The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-07
"OLD SMILEY. -

"Old Smiley died last week. said Bur-
rill, stage driver on No. 2, as his ratlike
| ponies started away from Pine river
station their 25 miles pull through
the big woods of northern Minnesota.
THAT Smiley was a good Jnjun-as In
juns go.
THE boys found him sitting out in
front of his bark shack one morning.
He'd just got tired and quit-you can't
blame him much, SEEM as how he was
| 108 years old. They buried him right
| down under that big pine tree by his
shack-Smiley's pine-you remember it?
the only big fellow left on the shore
| of, Woman lake. Next morning blew
up wind, regular ripper. 1t cut
swath through the woods and Sniley's
| pine come crashing down right across
his grave. You'll see it there when we
| get out to the lake"
Poor old Smiley! He was the best
known human being in all the wilder
ness of Cass county. Every white set
tier in all that country knew and re-
spected him, for Smiley proved in many
ways and at many times his friendship
| for the white man. 1t was Smiley's
! timely warning which saved the white
| settlers only few years ago. when the
| Indians on the I4eech lake reservation
put on their war paint and started out
| on q maraud1ng expedition. From Sml-
| ley's old cabin one can see the tall ram
parts of virgin pine which mark the
boundaries of the Indian reservation.
| Alas! That this winter the vandal lun-
| herman is to start cutting the pine on
| the reservation. BY spring it. also, will
be as marred and mutilated as all the
rest of that part of the big woods.
''See the deer tracks, cried one of the
party from Chicago, pointing to the soft.
sandy road.
mo, them amt deer tracks, said
Burrill with a smile. Them are hog
tracks. Belong to settler five miles
back-the hogs do. Plenty of deer,
though, this fall. See them along the
road sometimes. Last year Teller
from Chicago saw them hog tracks in
the sand. Knew bettern l did aout EN-,
too. Got out the wagon and followed
'em five miles. Found the hogs. Walk
ed twelve miles into camp next day.
Two miles farther, through scrubby
Jack pine, and Lake Ponto came into
sight BY the side of the road stood
little square fence of saplings. Inside
! it was a little structure of weather
beaten pine boards, like dog house,
! tightly Enclosed on all sides and cover
ed with a slanting roof.
| On one end of the little box the tat
tered rags of a red bandana handker-
chief 1utteIed in the wind 1t had been
| apparently nailed to the boards years
before. A couple of glass bottles and
n string of withered wild cranberries
also hung beside it on other nails
whats that?" asked a young wo-
man in the party
That's the grave of Smiley's squaW,
answered Burrill. 1.-THE old Injun lived
here on the shore of Lake Ponto for
thirty years Here's where he first set
tied when he came here from the far
west Smiley was a Sioux, you know,
and when his people started out on the
warpath in spite of all he could do to
stop them, why, Smiley just picked up
his blanket and his rifle and mixed Tor
the east He was more than 40 years
old then but a mighty good trapper
and hunter. He settled down with the
ChippeWaS and as soon as ne got To-
gether enough furs and PONIES ne
bought himself a pretty young Cnlppe-
wa souaw. Here's where they lived and
where their sons and daughters grew
up o,,,o7
like Smiley didn't want to stay rouno
this part of the country any longer lie
buried her here inside that little wood
en- cage, built a fence around 1t with
them maple saDlings, and struck out
for Woman lake. There. he built the
bark shack YOU know about and ne s
lived there ever since, summer and
winter
4 'spose one reason why he wanted
to get over on Woman lake was SO
he could be nearer his sons and daugh-
! ter Over behind his shack you know IS
Suuaw lake. and Bungy Buck, his old
est son. has his -tepees over there. me
other boy. Three Fingers, who drinks
/ lot more tirewater than is good for
/ him, used to paddle down from way
up Child lake way to see the old man
once in awhile. And his only daughter,
whom he sold to a squaw man for
forty good American dollars, lived
close by with her husband
Bungy Buck and Three Fingers, the
two sons of old Smiley. lack most of
the virtues of their patriarchal old sire.
They are typical 'Injuns," lazy and
without any saving grace of ambition.
They it is needless to say, are not
popular with the white settlers as was
the old man.
"Squaw Billy" to whom Smiley sold
his daughter wife, is much of a
mystery. He is a young white man and
in appearance and actions would seem
to be a man of good education and
rearing. The settlers have story
about his being a college professor,
disapooieted in love and in all his am
! billions, who has come up here into the
woods to hide himself from the faces
and affections of all his friends and
relatives. Certainly ''Squaw Billy
/ looks the part but no one knows how
much of the story has any foundation
in fact.
Years ago, when the first sportsmen,
from Chicago penetrated into the then
pFineval wilderness of Cass county. old
Smiley, although even then an extreme
! ly old man. was splendid guide and
hunter. All his long life was spent
hunting, fishing, and trapping. and even
after he was hundred years old he was
/ still able to provide nearly all his own