Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1922-02-15
! ''ay',RlIIIlNKLED n silaAT3o ~ sue UcoUN1Bs
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TO 'tnenmcpiif Noted Chiprewa Is
Said to HIVE Reen 49,.

,S Cass Lake, Mimi Feb. 8 .-Trune-
raj arrangements were to be COM
,pleted to-day for Ga-Be e-Nah.Gewn,
Wonce, (Wrinkled Meat, Chippewa
indian, said to havo been 1877 years
OLD, who died on the floor OF his
cabin here yesterday ,.,f pneumonia.
contending to tho last that bed was
no no place FOR "a husky warrior to re..,-. r.
'For y % veas Of his life he was
married, having had eight wives
The only survivor, however, is Tom
smith, step-son, at whose home he
died. n 12
1t Is declared to be reasonably au-
thentic that the Indian Ga-Be-Nah-
GSNewn4Wonce was about 1877 years
old. !.
The United States Bureau Of In
dian Affairs, the American Scenic
and Historic Preservation Society
and various other historical socte-
ties that have interested themselves
In this famous aboriglnee in fact.
had been led to accept the claim of
Ca !Nah-GewnIWonce and his fell
/ low Indians on the Minnesota reser-'
walton that he was the .'oldest living
person in the world
Ga-Be-NahJGewn-W -Wonco was also
known as W1h-Ha-Gunta, and would
even answer to plain John Smith.
According to the Bureau Of Indian
Affairs he was tire-maker for the
once powerful Blackfeet tribe. His
! declining days were spent on the
north bank OF Mud Lake, twelve
, miles from the village Of Ball Club,
| Mimi, where he lived in hut Of
birch bark. He outlived several of
his numerous wives, and when long
past the century mark he was stiql
young enough to WOO another
His once powerful frame had very
slowly wasted, his hair turned pure
white, and his face became scanned
| like walrus hide, but his step was
still sprightiy, and no never stepped
from his hut without humming some
tune. His unusual fondness for mu-
! sic was one Of his peculiarities. Of
ten ho walked the twelve miles TO
BALL Club,to hear O piano or violin,
his favorite musical Instruments.
When a rag-t:ne air was struck up
his bFack, ,beady eyes would sparkle,
and he would lift his shoulders and
snap his fingers in real cabaret style.
Historians made use of the In
dams remarkable memory to COR
robornte stories Of the Indian. fights,
| some OF them rs far hack as 1900.
Smith was. often able to give them
tnc year, month, and sometimes tho
| day, Of Indian happenings that had
! been lost track Of. One event in his
! early life (which the aged Indian re-
lated in detail, and he declared was
imprinted even more firmly in his
memory than important happenings
of the last few years, was mas
sacre by the Sioux Indians in Mime
sofa near the present sites Of the
Twin Cities. The massacre resulted
from an effort by n missionary, who
was known to the Indians as Pah-
lde+Gl ee to effect conciliation be-
tween the Sioux and Chippewas
Many hundreds of the latter were
slain. smith said that he was but
ten years old at that time.
|, The falling of the stars" the
shower Of imeteors that occurred in
1888, he recafled infinitely. He was
about 40 years old at that time.
In recent interview Smith said,
through an interpreter, that forty
years ago he could speak English
quite fiuently, but that IN recent
years, since his mind became less
active, the language almost deserted
him.
Indian customs, closely followed,
The considered the big factor in ex-
tending life so long. His oldest &C.
Mua!ntances never recalled having
seen him. sit in chair or lie on
bed. He was just as much opposed
to many other. customs of the white
htace, for he con'tended that they
were contrary to the laws Of nature.
a TONIC
Groves Tasteless chill Tonic restores
4 ~ --tr