The Death of Powderface; The Last Breath of the American Frontier

The old Arapaho Powderface had been named a “Chief” by the Federal Government, one of a few tribal headmen to treat with and later ignore. The newspaper called him “obstinate,” and it cost him his life. And the story was soon forgotten, how the “Chief” had been shot by a Dewey County Deputy while resisting arrest, left in the yellowing pages of old newspapers in an archive in Oklahoma City. Except for the memory of a little girl, Mona Violet, who had taken the opportunity to see a “real Indian” as Powderface’s body lay in wait for a Coroner’s Inquest in her sleepy little town.