The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-10-25


| feathers and bear claws forms the outer
portion Of the chieftain s shroud.
When the assembled Indians have
Perez, clad in the head dress and war
garments of Joseph. and mounted on the
late chief 8 horse will lead the Nez Perez
Indians to the war dance, when, after
the, pipe of brotherly love has been
puffed by, the leading men of the tribe
will be balloted upon for chief at the
central camp fire, and the "great spir-
it, pole. If his appearance is suffi-
GENTLY commanding, he will attain the
honor. The choice apparently lies be-
George Moses and John Wilson, ali pros pros,
porous members of the Nez Perez tribe
living on the Colville reservation Final
| repose will be accorded Chief Joseph s
body after the vote for the new chief.
"Napoleon of the Indians"
Chief Joseph was termed the "Na-
poleon Of the Indians by General Mel
bly, the only white man for whom .Jo-
seph ever professed any liking, and
that liking was more In the nature of
respect for the army officers prowess
than any other trait.
: When Chief Joseph headed commits
sion of his followers to Washington,
the first person he asked for in the ma
tional capital was General Miles, and
following the exchange of "hows,' the
grim-visaged warriors talked Of the
seventies when Chief Joseph. after
the regulars under Generals Gibbon and
Howard, together with large forces of
Montana militia and scouts, was
trapped in the Bear Paw mountains
by Miles, and after two days of the
fercest kind of fighting was forced to
surrender, only after he had become
Chief Looking Glass, fall to the ground,
his heart pierced by bullet and his
band threatened with humiliation.
This memorable battle occurred Sept.
90, 1877, and was the last of the big
Indian battles in Montana. The In
and about twice that number wounded,
while the soldiers had twenty three
killed and fortyfour wounded
Goes on the Warpath.
Driven from the beautiful Willowla
by the entertainments Of the white set
tiers, Chief Joseph went upon the war
: path after an attempt was made to
place him and his people upon a reser-
J walton. He stamped treaty submitted
to him beneath his feet in great rage.
He roamed from the California line to
the Canadian boundary and from the
Blue mountains to the summit of the
; warpath with White Bird and Looking
) Glass. The war lasted three months,
) with General Howard in pursuit For
) ten weeks Chief Joseph fought run
ming battle of over 1000 miles, in which
} were 300 bucks, encountered with fami-
) lies and stock. He successfully defied
forty companies Of regulars, besides
over a regiment Of militia and Indian
and cowboy scouts. Chief Joseph IS
fighting was confined principally to
Montana, the Nez Perez entering the
state thru the Lo Lo pass from Idaho,
way, then sweeping down thru the Big
Hole valley and threatening the settle
ments of Missoula and Deer Lodge.
Butte, Helena, Deer Lodge, Philis-
burg and Silver Bow were almost de-
populated by the hurried rush of vol
unteers to combat the Nez Perez in
vasion. Senator W. A. Clark, then a
banker at Deer Lodge, believing Deer
Lodge to be in imminent danger of a
massacre, sprang into the saddle and
apprised settlers along the route of the
peril. Clark made a ride Of forty-twO
miles to Butte in about five hours and
in another four hours was at the head
Of company of volunteers riding mad
ly back to meet Chief Joseph and his
Indians. By clever flank movement
Joseph escaped the volunteers and gave
battle to the forces under General Glib
bon on Aug. 8, 1877, close to the Ban
mock crossing, below the Bitter Root
where he inflicted great loss upon the
soldiers.
Making a wide detour, Joseph eluded
new bodies Of soldiery sent against him
and, tomahawking settlers right and
left, he entered the Yellowstone park
Chief Joseph again gave battle to the
regulars at Grow island on the Mussel
4 shell, inf1icting considerable loss to the
forces under General Howard. The
Nez Perez escaped after killing about .
dozen whites, among whom was Fred
erick Barker,,a noted eastern scientist
II. T. Cowley, missionary to the
Spokane Indians, tells Of how he anC
his family stayed in their cabin shud
~ dering, expecting every minute to heal
the whoops of the Indians, and praying
that if they had to die all might e
together, when the door was burst ope1
and in stalked White Bird, third CHIEF
of the Nez Perez. He drew himself tt
L his full height and tossed his blanke
, off He was horrible to look upon, hi
body hideous with war paint. The fam
lily thought their time had come, bu
after moment s silence White Birt
produced document from Chief JOSEPH
bearing greetings to the missionar.
with assurances that his home and fam
lily were safe.