Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-02-13
Copyright 1916. by Frank C. carpenter)
ANNETTE ISLAND, Alask;

~ years ago. Every ONO
has heard of Father Duncan's wonderful
work with the Indians He is now "a years
of age and is still strong and full of vigor.
He is sometimes called the apostle of Alas
ka and his work with these Indians gives
him right to the title. Mr.. Duncan began
life as commercial traveller in England and
at Fl he was we'll on his way toward a salary
of $4,000 year. He was naturally religious,
and he decided to give up his work and be-
come missionary. He went to college eX-
pecting to be sent out to India, but instead
he was ordered to go to the western coast Of
British Columbia to work with tribe of In
dams, known as the Tsimpsean.
These Tsimpsean Indians were then
among the most barbarouS OF any on the
North American continent. They believed
in witch doctors and were given over to can
nibalism. They were hunters and fishers
and clothed themselves in the skins of bears
and wolves They had weird dances, during
which they wore the skulls OF bears on their
heads. They had medicine men who wore
masks and who tried to brighten off disease
with hdeous noises If the demon of dis
case did not leave, the witch doctors would
hack away the sore places on the body Of
the patient with their knives, or suck or burn
away the ailing flesh. They pointed out
children and Others as possessed of evil
spirits and as being witches, and in such
cases the tribe felt they must kill those 50
afflicted
The Indians had also curious customs re-
gardng the treatment of their women.
Dung girls approaching womanhood were
confined far away in isolated cabins, and
when brought back were supposed to have
dropped down from the moon and to be
: ready for marriage On such occasions
there was great feasting, and the youths OF
the tribes were initiated into dog eating,
cannibalism and devil dancing. The Indians
believed in spirits, and they had certain theo-
ries as to the transmgration of souls. On
the whole, they were on very low scale Of
civilization.
When Father Duncan arrived in Victoria
on his way to this work he was told that if
he went on to the Indians he would surely
be killed. The man who gave him the warm
ing was the head OF the Hudson's Bay COM
! pany, who, when Duncan still insisted, said
well, my good man, il you are to be killed
and eaten | suppose you are the one most
interested, and we shall have to let you do
as you wish.
With this permission, Father Duncan was
allowed to go to Fort Simpson. not far from
Prince Rupert and he there began work.
The story of how he narrowly escaped being
murdered and how he gradually worked his
way into the confidence of the savages
shall tell later as he gave it to me during my
stay.
1t is enough here to say that he converted
eight or nine of these tribes to the Christian
religion and made them about the most law
abiding and civilized people of the Indian
race. They had their own council and they
governed themselves They had their own
boats and they established a canning factory
and put up salmon for shipment They
learned to make ropes and brushes, to weave
Aand to spin. Mr.. Duncan went to England
and brought back musical instruments and
they established brass band They had a
schoolhouse and church with an organ,
which they were able to play. They had
their market house, their shops, their car
penters, timers, coopers and other mechan-
les They kept the Sabbath and led moral
lives. What has taken ages to accomplish
with other peoples these Indians, under
Father Duncan, accomplished in less than
80 years
1t was at this time that the Church Of