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Show : DEATH OF FATHER JOSET. FAMOUS INDIAN MISSIONARY (Special Correspondence Intermountain Catholic.) Desmet, Ida,, June 27. Father Joseph Joset, the famous Indian missionary, expired yesterday morning at 7 o'clock, at Desmet Mission, Idaho, amidst the sorrowing Couer d'Alene Indians, whose spiritual guide he had been for the past lifty years. Calmly, peacefully, as one In a sweet Bleep, he gave up his great soul into the hands of his Maker, exhausted ex-hausted by long years of faithful service. ser-vice. He was the last of that noble band of Jesuit missionaries of which Father Desmet De-smet was the leader, which had come from distant Europe as early as 1S40, and had taken up his abode among the Flathead and Pend d'Oreille tribes. Thence the fathers had separated to spread the word of God among the numerous nu-merous scattered, roving bands of Indians, In-dians, settling among them and found-Intr found-Intr missions t ihfir rallvine rlaces. For the past ten years his advanced age rendered an active missionary life impossible, and he never went beyond the mission precincts, save to take an occasional horseback ride. In 1806 he was forced to give up the last consolation conso-lation that had been left him an occasional oc-casional sermon to his beloved Indians and after that he seldom came in contact with his spiritual children, receiving re-ceiving now and then a visit from his grateful Coeur d'Alenes. Father Joset died at a time when not only are all the Coeur d'Alenes gathered together at Desmet Mission, but when the number is largely augmented by the advent of Kalispels, Kootenais, Spo-. Spo-. kanes, Fimpisquens, Sinkomens and others, for all of whom the zealous priest had devoted fifty-six years of his life. They have now the one consolation consola-tion of tendering to their beloved father the last sorrowful testimony of their love and veneration. The Rev. Joseph Joset, S. J., was born Aug. 27. 1S10, at a little village among the Bernese Alps, not far from the important im-portant city of Fribourg, Switzerland.' He was the third of six children, all boys, of very religious parents, who infused in-fused their own deep Christian spirit into their sons. Of the six boys the eldest eld-est in later years engaged in business, while the remaining five pursued ecclesiastical eccle-siastical studies and eventually became nrioct c rr CT tirorl rpli"1rt11S Orders. The late Monsignor Joset, a Capuchin monk, and vicar apostle In China, was Father Fa-ther Joseph Josefs eldest brother. Father Joset entered the college of the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, situated sit-uated at Fribourg, where he pursued his classical1 studies, and at the close of his college career there he entered the Jesuit noviate in Switzerland in 1S30. At the end of his probationary term he was stationed for a few years as professor pro-fessor of classics at his alma mater in Fribourg. but his health failing we was several times relieved from his educational work and sent to recuperate recuper-ate near the picturesque banks of Lake Geneva. Here might be noticed the longevity in Father Josefs family. Though delicate deli-cate himself in his youth, death struck him only in his 30th year. His eldest brother died a few months since at the venerable age of 96 years. Though none other of his brothers died nonagenarians, nonagenari-ans, yet each reached a ripe old age. After being engaged a number of years in the coliege at Fcibourg he went to pursue his higher eccleciastical studies at the Jesuit scholasticate in that city, and in 1842 was ordained priest. Within a year, answering a call for missionaries for the far west, he crossed the ocean and spent some months at St. Louis fitting himself for his future life work. - In the spring of 1844 the little band of missionaries crossed the Rocky mountains moun-tains and settled at St. Mary's mission, mis-sion, the present site of Stevensville, Mont., having made the overland journey jour-ney in six months. He was appointed acting supervisor, which office he was there relieved of by Father Congiato in isr.6. Father Desmet, on his way to and from Portland, Ore., had several times seen the Coeur d'Alene Indians, and had observed their wild, tricky, but well disposed natures. He determined to establish es-tablish a mission among them, and accordingly ac-cordingly in the fall of 1856 Father Joset Jo-set was sent to evangelize them. Their winter quarters were then on the banks of the m. Joe river, some twenty miles from its mouth. A missionary's life at that time meant an ever active existence much time spent in the saddle and at least nine months of the year spent in the nomadic noma-dic career of the Indian of that day. The Indian had not yet learned the blessings of a settled life, and the idea or tilling the iields naa as yet no delights de-lights for him. So, pitching his tent, now on the banks of Lake Coeur d'Alene, during the fishing season, and again through the mountains when the red men went hunting, preaching and praying, catechizing and instructing, Father Joset spent the first six years of his missionary life. A change was made in the location of the Kalispel mission and St. Mary's vas deserted and a new mission erected at St. Ignatius. About the same time Father Joset opened up the mission, dedicated to St. Paul, at what is now Krttle Falls, Wash., on the Columbia river, among the Colville Indians. From that time forward these two stations (among the Colvilles and the Coeur d'Alenes) were the field of his zeal. Braving the colds of winter, regardless of the summer heats, he traveled about) from place to place, mostly afoot, dispensing dis-pensing instruction and the consolations consola-tions of religion to the red men. Everywhere Ev-erywhere he went he earned the good will and affection of those with whom he came in contact. The Indians par-i par-i ticularly were never tired of his exhor- tations and lessons of practical Christianity. Chris-tianity. He him self once related a reminiscence to prove the eagerness of the Indians for instruction, but which proves equally well the esteem in