Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-10-05
INDIAN SKETCHES.
Book to be Published Next Month
Hinged with an Element of Ro-
nance and Tragedy.
Emery Ieverett Williams "Alphabet
Of Indians" Soon to be Issued
by Publishers.
Story of the Struggle of the Young Ar
fist, Finally Resulting in
Death.

Bismarck people will remember Mr..
and Mrs. E. l.. Williams, the young
couple who came out to the city from
the east a year ago to study the Amer
lean Indian from an artistic stand
point. They will recall also the sad
death of MI. Williams, the artist, just
at the time that his first series of
sketches was completed. His book,
an alphabet of Indians, illustrated
from the sketches he left, is to make
its appearance next month, and the
New York Herald of Sunday last con-
tains a page review of the work. with
half a dozen of the drawings that will
appear. The drawings are spirited
and original, and correct delineations
of the types of western Indians. The
Herald, in reviewing the experiences
of Mr.. and Mrs. Williams, says:
Emery Leverett Williams was born
in Newtno, Mass, in 1873. At irteen
he began his study of art, first in Bos-
ton and then in New York under Will
liam M. Chase. He practically gave
up his entire life to art. But he had
that respect for his chosen profession
which restrained him from rushing
Immediately into its practice. Ten
years were devoted to preliminary
study. Then he married and the prob
lem of procuring immediate bread and
butter for two was forced upon his at
tention. He did some good work for
the magazines, notably in furnishing
the illustrations for an Ojibway story,
which attracted the attention Of Mr.. R.
H. Russell. The latter encouraged
Mr.. Williams in an idea he had cher
ished, to go out into the great west,
live among the Indians and reveal
them as they were to the world.
Heartened by this encouragement
the young couple abandoned the pleas
ant Bohemian life they were leading
in New York, and started for the west
with a total capital of $40. When.
after many vicissitudes, they reached
Bismarck, N. D., that capital was re-
duced to Is cents. Nothing dauntad,
they left their goods and chattels be-
hind them and plunged into the wild
erness. Their intention was to walk
to the Indian reservation at Elbo-
woods. This was 12J miles away. In
point of. fact they walked only forty
miles Of the distance, as they made
friends on the way who gave them a
lift here and there.
On reaching Bismarck again Mrs.
Williams was so fortunate as to re-
ceive an assignment to report a fair
for the local paper. One of the feat
ures of this fair was a rehearsal after
the event of the capture of the Dead
wood stage coach by a band of Indians:
Every n who has seen Buffalo Bills
Wild West show will understand what
this feature was. In this case, how
ever the Deadwood stage, renamed
Teddy Roosevelt, was in very fact the
stage that had been captured. 1t was
driven by the very driver who had
driven it at the time. The Indians
were the very Indians who had at
tackled and taken it.
kNN1r IN this ran0Iy rnrofifi0r IF n
stirring episode the Indians introduced
an unexpected bit of realism into the
program. A stalwart red man flung
his arms about Mrs. Williams waist,
dragged her from the stage, placed her
on a horse and galloped off with her to
the Indian camp, where she was re-
ceived with shouts of welcome. \,
few hours later her husband, who had
witnessed the episode with real alarm,
arrived ait the camp and rescued her.
In remembrance of this episode Mrs.
| Williams was ever afterward known
to the Indians of that vicinity as WA
ya-ha-wen'' or 1.-THE captured woman
The money received for reporting
the fair was a godsend to the young
people. They made up their minds
to start out for another Indian reser.
walton. This was near the junction
of Cannonball river and the Missouri
in the southwest part of North Dakota
Again they decided to tramp it.
On the way thither they were hailed
by one of two travellers seated in Z
passing wagon.
Where are you two children walk
ing to-" asked the man.
When he learned their destination
he asked them to "climb in" as h,
was himself going a considerable par
of the way.
Now If this were a. bit Of fictiol
what Immediately follows might seer
too strange to be true. But truth, wi
have all heard, is stranger than fc
H. --a 49, I~n-uohohlo ~ 3oH. ,r,