Year: 1875

A Romance Of the Forest-Leve ef His
Daughter and Her Death fron .
Broken Heart.


The following account of the cele-
brated Sioux chief. Spotted Tail, Is
from advance sheets of General Bis
bins book:


During the latter years of the war.
part of Spotted Tails family remain
ed for a time at Fort Larmie, and
with them was his favorite daughter,
a young girl just budding into woman.
hood. The fort was then garrisoned
by companies of an Ohio regiment OF
volunteer cavalry. Among the OFF,
GERS of this regiment was young man
of good appearance and pleasant man
daughter fell in love. Her passion
does not seem to have been reciproca-
ted by the young soldier, and he did
all in his power to convince her he
could not marry her, and, therefore,
it would be wrong in him to pay his
addresses to her. But the infatuated
girl would not be convinced, and could
not understand why she, princess,
and the daughter of the most power
full chief on the plains, was not suit
able wife for the young soldier. Day
after day she would dress herself with
scrupulOus care and come to the fort
to see her beloved. 1t was pitiable to
observe her, as hour after hour she
would sit on the doorstep of the young
officers quarters waiting for him to
como out. At other times she would
follow him about the parade ground
like a dog. seeming perfectly happy if
she could only be near him aud enjoy
| the poor privilege of looking at him
Spotted Tail, hearing OF the strange
conduct of his daughter and deeply
mortified at her want OF self-respect,
| FASTENED to the fort, and putting her
| in charge of some kind friends. bade
them carry her off into the Rocky
| Mountains where o portion of his
tribe dwelt and endeavored in every


way to make her forget her unfortu-
| nate love. She went away meekly
enough, but fell into deep melan-
| choly, from which no effort of friends
| could arouse her. Presently she re-


fused to take any food and pined away
to mere skeleton.


One day q courier, whose horse was


white with foam, sought the great


chief and told him that his daughter


was dying of broken heart, and wish
| ed to see him once more before she
passed to the happy spirit land. And
| over mountain and stream hurried the
chief, and paused not for food or rest
| until he had reached the bedside of


his beloved child. He found her still


alive but fast sinking, and she bid


him sit close beside her and hold her
| fleshless hands in his while she told


him all her simple story of love and
suffering and a broken heart. She
said: Il shall soon be at rest, my
father, and with those of our kindred


who have gone before. In that beau


tiiul land will wait for you, and you


will soon come to join me. dear father,
for your locks are whitened with years
| of care, you are fast growing old and
tired. You are q great chief, and


have yet many warriors, but the pale
| faces are more numerous than the


leaves of the forest, and l pray you to


cease from warning with them. Spare


your people, my chief; rest yet a lit


tie while In peace. and you will have


reached the end Of your journey of


life and come to join me in the happy


home to which am now going. The


pale faces are His people, and between


you and them l hope war will never
| COuC d6dAu 1Auus " AIy 40tACA 0uu


my chief, when I am dead take my


poor, wasted body and lay it ON the
hill beside the fort where / learned to


love so we'll" The pulseless hand


grew cold as the great chief promised


his child all she asked of him, then


the lustrous eyes glazed over, the thin


lips ceased to move. the smile fed


from the wasted face, and the Indian
girl was dead.


The heart broken chief bid the at


tendants dress the body Of the prin-


cess for burial, and on the shoulders
OF stout warriors it was carried to


Laramie and laid to rest among the


pale faces, one OF whose race she had


SO fatally loved. Her grave is still


pointed out to the traveller, and there


il will long remain o monument Of the


saddest story of the plains. Spotted


Tail often speaks of his dead daughter


with affectionate remembrance, and


once in a great council held with the


whites at Laramie he said: Were


not the hopelessness of resistance and


the dictates of policy sufficient to re-


strain mo from acts of war, the pledge


/ made to my dead child in her dying


hour would cause me to keep at peace


with your people.