which they held him. The Indian children to the number of about fifty had remained at the mission in the midst of winter, and Father Josefs Jo-sefs time was fully taken up- with numerous nu-merous catechetical instructions to them, and teaching the many hymns they now sing. Wishing for a few-weeks' few-weeks' quietude after the ardous labors la-bors of the ministry, especially at Christmas-tide, he gave the children a vacation with permission to join their parents on their midwinter hunt, but desiring them to return within a month j or five weeks. All was quiet at the ; mission for some time after their exodus, ex-odus, but on the night of the fifteenth day of their departure he was awakened awak-ened by a light tapping on his door, and' looking out he found there the children whom he had sent to their parents standing at the outer dor. They had walked all the way from the camp to the mission on snow shoes. They had got lonesome for the "Koadolks" (black , p-nwnt Anil had come back for instruc- i tion. That his influence was great even as early as 1858 may be well attested by the fact that it was owing almost entirely en-tirely to his prudence and tact that the Indian troubles of 1857-58, in which General Gen-eral Steptoe and his ammunitionlesa command were killed, was quelled. The Coeur d'Alenes. incited by the Spokane Indians, had risen in arms, and goaded on to fury by the representations of the Spokanes, had surrounded General Steptoe's command on the lone mountain moun-tain near Palouse City, since called Steptoe Butte, and mercilessly massacred massa-cred them all. Inflated by what they called their "great victory," they made several pillaging raids, and coming of General White, who, with a fresh nearer home, they heard of the arrival regiment and plentiful munitions of war, had been sent to end the trouble. A great council of war was held, but,-disregarding but,-disregarding the sensible advice that was given them, and listening rather to the taunts and boasts 'of the Spokanes, the Coeur d'Alenes decided to continue Ever since his arrival,. General White had been in constant communication with Father Joset, who constantly strove to show the Indians the folly of resistance against the United States government. Finally General White and staff came to the Mission, and a conference was held in Father Josefs room. There were present on that occasion oc-casion the general and his officers, all the principal war chiefs of the fapo-kanes fapo-kanes and Coeur d'Alenes, and Father Joset, he acting as adviser and interpreter. inter-preter. After interminable harangues on the futility of the war and the folly of resistance had been made evident to all, the Indians still held out for war. Evidently they were not going to be talked into peace. Finally General White arose and addressed them, telling tell-ing them they had drawn the war and its miseries on themselves, since now, when they had the chance, they still held out against all amicable settlement. settle-ment. Then he proceeded strategically. strategical-ly. He asked them if they had guns, with Jead and powder enough; if they had not he could spare them all they needed. He could even lend them a cannon or two, if need be, and ended with an offer to show them the use of the new patented gun sight. He then took his seat and watched the effect his words might produce. It did not take long in presenting itself. A chief arose and pronounced it his intention to be a friend of the man "whose guns spoke so loud." Others followed his example, and within a short time Father Fath-er Joset had the pleasure of seeing the strategem he had proposed have the desired effect. The end of it was the hanging of seventeen leaders of the trouble and the shooting of 200 pack animals the Indians had captured from General Stentoe. Father Josefs powers of endurance were marvelous. Of course, his daily food, at its best in the early days, was the dried meat and camas bread of the Indians, but occasions arose when even these could not be had. Once he entered a deep forest and 'lost his way. It was dusk, and the " approaching darkness served but to bewilder him the more. He wandered about for four or five days, living on a soup he made from the bearded moss of the blaclc fir. A cattle trail led him to an Indian encampment, and he was at home. Though Father Joset spent nearly all of his time among his beloved Indians In-dians (and they fairly worshipped hini). still he was a great favorite among the early white settlers. From the neces sity of being alone for days, weeks and months at a time, he had acquired the habit of resting his head on his chest and meditating or praying quietly amidst the grand silence of the forests ' primeval, giving free rein to his faithful faith-ful pony. And so in later years, when driving through the unpaved streets of Spokane - deep in meditation, he allowed al-lowed the horse to go whither he listed; the teamsters in the city would see the old bowed head, and sas'ing, "It's the old father," would drive out of the way and let him pass. All stages and conveyances carried him free, and he was a guest at the hotels of Spokane, Coeur d'Alene and in the mining towns. Perfectly regardless re-gardless of his own ease and comfort, he made every sacrifice that others might not suffer. Numerous touching anecdotes are told by his religious brethren with whom he dwelt, of his untiring charity to them in any illness ill-ness or misfortune. Though priest and superior of the mission, he laid aside his sacerdotal dress in case of need and ran the grist mill or supplied fuel to the cook when others were sick or unable to work. He allowed no one to wait on him, and put himself to extreme ex-treme inconvenience that no one. else would be discommoded. Father Joset has ever shown himself a true, faithful laborer in his master's vineyard. As a religiouse he was exact ex-act to scrupulousness. Zealous in his ministry, he was ever ready to start off On the most distant mission to at tend any sick call, to adjust any difficulty. dif-ficulty. The news of the death of this saintly priest will bring many a twinge of sorrow and regret to many a heart, j |