The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-11-22

AH upon the UmatIla reservation one sun
"a day morning. Down the road passed
an old Indian woman on whom the hand of Time
had struck a whitening blow. She bent over as she
rode her pony.
"Taats-ni-me" Good morning., said the old wo-
she turned her furrowed face toward US.
'Taats- ni-ne,' We answered back.
That's old Ip-na- thal-a-talc," said the major.
"shes got that Indian basket you see there on her
arm hymn book and Bible that Mrs whitman
gave her away back in the 5os, when Or whitman
first came to this country as missionary she's
just come from church She always carries with her
"she lives down the road here just mile or so"
suppose we go to see her, said /. win she tax
Oh yes she is very friendly
Amid the cottouwoods which deck the valley or
the UmauHa river We found te little house IN whlch
dwelt -thal-a-talc. She lived with her daugh-
ter Mary. who had taken white mans name and
her son Cougar Shirt This one of the few In
dian families of the reservation that had not turned
and kept on living in a tepee The major and L
tered The old lady soon followed US in She spoke
She told me in her pleasing jargon the story
Of the missionary and his wifeof their hrst coming
..Iniun have no God when Brother Whitman came,
long time ago. I young that time began
Ip-na-thal- a. tale. 'Tniun believe earth his God
Land grow grass pony grass; eat grass deer
grass: Injun deer; injun eat root InJun be
leve earth his mother Injun believe ear+h let no bad
come him; Injun believe 1T wrong TO put him hoe
in earth-all put him knife in mothers breast"
Brother whitman come. He bring Book of Heav-
He make him heap talll Sister Whitman come
pretty woman long hair-ar same leaves when frost
come. She bring sing book. She make him heap
sing"
grass satchel her rusty Bible and hymn book and
. sang for
, There is happy land far. far away
Whitman put him hoe i'm ground. put him pillow
in Heap grow. Whitman make him mill.
male him -four make him bread Sister. Within
teach him Injun read. teach him Injun pray to Great
Father. Some Injun say good some Injun say bad.
Some Injun work him pillow; some lnjun say he no
work all squaW.'
"Bimbey little white pappoOse came-petelis ii. e.,
CRIB. She talk Injun talk. sing lnjun sing. All
Injun love little white cayuge. one day she fall I'm
Bad medicine.
I'VE put little white Cayuse in ground We sing
that time"
Here Ip-na- thal-a-taIc turned in her fingered
hymn book to the page she knew so well and began
to sim.
Rock of Ages cleft for
Let hide myself in thee
We all Joined the old woman, long since past her
threescore and ten she led the song in paintiye
treble. A glsteued in the majors eye. Perhaps
he was thinking grief that befeu the missionary
his toiling the risk Of their lives among
the western sayages-all alone.
. Twenty-Five years after the exploration Of Lewis
Montana found their way down to St Louis and
sought to find the mysterious Book of Heaven
which they had i'm the far west. This incident
was published i'm religious papers and call was
made for missionaries. Marcus Whitman and his
wife among the few who answered that call.
Trey treked the plains in 1886 and crossed the
Rockies The first wagon that ever went to oregon
They began their missionary life at Wai-i-lat-pOH-
not great distance from the present Umatila res
ervatOn
''Bmeby Whitman go away. Away long time. He
come back. bring him heap Boston man Ga name given