Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1904-03-25
MAY !ZHUCk. KE-GE:SnlG
Hereditary I'll cad Chief of
the Minnesota Chip
peWaS.

There is no chief, today. among all
of the Chippewas who possesses, in
go distinguished degree. the tradi-
tional hereditary title and merits of
chief as does May-zhuck- ke-ge- shig.
he inherits royal strain from both
his father and mother. And among
his kindred he numbers some Of the
best and most progressive families on
the reservation. He is a nephew Of
the celebrated Chippewa brothers and
warriors, Kah-tah- wah-be -day, Shiny
wah-bay and Iah- way sung and since
known in history as the "three
braves
He was born in 1928. about seven
miles north Of where is built the
aourishing city of Brainerd. His
father wasQue- we-zaince bad-boy) who
was descended from chief Que-we-
zaince (bad boy leading chleftain
among the Mississippi bands of Chip
pewas; he was brave fearless warri-
or, and was killed by the Sioux in a
sanguinary battle near the site of the
busy city of Saltwater OF this battle
or massacre 1t is related that large
!; number of Chippewas. men, women
and children, shad been invited to
come and pay the Sioux a friendly
visit, bury the Ratchet and smoke the
pipe of peace, on the Sioux camping
grounds near or at what is now Men,
dota; during these peaceful proceed
ings. small party Of renegade Chip
pewas went on scalp hunt and sue
ceeded in killing and scalping q
Sioux somewhere in the neighborhood
Of Fort Smelling; when the friends Of
the murdered brave discovered the
lifeless body of their kindred devoid
of its scalp, they knew at once that
the roaster-Chippewas- &C.
countable for the murderous deed.
Messengers were at once sent to the
Sioux braves In the neighborhood
of Mendoza and where the arrange
ments were soon made to attack and
fall upon the visiting Chippewas the
following morning. The unsuspecting
visitors were rudely awakened IN
the early dawn by the blood curdling
war-whoop of those but a few hours
before had professed the warmest
friendship. The slaughter was terri
BILE and never did tomahawk or scalp
ing knife do more CHASTITY butohery.
Women and suckkting' bab1es awoke
from the drowsy stupor of peaceful
elumber to fall prey to the merciless
vengeance Of their vindictive Sioux
neighbour. Over three hundred Chip
pewas were massaored in this trucu-
lent event. and among numbers who
were killed and soalped was May
zhuck-ke-ge-shig's father.
The old chief, who was then barely
sixteen years of age, succeeded to the
chieftaincy. and on his return home
he set about arranging plans of cam
paign against the Sioux and to avenee
his fathers death and his peoples
murder. Some time afterwards he
accompanied the doughty Chief Hole
in-the- day on a formidable war expe-
dition. A short distance from st.
Paul they came in contact with
large party Of the enemy, a desperate
battle ensued. in which the enemy
was completely routed and all were
killed and scalped. At another time
the chief relates taking part in
battle with the Sioux near Saw-go-
pay. on the banks Of the Mississippi.
A steamboat coming down the river
and having several passengers
aboard, made landing near the scene
of the conflict, and the passengers
went ashore and watched the battle,
as may be supposed the bystanders
stood at . safe distance and out of
reach Of arrows and stray bullets. On
one Of. these several war expeditions
the chief and hfs party were out near
~ a week without food and subsisted
on few dried berries. rosebuds and
CLAIMS gathered from the river bed.
When brave distinguished himself
by his prowess In battle and in killing
and scalping an enemy, he was decor
ted with q tail feather of the wal