The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-29
AN INDIAN GIRLS FORTUNE.
Left Million Dollars by a Man
Whose Life She Saved.

Annie Trueheart Dillon, pretty Kiowa
girl about fourteen years old, daughter of
Black Wolf, a noted chief of his tribe, is
sole hetress TO an entire fortune of
81, 600, 600 and more, left by John Dillon, a
rich cattleman, who about seven years
ago was saved from death at the hands OF
a halfbreed assassin by this little girl.
Dillon was born and raised in ireland,
and when he came to America he went TO
Texas and worked on a ranch in that State
as laborer and cowboy. BY careful man
agement he became rich. From his cattle
ranch on the Rio Grande he shipped every
year large herds of cattle to the Indian
Territory to fatten upon the fine pasture
lands of that favored region during the
spring and summer. He had been in this
business so long that he was pretty well
acquainted with nearly all OF the Kiowa
chiefs and various members Of the nation,
and from the fact that he had always
dealt fairly with his red brothers he vas
popular. He leased vast acres of pasture
lands every year, AID he was always
prompt in the payment Of the rents.
Seven years ago the old Texan had in
his employ a half-breed Cherokee. Bill
Hawk The Texan one day had decided to
go out to a pasture about ten miles from
Chickasha where he had a fine herd Of
| cattle that were being looked after by
l some of his favorite Texan cowboys. and
/ he asked Hawk TO hitch up buggy and go
| with him. The road to the pasture passed
1 through a small Indian village where Dbl
/ lion had many acquaintances. When the
old man reached this place several Indians
and half-bloods gathered about the buggy
and begged him to stay over night.
You are Just in time" said his friend,
! Black Wolf. I'VE are going to have a
dance tonight" This information pleased
J the rich Texan and he at once got out of
I his buggy.
Lac in the night the old Texan felt
something pulling at his arms and when
he opened his eyes he found that little
Indian girl was trying to wake him. AS
soon as the child saw that his eyes were
! open she whispered:
DILLON, now you go putty quick. Hawk
heap bad man. Putty soon he come. He
got big knife-kill white nan-take boss
! take heap money. Me hear him talk. Him
I heap drunk. You go now"
The child ran away and Dillon slipped
! from under his blankets and rolled them
together After placing his hat at one
end OF the roll and his boots at the other
he crawled away short distance and
lay down under a tree to watch for future
developments. He did not wait long be-
fore he saw a man cautiously approach
the pile of blankets. The drunken assas-
sin was deceived by the hat and boots.
He thought his victim was at his mercy
and he drew q big knife from his belt and
drove 1t into the roll Of blankets with all
his strength. The next instant Hawk
sprang into the air with wild yell and
fell dead across the blankets with a bull
let In his heart. Dillon had killed him.
The old Texan never afterward was the
same man. He continued to attend to his
business and make money, but it was
easy to see that there was a cloud On his
mind. He became devotedly attached to
the Indian girl who had saved his life.
and he finally got the chiefs consent to
let him educate her and make her his heir.
/ She was TO be given to him when she be-
| came fourteen years old, but he died a
I short time ago, and now the girls future
/ and fortune are in the hands OF important
! persons.
! John Rogers. OF Preside, who was IN the
/ millionaire's employ for nearly quarter Of
( a century, is the executor Of his Will, and
| he says that the Indian girl Will inherit a
fortune Of 81, 000. eco in cash that is with
4 safe deposit company in New York, and
besides this. when she is of legal age or
when she marries she will come into pos
session Of d fine ranch on the Rio Grande
that is well stocked with cattle and one
Of the prettiest haciendas in Old Mexico.
The Bishop of Monterey will be the girls
guardian and he will superintend her edu-
cation He has selected an accomplished
young woman of San Antonio TO be the
girls companion. She will take her bene-
factors name He gave to her the addi-
tionaI name OF Trueheart, which seems TO
please her and her parents.