe that
his country belonged TO the red man.
but a succession OF events convinced
him that he was only existing on the
bounty OF the white man and he ac-
cepted these conditions with the proper
spirit. and instead OF melting blood
shed he urged his people TO be calm
and await the action of the great
father. who failed To provide for
his subjects. The old man said that he
thought Butte was a hot town. and pre-
ferred to live on Tongue river and APP
peared to be satisfied when Informed
that he would soon return TO his home.