Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-04-09

a devotion that perhaps is not equaled
by any other rulers of men.
And this devotion to his fellows was
not without its influence on the man
himself; after a time the spirit of
good will which animated him began
to shine forth in his countenance, so
that at length, as they grew old such
chiefs grew to have the beneficent and
kindly expressions that we sometimes
see on the countenance of an elderly
minister of God whose life has been
one long loving sacrifice of self to his
master and to his fellow men. And If
the face was benevolent and kindly,
not less sweet and ~entle was the spirit
that animate The man. Simple, honest,
| generous, tender hearted, and yet with
/ al on occasion merry and jolly. Such
men, once known, commanded univer-
sal respect and admiration. They were
like the conventional notion of Indians
in nothing save the color of the skin.
they were true friends, delightful
companions, wise counselors-mcn
whose conduct toward their fellowmen
we all might profitably initiate. We
do not commonly attribute a spirit of
altruism to Indians, but it was seen
in these old time chiefs.
Such a chief was White Calf long
chief of the Rlackfeet In his day he
had been famous warrior and in the
battle which took place in 1867, when
the great chief Many Horses was
killed, White Calf with two others had
rushed into great crowd of the
enemy-the Crows and the eros Ven
tres-who were trying to kill Wolf
/ Calf, even then an old man, and scat
! tering them like smoke before the
wind, had pulled the old man out Of
the crush and brought him safely off.
! It was not long after this that he put
aside the war path forever, and since
then has confined himself to working
for the good of his people by the arts
of peace. No sacrifice was too great
| for him to make, If he thought that
| by it the tribe might be helped; yet
he possessed a sturdy Independence
that bullying and intimidation could
not move-that even threats of sol.
| diers and the gUardhouse could not
shake. When he was sure that he was
right he could not be stirred Yet if
| reasons were advanced which ap-
pealed to his judgment, no man was
! quicker to acknowledge error.
Though nearly eighty years old the
chief was not bowed with the weight
I,Nft 1t.
greatly abated. He was still erect and
walked with briskness and an elias
ITCHY rare for one of his years. Yet
in degree he 1elt that his powers
were falling, and h. sometimes avoid
ed the decision of important questions
on the ground that he was getting old
and his mind was no longer good.
A little more than two weeks ago he''
stood in the presence of the chief |
magistrate of the 'ation who shook |
him warmly oy the hand and talked !
,, to him and the others of his people !
present. A few. days later just as
they were about to leave Washington !
for their distant prairie home the old |
chief caught cold, pneumonia set in |
and just before midnight on Jan 30 +
he peacefully passed away
He was a man who was great in the :
breadth of his judgment, and in the
READINESS with which he recognized |
the changes which he and his people !
were now obliged to face, and adapt. !
ed himself to these changes, but great
est of all, in the devotion in which he !
sacrificed himself for their welfare
Buffalo hunter, warrior, savage ruler
and diplomat; then learner, instructor,
persuader. and encourager in new
ways, he was always the father of the
people. Just as for many years he
had been constantly serving them, so !
now, at he end of his long chieftain-
ship he gave up his life in the sue [
cessful effort to protect them from |
M,