Skagit Bill was in early days an Indian Catholic priest, but afterward
went back to his gambling, drinking, and tamahnous. He died in August,
1875, of consumption. When he was sick, he came to the agency, where he
remained for five weeks for Christian instruction. He seemed to think
the old Indian religion of no value, and wished for something better.
Sometimes I thought that he leaned on his Catholic baptism for
salvation, and sometimes I thought not. His dying request was for a
Christian funeral and burial, with nothing but a plain fence around his
grave. The following, from the pen of Mrs. J. M. Walker, and taken from
the _Pacific Christian Advocate_, gives the opinions of one other than
myself:--
“Yesterday came to us fraught with solemn interest. Our flag hung at
half-mast, reminding us that death had been in our midst and chosen
another victim. This time he has not selected one rich in the treasures
of this world, of high birth or noble blood, or boasting much culture or
refinement. The lowly mien and dusky complexion of the deceased might
not have attracted much attention from me or you, kind reader. But such
are they whom our blessed Lord delights to honor; and, while we turn
wearily from one to another, looking vainly for suitable soil in which
to plant the seeds of true righteousness and true holiness, the Holy
Spirit descends on some lonely, barren spot, and lo! before our
astonished gaze springs into luxuriant growth a plant of rare holiness,
meet even to be transplanted into the garden of paradise.
“I think it is not a common thing for a dying Indian to request a
strictly Christian burial;[2] brought up as they are in the midst of
superstition, with no religion but misty traditions and mysterious
necromancy, the very fabulousness of which seems strangely adapted to
their nomadic existence--surely no influence less potent than that of
God’s Holy Spirit could induce one of them, while surrounded by friends
who cling tenaciously to their heathenism and bitterly resent any
innovations of Christian faith, to renounce the whole system with its
weird ceremonies, and demand for himself the simple burial service used
ordinarily by Christians.
“At eleven o’clock A.M. the coffin was brought into the church, and the
funeral discourse preached; and we all felt that the occasion was one
of deep solemnity. Probably every one present had seen dear friends
lying, as this man now lay, in the icy embrace of death, and the keen
pain in our own hearts, at the remembrance of our unhealed wounds, made
us sympathize deeply with the afflicted mourners in their present
bereavement. What is so potent to bind human hearts together in purest
sympathy and kindest charity as common woe!
“A beautiful wreath lay upon the coffin, formed and given, I suspect, by
the agent’s wife, a lady possessing rare nobility of mind and heart, and
eminently fitted for the position she occupies. This delicate token I
deemed emblematic; for as each bud, blossom, and sprig fitted its
respective place, giving beauty and symmetry to the whole, so all of
God’s creatures fit their respective places, and the absence of one
would leave a void: and so also in heaven’s economy the diadem of the
Prince of Light is set with redeemed souls of nationalities varied and
diverse, each so essential to its perfection, that the highest ransom of
which even Omniscience could conceive has been paid for it.
“Quite a number of Indians were present, and as the deceased had been
with them and they had seen him die happy in his faith in Christ and his
atonement, a rare opportunity offered for bringing the truth home to
their hearts.
“The Indians here are, for the most part, shrewd and intelligent,
capable of reasoning on any subject, where their judgment is not
darkened by superstition; but, alas! most of them are in the gall of
bitterness and bond of iniquity.... The body was taken for interment to
a grave-yard some three miles from here. Our esteemed pastor, Rev. M.
Eells, preached the funeral discourse, and also officiated at the grave,
aided on each occasion by the usual interpreter [Mr. John F. Palmer], a
man of considerable intellectual culture, of gentlemanly bearing, and
pleasant address. This man, though greatly superior to any of his race
whom I have met, is yet humble and strives to do his fellows good in a
quiet, unostentatious manner, worthy the true disciple of the meek and
lowly Jesus, which can not fail of great results, whether he live to
enjoy them or not.
“What is so refining in its influences as true religion? It expands the
mind, ennobles the thought, corrects the taste, refines the manners by
the application of the golden rule, and works marvelous transformations
in character. May a glorious revival of this pure religion sweep over
our land, carrying away the bulwarks of Satan and leaving in their stead
the ‘peaceable fruits of righteousness,’ until every creature shall
exclaim: ‘Behold, what hath God wrought! Sing, O ye heavens, for the
Lord hath done it!’