Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1899-12-30
Indian Monumen,s.

The traveller often sees stone mounds
the work Of Indians in all parts Of the
west. These piles of stones are mone-
ments built to mark the location Of some
memorable occasion.
One of these monuments stands OH the
old Lapwai trail about three miles from
Lewiston. This particular mound
marks the spot where an Indian murle. .er
paid the penalty of his crime at the hands
Of Joe Craig the halfbreed son of Col.
VIM. Craig. A native relative of Young
Craig was the victim of this murderer
and the half-breed took the law in his
own hands and appointed himself ex-
ecutioner to avenge the family wrong.
The fugative had evaded his pursuers for
some time. He believed in fact that he
was safe from the vengeance Of the
friends of the murdered squaw. He
therefore returned to the vicinity OF
Lewiston where he was met one day by
Craig. The Indian instinctively skulked
from the relative of his victim for he we'll
knew that Craig was man of iron nerve.
He was a terror to all Indian evil doe rs
on general principles. The scared 1n-
dian could not resist the orders of Craig
SO when he was ordered to mount a horse
behind another Indian and follow he
did so stoically although he knew he
was going to his death. No Indian ever
resisted the expressed will of this man Of
iron.
The trio rode silently till they were
well out of the way of probable white
passers by when Craig deliberately pulled
big sheath knife and taking the prisone,
BY the hair cut his throat from ear tc
ear.
The body was left where II fell Craig
proceeded to his home on Lapwai creek
and reported the execution of the mar
under the tenets of unwritten tribal law
and the relatives of the dead man repaired
to the scene of the tragedy, erected tn,
stone monument, which all pioneers hav,
often seen, aud gave their relative buria
according to Indian rites.
Another mound stands on the nortl
bank of Clearwater below the Slcot
farm. This monument Is in memory o
the suicide of prominent young Indian
son of the good old Chief Weaskus
| This young man was beloved by tn,
whole Nez Perces tribe and the white
men regarded him as one of the bes
young Indians in the country. lie wa
honest and intelligent, and he was tn
pride of proud father. This yonnl
man fell in love with a pretty squav
known to all pioneers as potlatch Fanny
Fanny in those days was widely know
as an Indian beauty. She was as goo,
when she was young as she was brigh
and pretty. Young Weaskus paid he
court. For time he basked In he
smiles but before the wedding day tn
much hattered Fanny grew 6ckle. Sh
ljilted the big hearted young Indian an,
she gained bad name which added l.
s'N b''N'I "phe tht So"i 1outit itNei
heart. He went down by the river OH
day to meet her to plead for her to re
form her bad habits and return to he
first love but Fanny did not come. II
waited all day and till dark when
friend brought the news that Fanny ha,
Igot drunk during the day; and that sll
was untrue to him. He took revolvt
from his belt, placed the muzzle to HI
heart and died by his own hand.
To this good boys memory as we'll q
to the memory of the executed mnrdere
the Indians erected one OF those peculia
stone monuments.
II may he said that Potlatch Fam
was always held accountable for this Sc
murder. She was in manner ostracise,
She became notorious character an
was charged with all manner Of Grim
even that Of numbering white men.
The crumbling mound is now We've
as a monument to the memory of goo
Young Weaskus and also TO the mcmor
Of Fanny to whom the Indians point
5 warning to the rising generation Of fck