Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1903-04-09

9 devotion that perhaps IS not eQuaieu
by any other rulers of men.
i And this devotion to his fellows was
not without its influence on the maa
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 beneticent and
kindly expressions that we sometimes
see on the Countenaace 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 i
the face was benevolent and kindly,
not less sweet and ~entle was the spirit
/ that animate, me 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 Conyentionaln notion of Indians
4 in nothing save the color Of the skin
They were true friends, delightful
companions. wise counSelors- men
whose conduct toward their followmen
we all might prodta5ly initiate. We
do not commonly attribute a spirit OF
altrusm to indians, but II was seen
in these old time chiefs.
Such a chief was White Calf long
chief of the RlackfCet. In his day he
had been a famous warrior and in the
battle which took place in 1867, wher.
! the grear chief Many Horses was
killed. White Calf with two others had
rushed into a great crowd OF the
onemy-the Grows and the Gros Ven
tres-who were trying to kill Vol
Calf even then an old man, and scat,
tering them like smoke before the
wind, had pulled the old man out VI
the crush and brought him safely on.
1t was not long after this that he Nul
aside the war path forever and since
then has confined himself to wor}inS
for the good O. Ills people by the arts
of peace. No sacrifice was too grea:
for him TO make, if he thought that
by it the tribe might BE hclped; yet
he possessed sturdy independence"
that bullying and intimidation could
not woye that even threats of sol
diels and the guardhouse could not
shake. When H. was sure that he WAS
right he could not he stirred. Yet II
reasons we're advanced which ap
pcaled to his Judgment no man was
quicker TO acknowledge error
Though nearly eighty years old the
chief was not bowed with the weight
of time, nor were his natural forces
greatly abated He was still erect and
walked with n hrisllness and an elias
ticity rare for one of his years Yet
in degree he ielt that his powers
were failing ana t.. sometimes avoid
ed the decision Of importar 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 ny 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 %
he peacefully passed away,
He was 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
We're now obliged to face, ana 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 encouager in new
ways, he VAS always the father of the
people lust as for many years he
had been constantly serving them. SO
now, at he end of his long chicftain-
ship he gave up his life in the sue
cessful effort to protect them from n
great calamity and Stream.