East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-10-02

The booth which attracted the
greatest attention at the county fair
was, without doubt. the artistic and
historical Indian collection owned by
Major Lee Moorhouse Of this city.
The collection owned by Major
Moorhouse has extraordinary histori-
cal value, as well as monetary value
and the East Oregonian takes pleas
ure in enumerating some of the arti-
cles in the collection of peculiar value
and interest
The article priced most highly by
Major Moorhouse, and which stands
at the head of the list of curios in
his large collection of Indian relies
and curios, is buckskin war dress,
elaborately beaded and decorated
with a large number of scalp locks,
both Indian and white. One lock at
tracts unusual attention because of
its soft brown color and is undoubted-
ly that of a white woman.
The history of this suit is that In a
battle between the Crows and Sioux
Indians near Fort Union, Mont, in
1866, a Sioux chief wearing this suit
was killed by the Crows.
Lieutenant Charles Buckner, Co. L.
3Oth regiment Wisconsin volunteers,
was with the Crows in the battle, and
because of his bravery the Crows
stripped the suit from the dead war
chief Of the Sioux and after arraying
f,, 10 IN
token of the esteem Of the victorious
Crow warriors.
Major Moorhouse secured the suit
a number of years ago from members
of Lieutenant Buckner's family in
this city.
The suit consists of a buckskin
garment for the body, beaded and
decorated with scaips. an otter skin
cap or head dress and large otter
skin culver for arrows and with the
suit is seen the dead chieftain's strong
and artistic war bow, with which lie
was able to pierce the body of man
at 90 yards.
It is highly priced by Major Moor
house because of the fact that 1t has
seen actual service and was worn by
a murderous Sioux, who was perhaps
a terror to the white settlers for
years on the Montana frontier.
Another war suit now owned by
Major Moorhouse is one worn by
Young William Sitting Bull a nephew
of Sitting Bull, and supposed to have
been in the Custer massacre. This Is
an elaborate suit OF buckskin with or
naments and grotesque art and is a
valuable possession.
A historic war bonnet worn by the
Peo family, including Chief We-nap-
snoot, father of the present Chief Pee
OF the Umatillas, and also by Pee
himself. in his palmy days on the
Umatilla reservation, is another high
" priced possession In the Moorhouse
collection. The family of chieftains
to which Peo belongs, was historic
in the inland empire and took part ir
making history and for this reasor
the war bonnet, an heirloom OF the
family has great historic value.
II Is made of eagle feathers ant
reaches from the head to the ground
when the wearer is sitting on horse
BACK, making III an lnlpoSihb anu al
tistic dress.
A number of other beautiful ant
elaborate war bonnets are found II
the collection, many OF which have
historic interest because of the par
they have played In the wars OF tn
west.
Another article of peculiar interes
Is the dress of an old Indian woman
a most elaborate garment, ornament
ed with beads sold by the Hudson
Bay trappers on the Pacific coast q
years ago. and not seen In any mar
kets on the Pacific coast for the pas
so years.
1t required months to make thi
buckskin suit because of its tcdiou
bead work and intricate parts, an
since It represents the better work
manship of the Indians of the Una
tilla\ reservation almost century age
1T has intrinsic value.
A wedding robe of black velve
trimmed with pink satin pnd beauti
fully beaded In fantastic figures an
designs, and decorated with hiqu
shells is another valuable relic q
the old-time Indian of the Inland EN-
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