The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-22

A Horrible Superstition Among the
Cree Indians.

Quebec Correspondence Chicago Record
Murdered by Indians" is now believed
to be the explanation of the mysterious
disappearance of a number of people on
the Upper Laird river and along what is
known as the Edmonton route in the far
northwest of Canada
Some time ago two Frenchmen named
Forent and Collins set out upon the Ed
monitor trail and were never heard from
again by their friends until clue was fur
nished by Indians selling a quantity of
furs which their friends recognized as
having belonged to the missing men. In
formation was subsequently obtained from
other Indians that the victims had been
shot in their cabin and their bodies drop
ped through a hole in the ice.
A prospectoT named Charles Munroe, who
went up into this country and never re-
turned, is firmly believed by his friends
to have been murdered by Indians. Last
winter during Christmas week two In
dams reported that a boy had fallen
through the ice and had been drowned.
Later The body was found with the mark
of an ak on the head.
Five young women belonging 10 fam
lily who had gone up the Laird river to
trap. were murdered by Indians and,
strange to say, the inquiry into the case
which was instituted by the authorities
was allowed to drop when it appeared that
the young women had been done away
with because a jealous Indian woman had
proclaimed them to be witches
As a matter of fact, some of the distant
Indian agents appear afraid of taking any
judicial action to prevent or punish crime
in their respective districts whenever such
action would constitute an interference
with the absurd belief and superstitions Of
g kl,H LII
has been the simple Imprisonment of one
Indian murderer for two months and the
acquittal of another, because of the mex
orable law of the Wood Crees-the instant
killing of so-called wehtikos.
The story of the killing is an interesting
example of one of the deep-rooted beliefs
and superstitions of these unfortunate peo-
pie, and, better than a whole volume,
shows up the devil worship and sorcery
of the Crees. Napaysoosis, one of the ac-
cused, tells the following story of the
crime:
Last winter a band of us, thrty-two
in number. counting women and children,
were living at the Bald hills, some sew
enty-fve miles west of the Lesser Slave
lake We lived in two shacks and two te
PEGS. Entomnahoo. our chief. along with
KunuksooS and myself and our families,
lived i'm one shack. Moostoos and his fam
lily, with SOM others, lived in the other
shack, and the other Indians in the two
tepees. We were all on the best of terms
with one another, and Moostoos was es-
pecially well liked by all of us.
'Some months before he was killed Moos-
toQs told several of us that he was afraid
an evil spirit was getting the better of
him. and that he would turn wehtiko or
cannfbal, adding: IF / ever go wrong,
you had better Kill me, as l do not wish
10 destroy my children
"The time passed on, however till about
the 23d of March. At that time some sick
ness was attacking the Indians. and two
of them, Napaysis and the little old man,
were being treated by Entominahoo in his
own shack, which might be called the
hospital. as all the sick were taken there
to be doctOred. Entominahoo was chief
medicine man. The third day before he
was killed Moostoos also went there to
join in the medicine making and sorceries
which were being practiced with a view
to curing the sick man.
During the last day and night I saw
Moostoos was not looking as usual His
eyes were rolling and glittering and he
seemed afraid to look any one i'm the face,
muttering to himself all the time. On one
occasion he said: Il look upon these chill
dren as young moose and long to eat
them
Il was absent from the shack part of the
day. and when l returned toward evening
Moostoos looked wilder and more danger
Gus than ever, and ii was clear to all pres
eut that he was becoming a wehtiko Or
binary incantations were tried. but with
out result, and as a last resort the medi-
cine lodge was erected in the shack and
the whole skill and power of all of our
sorceries was enlisted in the attempt TO
bring Moostoos back to reason.
1T was certain from his appearance.
words aud actions that he had no bodily
complaint, but that ne was possessed with |
devil.
Our usual ceremonies were begun. The |
singing of medicine songs, drumming and |
dancing were carried on from shutdown ill |
about midnight and as Moostoos was lying |
covered with two blankets comparatively |
quiet the medicine seemed to have a good |
effect.
There were in the house at that time |
Entomina hoo and his wife, Eliza the wife |
OF Redhead; Felix's wife, Redhead Ku- |
nuksoos and his wife Napayss and the |
little old man. These last were lying sick. |
An but the sick men and Kunuksoos, who |