The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-04-15

SoAA1A Gu VI SCiIOOl aye anu a 1b
the breast-33 of a total-poor
but homestead remains of a
once powerful tribe. AS they
silently wended their way up
Loon creek that ever.rememer-
able evening they were the pic
ture of a forlorn hope on their
way over the hill to the poor
house. The men and boys went
up to town while the women and
children remained in camp in the
brush. The Chinese had plenty
but not for poor Lo. The chief
and his men shifted the flavor of
good things prepared for the
feast but could not partake e.
They looked longingly upon tn
bright shades of the fre-water
being passed around to the sons
of Confucius as they entered the
large Joss house to celebrate the
advent of the new year, but the
poor Indian was not in it. The
old Chief, Lightning Striker,
could stand it no longer to see
the Chinese eating and drinking
and making merry and he and
his men and women and children
in tatters and their stomachs
yearning to fill a long-felt want
was too much for his North
American blood ard pride of an
cestry to endure. He called his
men away from the scene of
luxury and hilarity and with his
blood at high-tide, wendell his
way to an old saloon building on
Main street, and with the help
of his men broke in the doors. A
fire was soon sparkling in the
cozy, open fireplace, and an in
vestigation of the premises were
made. To their great Joy a
demijohn of hand made Orc
Grande whiskey was brought to
light. 1t hit the right spot and
brought a brilliant idea into the
Uranium of Chief lightning
Striker, which materalized with
the swiftness of a fash-light or
snapshot. He would show these
China-Injins how the native
American Injins could celebrate.
The Thunder mountaineers,
strange to say, were all left
handed and carried their arsenal
on the left hip. They had ex-
hibited no weapons in the pres
ence of the Chinese, and it was
believed they were too poor to
own a gun and wouldn't fight
anyway. Their weapons CON
sisted of a war-club of Thunder
mountain mahogany and a buck
skin slung-shot loaded with gold
nuggets plucked from the out
cropping quartz veins of Thun-
der mountain.
1t was midnight. "Fan-tan''
was running high and gold dust
and coin was abundant on the
tables. Some were smoking
opium, others drinking and eat
ing, and the whole place was in
the full glow of Chinese New
Year. Punk scare-devils were
burning at the doors and in the
windows, and the jewellers felt
secure. They scarcely observed
their their gaunt, harmless look
ing Thunder mountain visitors
as they silently dropped in one
by one as the old chief led the
way. AS a signal that all bets
were off, old Lightning Striker
drew his war-club and smashed
it into the head of the nearest
Celestial and his men followed
suit in rapid succession, and in
less than one minute by the
watch the hilarious Joss house
was turned into a morgue and
the shouts of the victors rang
out above the groans of the van
pushed. BY a turn of the wrist
the poor, despised sons of Thun-
der mountain had come into pos
session of the keyes to the city
of Orc Grande and had at once
risen from abject poverty to
and wealth. Several
Chinese who happened to be in
the outskirts of the town and two
or three wounded ones, escaped
to tell the tale of their woe, and
who from their places of hiding
witnessed the complete destruc-
ton of the town after the mas
The Indians gathered together
all the provisions, clothing, guns,
tobacco and whiskey, and then
ired the buildings. Lightning
Striker danced while the town
burned. The jubilee was kept
up till daylight, and it is hardly
necessary to intimate that there
was a real, red-hot time in the
Did town that night. 1t required
The combined efforts of the whole
~ no - a.AA a. Il