Among those who about thirty years previous had received Catholic
instruction and baptism was Big Bill. He was one of the better Indians.
When in 1875 I went to their logging-camps to hold meetings, as related
under the head of Prayer-meetings, he seemed to be a leading one in
favor of Christianity. When I offered to teach them how to pray,
sentence by sentence, the other Indians selected him, as one of the most
suitable, in their opinion, thus to pray. I never knew him to do any
thing which was especially objectionable, even in a Christian, except
that he clung to his tamahnous, and at times he seemed to be even trying
to throw that off. Quite often he would have nothing to do with an
Indian doctor when he was sick, although he was related to some of
them--then again he would call on them for their assistance. In time
consumption took hold of him, together with some other disease, and he
wasted away. He wanted to join the church and be baptized. One reason
given was that he had heard of another Indian far away who had been sick
somewhat as he was, who was baptized and recovered. Of course this
reason was good for nothing, and he was told so, yet because of his
previous life and his Christian profession this point was overlooked as
one of the things for which we should have to make allowance, and he was
received into the church May 9, 1880. I had made up my mind not to ask
him to unite with the church, notwithstanding his apparent fitness in
some respects, because of doubts which I had on other points, but when
he made the request it seemed to me as if a new aspect were put on the
affair, and I was hardly ready to refuse.
He came to church as long as he was able, though he lived two miles
away, and always seemed glad to see me. But his sickness was long and
wore on his mind. His nervous system was affected. Before he died he saw
some strange visions when he was not asleep. His visions combined some
Protestant teaching, some of the Catholic, and some of their old native
superstitions, and had reference especially to heaven. He sent for me to
tell me about them, but I was not at home. When I returned three or
four days afterward I went to see him. I found that Billy Clams, the
leader of the Catholic set, was there, and I suspected that his weak
mind was turning to that religion of which he had been taught in his
younger days. It was so. I often went to see him, and he always received
me well, yet he kept up his intimacy with Billy Clams. He told me much
of his visions, and seemed hurt that I did not believe them to be as
valid as the Bible. Amongst other things in his visions he saw an old
friend of his who had died many years previous, and this friend taught
him four songs. They were mainly about heaven, and there was not much
objection to them, except that they said that Sandyalla, the name of
this friend, told him some things. This was a species of spiritualism
perpetuated in song. He taught these songs to his friends. When he could
no longer come to church he instituted church services at his house,
twice on each Sabbath and on Thursday evening, to correspond with ours.
Hence I could not attend them, and his brothers, who leaned toward the
Catholic religion, and Billy Clams had every thing their own way. When I
went to see him he was glad to have me sing and hold services in my way.
The whole affair became mixed. He died June, 1881, and his relations
asked me to attend the funeral. I did so. They also prepared a long
service of his own and Catholic song and prayers, of lighted candles and
ceremonies which they went through with after I was done. (It was the
first and last funeral in which they and I had a partnership.)
He had two brothers and a brother-in-law, the head chief, who inclined
to the Catholic religion. They had always given as an excuse for not
coming to church that as Big Bill could not come they went to his house
for his benefit and held services. But after his death their services
did not cease. They kept them up as an opposition, partly professing
that they were Catholics, and partly saying that their brother’s last
words and songs were very precious to them, and they must get together,
talk about what he had said and sing his songs. In course of time this
proved a source of great trouble--one of the most severe trials which we
had. More will be told of this under the head of Dark Days.
About the only good thing, as far as I knew, in connection with these
visions, was that they induced him to give up his tamahnous, or Indian
doctors, and he advised his relations to do the same. He said that in
his visions he had learned that God did not wish such things.
After his death his brother told me that Big Bill had foretold events
which actually took place, as the sickness and death of several persons,
and so they believed his visions to have come from God. It may have been
so. I could not prove the contrary, but it was very hard for me to
believe it. Big Bill never told me those prophecies, nor did his brother
tell me of them until after each event occurred. Singly after each death
or sickness took place I was informed that he had foretold it.