The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1914-12-17

HOW WYATT ROPED SLtCPoo.
The writer Of the Around the Town
Nems In the Lewiston Tribune In 6 re-
Gent article touched upon an Indian
character. Jimmy Siicpoo, the Nez
PIERCE. who Is well known in this Sec
tion Of the country, and relates an in
cident in Slicpoos life that bordered
CLOSE upon the tragic, and involved
Frank Z. Wyatt. one Of Idaho county's
Heading citizens and stoclxmen. The
tstory as told Is true In substance If
not in full detail However, since these
N wild and woolly days Shcpoo, 1t is said,
has turned over a new leaf and has be-
f.. come "a good Indian" not by the US
ual process of passing in his checks, blu
by cutting out red eye and the good
old hilarious times OF those early and
indiscrete days. Slicpoo with many
other tribal brethren, was in Lewiston
attending the Sam Tilden murder trial,
and gave the reporter q genuine boost
for the big livestock show to come off
4 this week. The reporters story goes
az follows:
1.-THE large number OF Indians in the
city this week suggested the wide
8spread interest in the trial of Tilden,
the Indian police. for the killing of
jackson. by the members of the tribe.
Yesterdays outgoing trains took home
about the last of these Indian visitors,
and Slicpoo was among them. He said
that he expected to come back to the
Livestock show and he explained that
as the Indians have become gradually
interested In farming. that step has
led to some attention being devoted to
better livestock and they have been
told and understand that the annual
show here puts on exhibition the very
best specimens in all lines of livestock.
Sltcpoo has long been a conspicuous
member of the Nez Perez tribe. There
have existed perhaps few men who have
passed through so many hazards met
face to face as this man. Most of
those hazzards were met when Jimmy
was a drinking man, in recent years he
having entered the steetotaler list. He
has had encounters with bears, has
narrowly escaped drowning. has been
in gun fights, and has been butted off
the tracks by railroad trains a couple
of times. Yet aside from a few scars
he seems as fresh as when he was
first known to the pioneers forty or
fitty years ago. One of Jimmy's ex-
periences occurred in the outskirts of
Lewiston about twenty five years ago.
1t was due to misunderstanding with
man. Wyatt was riding into town
and Jimmy was riding out of it, jim
my was well mounted and stopping
Wyatt offered the sale of his horse
bargain was made, the coin passed,
but some Misunderstanding arose, when
Jimmy suddenly jumped aboard his
mount and started for the reser-
vation.s with both horse and money
fCattiemen also rode good horses in
those days, and Wyatt was soon in
pursuit, In the meantime unwinding
his lariat. II was at the Louis Del
sol place that Wyatt drew up close
enough to hurl the lariat, the loop
dropped over Jhnmie's head, the twist
on the horn was taken and the cattle
mans horse the, same instant knowingly
sat back on his launches Workers
at the Delsol place related that when
Jimmie left his mount he went forty
feet in the air. moored about the neck
from the end Of the lariat. Wyatt
dtsmounted. released his lariat from
the neck Of the dead Indian, tossed
II over the head of Jimmie's stupefied
horse and rode into town. Two hours
later Jimmy revived-he had suffered
Ionly a kinked neck and the loss OF his
horse Wyatt took the horse to the
Salmon river range and the animal was
known there for years to the cowboys
AS 'tSlicpoo." Effort was made yester-
day to recall the incident to Jimmy but
me only replied, ''Wa-Too," which before
the Indians became educated meant
''No.