The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-21

that time, nor was white blood much
| thicker than water, so that David felt
JUSTIFIED in feeling a trifie blue
Early one morning after a night
march the party came within sight of
Fort Niagara Hundreds of people
were gathered before its weather-baten
| gates A great shout went up as the
] crowd discovered that the approaching
/ party had the markings of a first-class
| torture festival Preparations were
| quickly made. OffisSrs and men rushed
out OF the fort to enjoy the spectacle
CT seeing men of their race put through
the ordeal. There was such enthusiasm
that even the children picked up clubs
and stones The din was deafening.
when the captives drew closer together
to determine who was to run the CANT
| let first. They were allowed to cast
lots. The lot fell on the young boy.
| David must have figured it out be-
| fore. He separated himself at once
| from the others, frightened his belt.
threw off his coonskin cap, and before
| the savages were aware of his inteu-
tons was cashing down the double
| ranked file. He was half way to the
| fort when they realized that the game
| had begun. Some of the English sent
| up friendly cheer, while others sui
lenly foresaw the Yankee sharpness that
would defeat them in the war. The In
! dams were wild. Those who had missed
| the first whack threw their clubs and
weapons after the feeting figure. A
fat old squaw broke through the line
and tried to stop him. David lodged
and tripped her, and she fell to the
ground, taking several other pursuers
with her. A little further on a brave
tried to grab hold Of his coat, but as
| the garment was unfastened the runner
escaped, and the warrior had only the
coat for his pains. Four rods more and
David fell painting inside the walls of
the fort, un,larned.
After this the boy was adopted by an
old squaw and taken to live in an In
dian village. He received the name of
hee-chee-lee-c ho, which probably
meant Young-nian-who-be ats-it- quick,
and he adopted the dress and manners
of the redmen, with whom he lived in
fair contentment for several years.
Sometimes an Indian family. wishing
to adopt \ white boy in place of a son
killed in battle, sent definite directions
for the obtaining of a son to a party
starting on a raid. A gift for the pros
pective heir might accompany the in
strUctions. Such a case was the cap
ture of Horatio Jones in 1871. A Sen
eca woman living on the Genesee river.
New York, had lost a favorite son in
battle and desired that a substitute
elaborate wampum belt, which the chief
heading Il raid in northern Pennsylva
MIA was to put on the person of the Sc
lected captive. HOratio Jones, a young
man of 20, struck the chief as a good
substitute, and he received the belt.
Neither he nor his companions knew
the signal value of this token. On get
ting back to the Indian village the
usual preparations for the gantlet game
were made, and Horatio thought it was
all up when he was told TO take his
place with the rest.
It was, il fact, necessary even for an
adopted son to show his mettle, but the
chief devised a bit of crafty class leg |
islation which escaped the eagle eyes
of the aged Indian jurists, for the
benefit of young Jones. The other cap |
tives were sent through the line in |
groups Of two or three instead of sim |
gly, which caused confusion and kept |
the savages busily clubbing. In the |
midst of this HoTatio got the word to |
start. and instead of stopping at the |
council house at the end of the line he |
was told to seek shelter in hut fur
Their on. The young man reached the |
nearest group of runners and, diving |
in among them, used them as protec- |
ton until, the end of the line was |
gained. He was hardly touched by the |
weapons Of the savages and he kept on |
his course. Several Indians who saw 1
that ne did not go TO the Long House" |
like the rest followed him.
An Unusual Adoption.
On he went at full speed until he /
came in sight of a rude hut. A woman /
and a young girl stood in the doorway. |
As he approached they motiOned him /
to come in. They knew him by the
wampun belt which he wore. The wo-
mans eyes sparkled as she thought that
war was returning to her the son that /
war had taken. The young girl was
delighted with the looks of her adopted /
BROTHER. But the code Of the tribe had |
to be followed and the young man had /
to be hidden under the bed as If moth
ing less could save him He heard the /
women, who had returned to the door, /
talking to his purSuers. The men seemed i
satisfied with the explanation given by I
the women and went away. Horatio |
was brought out from his hiding place, |
given food and treated very kindly.
The excitement was not over yet. The 4
young man was returned to the Long
house for the night and left there with |
the other prisoners. The Indians filled /
up on firewater which had not been |
guaranteed by the pure food laws. They /
yelled and talked about killing the cap /
tives. At length the door of the coun-
Gil house was knocked in and one of |
the prisoners taken by the maddened /
crowd. The noise increased as the saw |
ages dashes out the mans brains, put i
his head on pole and danced around /
1t.
Again the door of the prison opened, |
this time softly. Horatio felt his hand |
taken by that of another person and a
finger was put warningly to his lips.
He was led from the building to the
house where he had spent the afternoon. /
His rescuers, left him there, and one
by one led the other prisoners to the H
edge OF the forest. The last captive had II
just reached the forest when the braves. II
for more blood, again broke II
into the council house. Finding all the
prisoners gone, they began fighting