The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-16
ON WASHAKIE ALL RIGHT.
Bishop Taibot's Successful Plea for Mission
Money for Indians.

sBishop Talbot once called a meeting Of
the we'll TO do men of Cheyenne for the
purpose of explaining to them why he
wanted them to subscribe TO a missionary
fund to be expended among the Shoshone
Indians, " said a Cheyenne woman. There
was considerable reluctance on the part
Of the men invited to attend.
Well attend. Of course they said to
him, for we like to hear you talk on any
old subject. But you know that we don't
like Indians, and there isn't much chance
of our loosening up in A financial way
oh. we'll, said Bishop Talbot. come
around anyhow and well talk it over.
When the meeting was assembled the
Bishop became pretty eloquent in picturing
the excellent traits Of the %Shoshone Indians,
and particularly in portraying the virtues
Of their aged chief, Washable. who lived
to be considerably more than a hundred.
Then the Bishop went ahead and told of the
Shoshones' religious needs-a mission house
and chapel on the reservation, religious
instructors and so on.
Notwithstanding his ]eloquence the Bishop
felt. when he had finished this part Of his
discourse, that he had missed fire. The
mon he addressed couldn't see it. The
dictum that a good Indian is a deceased
Indian was one hat they unanimously
believed in. The Bishop saw that some
thing had to be done if his purpose were
to be ACHE we'd.
IL nave dwelt,' he began anew. with
considerable detail upon the fine character
Of Chief Washakie as revealed during these,
his later years. But 10 illustrate how
capable an Indian is, under proper precept
and example. 10 turn away from evil con-
duct, I'll have to w up to it that Washable
was not always the mar he is to-day.
His youth was wild, impetuous and
even cruel. Like a good many Of the
chiefs. he was a polygamist. AT one time
he had as many as nine wives.
"'Once, at the time that Chief Washakie
had these nine wives In his tepee he started
off at the head of his tribe on a great hunting
expedition. On the night before starting
he called his first and most important wife
out Of the tepee and pointed to a cleared,
level spot about a hundred yards away.
He told her that he wanted the tepee re-
moved TO that spot before his return from
the hunting expedition.
THE wife nodded in obedience. The
Indian women, as you well know, attend
TO all of the camp labor, and this order OF
her husband, the chief. was quite an ordi-
mary, one.
dition with his tribe for several weeks.
When he returned with the tribe one even
ing a short time before. sunset his astonish-
ment was great when he observed that his
tepee had not been moved, in accordance
with his instructions to his first wife He
didn't say anything about it at first, but
Joined his wives in the tepee and took his
supper in silence.
After supper he called his first wife over
to him.
"'I told you to move the tepee before
my return, " he said to her. why has it not
been done?"
THE wife timorously replied that she
- 49, - l--lfa tnt los :
but that her mother had interfered and
"'Washakie stood up and gaze sternly
at the aged crone, his first wife's mother,
who was blinking over in a corner OF the
]'"Why, he commanded OF his mother-in-
law, did you interfere with my order'"
with unheard Of audacity the bag made
reply , tam. hotter herr.
And then, my brethren concluded
Bishop Talbot with solemn impressiveness,
the unregenerate Washable did an awful,
an appalling thing. He strobe over, TO
where his aged mother-in-law sat, snatched
n pistol from the bosom Of his blanket and
struck her dead at one blow with the butt
Of the weapon
"Thc Bishop ceased. He appeared TO be
quite overcome with the thought OF such a
horrible thing.
But well defined Grins crcpt over the
countenanccs Of the Bishops hearers ma he
finished the story, Worse than that, many
Of them turned to one another and winkcd
right out in meeting. still worse, a buzz
ran around the @eeting place, and the gist
Of the buzz was this: i guess this fcliow
Washakie was ell right, after all
Tho buzz was followed by a great hutter-
{ne and tearing OF leaves. The Bishops
we'll 10 DO listeners were soibbiihg checks
for the mounts they desired to contribute
TO the Shoshone missionary fund on the fly
leaves Of Bibles and hymnals and tearing
them out 10 he pAssed up 10 the BiShop.'