Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-04-09


married .Ieems and Toinette according
TO the ritual OF The Catholic church.
The gloom he brought with him WIS
dissipnfef by this event Chennfslo
gave itself M to a few hours Of re
joicing In honor Of Tian9a's daughter
and the son Of Wnsknn.
But this happier spirit could moi
endure long with the people. neath
had settled on them heavily. No word
had come from Tia0ga and his war
riors. There were whisperings that
they had been annIhilated In battle
and would never return. Anxiety
grew into fear. fear into certainty.
The grimness OF a tragedy darker
than the sable robes OF the priest hoy.
cred over chennfsio.
In their happiness Jeems and Toll
nette did not feel the nndercnrrenf Of
change about them. Their abiding
place became home whose roots
spread so securely that death could
not have Torn them up. The cloud OF
the tragedy through which they had
passed was curtain vaguely soft and
distant behind them. they thought OF
1t, they talked Of 1t. and dreams some
times awakened Tonette to find com
fort in .JepIns' arms. But its memories
did not wound so deeply. The spirits
Of Tnnteur and Of Ieems' mother drew
nearer to them each day. strengthen
Ing with Invisible chains the love
which hound them II was the Thrush
who first made them see what was
happening about them. As days and
weeks passed without word from
| Tiaoga, the fear that Shindas was
dead clutched her with an evil hand.
| She hogan to avoid Tninette and kept
to herself. The hardness which had
! settled In the faces about her came
| into her own. She was a. changed
Mary naghlen. She was Onitch the
! Seneca
IT was this change in the one she
/ Ind come to regard as sister which
/ startled TOinette Into realization Of
/ the situation which was gathering
about her and .leems, and she WIS now
/ destined to witness In all Of Its saw
agery that streak in Indian character
which aronses hate and the desire for
/ vengeance in the face of adversely ut
i the hands Of human enemies Ieems
marked its rising symptoms lie was
no longer greeted with fripndliness.
| Men were snllpn and alnnf. and women
| toiled without their usual chatter.
Death and misfortune had ridden too
hard. and human nerves were NJ the
breaking point rhenufsio was like Y
handful Of powder ready for the touch
Of fire.
Then came the lightning flash
II was an afternoon late IN May
when Shindas appeared in Ghenufslo.
He was alone. His arms and shnul-
ders were hacked and cut and some
OF the wounds were scarcely healed.
A scar lay across his cheek. His moe
casins were In tatters. and his eyes
held the ferocious light of wolf that
had been hunted He made no effort
to soften the news OF which he was
the bearer He had come from the
border OF the Cayuga country as a
messenger from Tlaoga and was many
hours ahead Of his comrades. Tiaoga
was returning with nine Of his thirty
warriors. The others were dead.
This tragedy was cataclysmic one
even for tribe Of the most warike
OF the Six Nations. Nothing had
equaled 1t in Seneca history for gen
eratons. Twenty were dead out OF
thirty-the flower Of Chenufsio-the
very sinew Of Tiaoga's people!
Shindas waited until his words sunk
like barbs Of iron into the hearts Of
the men and women about him. He
waited until there seemed no relief
from the despair which settled ovel
them and then slowly gave the names
OF those who had been slain by theil
enemies. A white man had killer
three of the twenty warriors. He wa'
prisoner now--with Tianga. The,
had put out his eyes so that he coult
not see. They had built fire arount
him in which 1t had been their inten
ton to see him die. But In the las
moment when the flames were scorch
Ing him Tiaoga had pulled the hlazin'
fuel away with his own hands in orde
that the people Of Chenufsio coult
witness his writings at the fir
stake.
After this one might have though
that mad men and women and not
grlef-stricken people filled chennfslc
For hours the lament OF the womel
did not die out. Still Toinette saw n
tears. Her horror increased as sh
observed the preparations for ven
geance. the rigging OF hole and tn
setting In 1t OF tall stake, all b
women,s hands the gathering OF pitch
fuel by little children and their mott
ers, the transformation OF friends sh
had known into fends whose eye
filled with hatred when they looked a
. her. She tried to hide from thes
things In their home and TO kee
Jeems with her. Shindas came
them. He had command froI
TYaoca for Jpems. II was that JeeM