There are suicides and suicides, but the following account of the self-appointed death of, perhaps, the last native red man of McDonough county to be buried within its limits, combines unusual elements of pathos, humor and romance. The story is told by JAMES SHANNON, an early pioneer: "Years and years ago there occurred an incident in the life of one of McDonough's early pioneers which he afterward told to me, and which I will always remember. I will let you draw your own conclusion of the truthfulness of the narrative, but as far as I know there is every reason to believe the old gentleman told the truth. His name I will not mention. "When the Indians left this country, going westward from the approach of civilization, there was one old warrior who was particularly attached to this section, which had been his home before the pale-face ever imagined a land with the wealth this possessed. This one Indian was the last of the red men to live in this county. He was too old to think of seeking the new hunting grounds of the West with the younger members of his tribe. He was like all the rest of us. He wanted, when his time came, to be laid to rest in his own native country. So this Indian stayed and made his home with an old pioneer and his family who, although they have gone to their rest, are still remembered by the older citizens of this city and county. "One day the pioneer and his Indian, who was a helper in clearing off the timber to make room for the raising of the ever-increasing crops, were about to cut down one of the gigantic trees of the forest when the Indian stepped up and said he would climb up and cut off a large limb where there was thought to be some honey. The request was granted, and the old chief climbed the tree like a buck of twenty years and commenced cutting on the limb, probably fifty feet above the ground. "As the Indian worked he stepped on the outer side and continued to chop. The farmer warned him that he would fall with the limb and probably meet his death, but the old savage kept on at his work in his own way. Just as the limb was about to fall he turned to the farmer and said, 'You have been a true friend to me and I will tell you of a great secret. The barrel of gold that your government gave my people was buried on your land, as we knew we would have no use for money in a land where money is unknown. I was left here to guard it and it has never been touched; find it and you will be as rich as the richest.' The farmer begged him to tell him where the money was hid, but the red man only smiled, gave the limb another chop, and came down with it with a crash, breathing his last in the farmer's arms. And this last McDonough County Indian was buried beneath the fateful tree, which still stands. Though the farmer made several efforts to locate this immense wealth he was unsuccessful. He has now gone to his reward, but some time before his death he took me to this tree and told me this tragic tale. Although he has been unsuccessful in his hunt, he believed the money was still on his farm. How much, there is no way of telling, but if the present owners of this plot of ground, worth $150 per acre for farming purposes alone, knew of this story, they would, no doubt, turn their farm into a mining prospect and soon have a regular honeycomb in place of a rich farm."