Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-18
Wal1a Tonka Saved Again.

wichita, hdI., special 10 New 1Olh
Tribune.-Three times In the last two
years has Walla Tonka, the Choctaw In
dian baseball player, stood on the brink
of his own grave with BIZ .ued eyes and
waited for the sheriff to fire the fatal bull
let. He had offered up his aye to the
Great Spirit for tn safe transmission
Of his soul across the great black river,
and calmly stood to be shot down.
But each time his wife, a white woman,
arrived on the scene just in time to save
his life. She came from the indian Judge
with a reprieve. Then Walla Tonka
would go free for a few months again.
This has been kept up since August, 1897,
In May of that year Walla Tonka, or
William Going, as he is known in Eng
fish, killed his uncle, Sampson Young,
at a green corn Dance near Eufaula,
Ind. T., because the senior relative paid
too much attention to Tookah Ingamore,
a pretty and viv3co;us white girl, who
had given her heart to Tonka.
The shooting occurred at dusk on May
5. Hundreds of Indians were present,
and they Joined in saying that Tonlka had
done the square thing" According to
Indian ways of arguing love affairs no
man should dare court anOther's sweet
heart. This is especially true among the
Choctaws. The day after the shooting of
his uncle Walla TOnka was taken before
the Indian judge, and was sentenced to
be shot Ia August. The redskin took his
sentence as all expected occurrence, and
| gave his word of honor to the sheriff
that he would be present upon the day
! set for his execution. hen. without any
preliminary, he was turned loose, to go
and come when he might. His word was
sufficient. The indian officers knew Ton
/ ka would come to his execution if he were
alive.
HE MARRIES AND TAKES TO BASE
BALL.
Tonlyo,,e frct oot oftor haip o. coofpnoa6
was to marry Miss Tookah Ingamore. for
! whom he had killed a fellOW-man. Then
he joined a baseball team and toured the
Western United States, Thousands
came to Witness mar condemned to be
shot, playing b"ll, with no Ulcers near.
In Kansas City, ST. Louis, Denver Wich-
| tia, and many other Western cites white
people sWarmCd to see this unbound
murderer. 1t was Walla Tonka's fortune
to be a criminal then. He made money
easily. In the hotels people would sur
round him. The ball-player was a hero.
All! you call me brave, he would say,
sadly. Il am. not any Drawer than my
people. 1t is our duty"
Then the whites would clap their hands
and reply. Your people are heroes"
Tonka never refused a piece of money.
1T is not for me-" he would explain to
the contributors. 'This is for her. and
he would drop another dollar given by an
admiring white into his pocket.
men liltN "bulu CIoNu ICo LIZ ne
him to tell them his story. Ugh! White
man talks Indian say nothing. She is
white but her heart is Indian. Some
day I tell you. Not now. May be so you
see her yourself some day. She will be
famous"
His dark eyes would CLEAN with salts
faction at the compliment he had passed
upon his wife, and then he would thrust
his large brown hands into his trousers
pockets and walk away, leaving the
whites even more amazed than before.
There are hundreds of his acquaintances
including many newspaper reporters, VINO
will testify to this. And so Tonka be-
came a character of the west.
HE RETURNS TO MEET HIS FATE.
The baseball season rapidly drew to a
close, and Tonka fastened back to the
Choctaw Nation to meet his fate on Au-
gust 16. In the little log hut, far from
anything civilized. lived Tonlka's bride.
She had heard of the Juror her husband
had created: she had read long stories
of his bravery and hints as to the mys-
terry, but not once had she read of her
self. Tonka had been wise. He kept
her name from the public.
The meeting of husband and wife was
affectionate. Hookah was inclined to
cry, but for once Tonka upbraided her.
BE brave, my girl, or else you are not
the wife of a warrior. See me; l am to
be shot. but l do not tremble.'
Then the white girl looked up to heaven
and asked God to give her strength.
make me as brave a woman as my nus
band is a warrior" she said. Her aye
We're answered.
Several days before the execution she
babe her husband goodby and told him
she was going to get him a rep1ieve. The
place where Tonka was to be shot was at
the Alheni Courthouse, a distance OF
eighty miles from Eufaula, the town
where the Judge lived. To Eufaula
journeyed Tookah. She pleaded long ana
earnestly with the stern old Indian Judge
for a reprieve, but he was obdurate. 1t
is said his son was among the many
admirers of this handsome girl, and the
Indian parent yet retained an ill-feeling
for her.
For three days her applications were
in vain. 1T is no USE he told her. II
will not reprieve your husband. He Will
be shot on August 16."
LACERATION WINS THE DAY.
But you must pardon him, l say. He
has done no crime to merit such treat
ment. He is a brave man. l am his Wife.
| am brave too, See." Then she cut her
flesh with a penknife and carelessly let
the blood flow. This proved her bravery.
To an Indian, decorating ones flesh when
requesting a favor is almost sure to meet
with success. And so she did. But it was
not until the morning of the day set for
! Tonka's execution. Then the old man
gave her a repreVe, staying the death
sentence until April, 1898. This was easy,
YOU say. to save his life then? No, 1t was
| not. 1t was eighty miles over a rough
and untravelled road; impossible 1t al
most seemed, for Tbokah was young; her
pony was young also, and a human life
hung in the balance. 1t was that OF her
husband.
! The trip was made, however, and Too