The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-12-26

several trips to the Rocky Mountains
Later in life he worked for the Hul-
son Bay Company, making trips to
Hudson Bay to meet the English ships
for supplies. He also worked for
the American Fur Company making
trips to St. Paul with dog trains in
the dead Of winter through hos
tile Sioux country.
when he passed middle age he
settled down in Pembina Mountains,
North Dakota, devoting his time to
raising cattle. When I first knew
him he had over thirty-five head, but
soon after an epidemic of smallpox
broke out among the Indians, they
quarantined themselves and used his
cattle TO live on during that time.
Buy Lumber for Chapel
when Rising Sun and his wife re-
ceived their first annuity payment
from the Government several years
ago they bought $40 worth Of lumber
to help build chapel that they had
been wanting for years, keeping the
lumber in their little log hut for six
years before their ambition was real
lied.
AT the time of the funeral ser
vices for his wife Rising Sun asked
to be allowed to 60 to the altar to
thank God for the great mercies he
and his wife had received at His
hands. It was beautiful and touch
ing sight and his supplication to his
Maker was ,Uondprfu1
Zone time was laid up with rheu-
matism and he rode twenty miles on
horseback to see me. In the room
was large mirror facing the door.
When he entered he thought that
there was another Indian in the room
but soon recognized himself. He turn
ed to me and made this remark:
II hope my God sees my heart as
plainly as l see myself in that glass. u
Cleared Conscience of Old Debts
"He took a trip to Canada at one
time to look up a man from whom he
had stolen bride when he was a
young man. He did not find the man
but found some of his descendants
and paid the price Of the bride sew
eral times over.
He was partly the means of pre-
venting repetition of the Custer
massacre in the Dunseith hills when
the County authorities had a misun-
Outstanding with the mixed-blood In
dams in 1889 about taxes. The then
Governor Of North Dakota sent a
telegram to E. w. Bremen, United
States agent for the Turtle Mountain
Indians, stating that trouble was ex-
pected the following day and request
ed him to render such assistance as
he could to prevent it. The message
was received at midnight by courier
from St. John, North Dakota, and al
though it was bitterly cold, Mr.. Bren-
ner and I started Immediately by
sleigh for Dunseth, arriving there
about dawn. p.
Mr.. Bremen, Captin Eaton and Ma
ior Mckee of the county militia and
I acting as interpreter, went early
that morning in January, 1889, to the
foothills of ,Dunseith to hold coun-
Gil with the mixed blood Indians on
the tax question; the militia, fully
armed, remaining at ,Dunseith. There
were at least 500 well-armed, mixed
blood Indians present. They were
waiting for the county militia to .ad-
vance from Dunseith and they were
certainly ready for the fight; but
through the wise counsel of Rising
Sun, the men were persuaded to dis
perse, and leave the question under
dispute with the authorities at Wash
ington thus preventing what would
undoubtedly have been bloody mass
acre. as the militia were greatly out
numbered by the Indians and the lat
ter had the advantage Of position
Much credit was due Rising Sun for
his services in this matter.
Rising Sun and his wife visited
Earth Reservation quite often and at
tended the Episcopal Mission Ser
vices conducted by Rev. J. J. Eneme-
gabow. He received visitations from
Bishops Walker, Morrison, Edsall
Mann and Tyler, also by many gov
eminent officials. He was an indus
trious man; even in his old age, he
raised hundreds of bushels of po-
tatoes each year."
The following is Rising Suns relig-
ious experiences told as nearly as pos
sible in his own words, repeated by
his minister, Rev. w. Salt:
"When I was a child our religious
customs consisted of religious dances
worshipping the sun, making offerings
to the good and evil spirits of such
things as tobacco, dried meats, etc!
placing the offerings in lonely and
as nearly inaccessible places as pos
sible. The offerings were made to
the spirits to bring good luck in
travelling, war, hunting and for de-
liverance from hardships, evil temp
tations, etc.
II liked the Indian religion as far
as I could understand it, till I heard
the teachings Of the Holy Man who
died on the cross for the salvation OF
mems souls. I gradually made up my
mind that / had really found God,
who was kind, just and perfect.
"About thirty-one years ago, my
present religious adviser arrived in
the Turtle Mountains. 1t made my