Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 78, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 March 1912 — Houn' Dawg Song of Indiana Origin Says R. B. Milroy. [ARTICLE]

Houn' Dawg Song of Indiana Origin Says R. B. Milroy.

Under date of March 28th we have the following communication from John R. Vanatta, which should prove very interesting to those who have undertaken to learn the origin of the “Houn’ Dawg Song.” He writes: “Editor Republican: “In a letter received from Mrs. Harriet W. Ferguson, of Wilson Creek, Washington, I found the enclosed clipping from the Daily Spokesman Review, of Spokane. Thinking it migh. Li be of great interest to some of your readers, I thought I would send it to you. “Since “Uncle” Reece Goddard and his dog “Tim” have both gone over to the “other side of the divide,” and we have no one left to tell us of the “doings” of our red brothers in the long ago, I have been wondering why our ow r n “Bill Bat,” of the Rose But neighborhood, doesn’t come to the front and try to save the day for old Jasper. Surely he has something of interest to offer in regard to the orogin of the “Houn’ Dawg Song.” The following is the article referred to: That the “Houn’ Dawg Song,” which has come out of the Ozark mountains, and has been adopted as official air of the Champ Clark campaign, was a popular ballad in the northwest be fore the coming of the white man, and was sung by the Indianas of the Kittitas, Yakima, Chinook and other tribes, is the statement of R. B. Milroy, chairman of the Yakima County Republican Central cimmittee. He has recalled the version of it commonly sung by the members of the Chinook tribe, once the most powerful in the northwest, but now entirely out of existence. It is as follows: Quanisum nika chaco copa town, r Tenas-man chuckin nika comae

conaway kah; Cultus copa nikt spose yaka mowitch comax, Klaska delate kopet chuckin nika comox conaway kah. “There are several versions of the song still to be found among the Indians, -which show traces of apparent French origin,” said Mr. Milroy. “I do not believe, however, that the song was brought to this country by the wyrly Freadi priest* that the versions containing French words simply show the result of the mingling of tongues in the early days. ‘The Chinook Indians were once the great trading tribe of the northwest, and the men of the Hudson Bay company came in contact with them first. This tribe also came in contact with the voyagers whom the early French settlements in eastern Canada threw out toward the Pacific ocean.” Mayor A. J. Splawn, of North Yakima, who has lived in this valley since 1861, also declares that he remembers distinctly the Indians singing this song, and says that he has no doubt but that the sentiment and air existed among the red men of the northwest long before the white settlers came. Mr. Splawn is a supporter of Champ Clark for president, and says that he does not want to do anything to prejudice the chances of the Missouri democrat, but believes that it is only just to the Indians among whom he lived in his early days here, and who still regard him as a friend and adviser, that it be made known that the “Houn’ Dawg Song” was of Indian origin.