Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-05-16
JOHN 4 GRASS !! 3 s ]. !. !.
~ u Ni-sSS. .ntHpstTSf.
SIOUX N! X. CHIEF / lee
A !. GREAT i Re II Man.


Mandan,; n. D., May ti15.-Chief,
John Grass, the last great chief OF all
the Sioux Indians. issdead ct his home
at Fl. Yates, Sioux, which was only
recently formed county OF the
He hada.beens seriously ill for many.
months, and his death occurred on
May 10. word having Just been re-
ceived, as*Ft Yates is not on the rail
lines, and communication .is slow in
reaching the outside world:
h - Years Old. z
John. Grass was one Of the great
characters of the Sioux Indians, be-
ing of the Silhasapa-Teton tribe. He
was ~ years old. He had a bright
mind, and did all in his power to en-
courage his people to accept civilizing
methods. He was a wonderful orator,
and in representing his tribe before
the Indian commissioners from Wash
ington, and in his appearance before
the officials at the capital, he made
many wonderful appeals. I'm
Spoke in Senate.
The last time the people Of this
section had an opportunity to hear
him was when he made an address
before the state senate during the
legislative session of 1911 when he
made an appeal for the naming of
H. 0SNo 0o III SOO1Iy SCdS VI o1OuA
county which was then about to be
created. He had abandoned his trib-
al dress and put on white mans
clothes when the whites came to in
habit the country, and in his address
at Bismarck he called down some Of
! his tribes who came with their paint
and feathers. .
Tribes Chief Justice.
He had been chief Justice Of the
/ C<~-lf~- Dat. .--A 80
tied all the disputes of the tribes. He
had always been peaceful and during
the troubles Of the early nineties when
Sitting Bull, a medicine man of the
Sioux tribes, led a. number Of his
! people to hostilities.' he succeeded in
holding down the larger part Of his
tribe and finally restored order with
but little actual trouble with the
whites. During the earlier days he
tribes, turning them over to the au-
thorities at Fl. Randall. One Of these
was a woman. Mary Kelly. a case
familiar to old timers. s
Adopted A. b. WEIGH.
In June, 1913, Chief Grass adopted
A. b. WEIGH, according to the old In
as he Is the, only white man who has
ever been adopted into the Sioux
tribe. 1t was observed with a great
ceremony which lasted from dawn
until shutdown and was attended by
many white people from Bismarck
and other points, as we'll az Indians
from other reservations.
War Position.
Chief John Grass was from: the out.
Get of-sthe present wal one Of the
strongest supporters Of the govern
ment, and encouraged many Of. hie
young men to 60 into the service and
right for Uncle Sam. He. took an &C.
tive interest III all the war mea
ures. and at the time of his death was
president Of the Red Cross for Sioux
county. ,s +,
In April. 1917. when Captain WEIGH
visited him before leaving for France,
he told him to be brave. when
was a young man." he said, II waA
willing to help the Yhite man. and
now that I am al old man I do not
want to fight the white people, but
these Germans are not Americans,
u and have struck us, and now a mar
should fight II he is not a woman. One
thing worries me, I am afraid the
price Of meat will be SO highs that
some Of Jul people will starve to
kdeath.
"You may tell the people that they
must fight hard, with happy hearts
and that Chief John Grass. the 81.
; hasapa-Teton Sioux. believes that oul
country will win with honor, because
we are fighting for the right"