Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1899-12-06
An Indian Daredevil.

A noted Indian character in early days |
was Skoom- -Sheel. This name designates
| man who had been manned in accordance |
with Indian custom for punishment for
some crime. Our noted Skoom- -Sheel
had been dismembered limb at time |
| for horse stealing till both feet and hands |
were gone.
Skoom-Sheel was Snake by birth but
in addition to being named for his
various crimes he was expatriated. He
had in fact been driven from tribe to
tribe till the Nez Perces more forbearing
than the other Indians on the coast gave
him asylum
| No character of ancient history was
ever more iuvincible than our Skoom-
Sheel. With neither hands or feet he
was not restrained from evil doing He
travelled throughout the valley on horse
back. He was noted "broncho buster"
He would go into any corral with his
broncho and ride it wherever his will
dictated. He was accounted the greatest
rider and horse tanner in the northwest.
The Indians are not generally fearless
riders. III early days they owned many
horses which had become outlawed on
account of their visciousness II was the
lcommon custom when Skoom Shecl ar
rived in any community to corral the
outlaws and put him upon them tie him
fast and turn the viscious brutes loose on
the range. The Indians took delight i'll
thus exposing the manned Indian to
danger hoping he would be killed and
thus rid the tribe of a standing menace.
The horse was invariably subdued and
the rider always turned up In some neigh
! boring village ready for any kind OF
rufiianis,n known to the aborigines. The
fact that he experienced so many hard
ships and dangerous unscathed inspired
} the Indians with superstition that he
was devil.
One report is that this Indian after. he
had no more hands or feet to sacrifice as
: penalty tor theft was captured on
Salmon river with herd of stolen horses
with which he was trying to escape. A
council of his pursuers decided that he
should be drowned. Accordingly he
was thrown into whirlpool which had
claimed many victims and from which II
| was reported that no man could escape
II The manned man was hurled from bluf
II into the mad water and abandoned to ;
| to watery grave. His would-be slayer'
justified the action by saying the victim
was a thief and did not believe in Chris
Ii or George Washington.
III He soon returned as one from tn
II spirit world as full of life and crime a
| ever. His deeds we're tolerated there
| alter with feeling of awe if not respect
On one occasion Skoom Sheel 20
drunk and terrorized Lewiston. II
| charged up and down the streets on viii
| horse like demon centaur. Joe Nincer
| as marshal held him up at the mnzzle
| shot gun till assistants got hold OF tn
| snuaw bride and held the horse by shee
force. Old Skoom- -Sheel leaned forwar
and slipped the hair rope out of tn
lhorse's mouth and uttered yell, be'
the horse with his stubs OF legs an
arms. The frighted horse lunse
through the restraining crowd and ra
like the wild beast he was, out ot tow
and far out into the hills before Il
deadly shot gun could be turned upf
the rider.
The last known of Skoom Sheel
this country he Joined Joseph's arm
and was an active agitator against Z
whites. He planned raid upon Lew
ton and after the capture Of the city
was to be the proprietor of Conn
Wintsch's grocery store. II is believ
that he fell in battle during the war.
NEWTON HIBBs.