Greater Son

Half a century and more ago Chief White Calf, leader of the Piegan and last head of the Blackfoot federation, made his name great. Sometimes he warred with the Crows and Gros Ventres. Generally he showed his wisdom by keeping on good terms with the Great White Father. When James Jerome Hill drove the tracks of his

Great Northern across Dakota and Montana, White Calf was helpful. He made the treaty by which Glacier National Park was later ceded to the U. S. When he died at Washington in 1904 his fame and honor were such that President Roosevelt gave him a military funeral, sent his body back to Montana in a private car. But if White Calf had been alive last week he would have realized that the fame of his son, Two Guns White Calf, was even greater. Two Guns was but a papoose when his father was scalping his neighbors. Because of his father's friendship with the Government, Two Guns was educated at Fort Shaw Indian School, learned perfect English. Later he found it paid better to pretend ignorance of the language and go around with an interpreter. Two Guns made friends with James Jerome Hill's son Louis, now director of Great Northern. The grateful Great Northern hired Two Guns, along with such of his compatriots as Owen Heavy Breast, George Bull Child and Mike Short Man, sent him far & wide through the country as a living representative of the Great West-as-it-could-be-found-along-the-Great Northern. Two Guns won further fame when in 1913 the buffalo nickel was minted, for he was touted as the original of its Indian head. James Earle Eraser, who designed the nickel, used several Indians as models but not Two Guns. Later Sculptor Eraser had to have a form letter printed, of which 5,000 copies were mailed, saying that Two Guns was not the original. But the story was told so often that Two Guns finally believed it himself. Thus Two Guns grew great and prospered. He owned a ranch, leased some of his land and grew old comfortably, for he did no work. In recent years as official greater at the Great Northern hotel in Glacier Park, he was housed, fed and given two or three dollars a day. He also did very well by selling to visitors his auto-graph--a crude drawing of two guns and a calf. Last autumn, however, aged 62. he fell from his horse and broke a leg. Last week Death--as it must to all men. red, white, black, brown or yellow--came to Two Guns White Calf. Press releases told of the death of the "Nickel" Indian, told how medicine men had offered up prayers to the Sun God. Natos, told how his people had chanted the weird "Wolf Song" to carry him to the Happy Hunting Ground. Meantime at Browning. Mont.. Father M. J. Haligan chanted a high requiem mass over Two Guns' body which was then laid in a Roman Catholic grave.

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