Woodson Hex was an alcoholic and Jonahâs father. Woodson was known to abuse Jonah until he sold his son to Apache tribe as a slave. In exchange for this trade, Woodoson was given a pile of pelts and a safe passage through Indian territories. When Jonah was fifteen, he saved the tribe’s chief from a puma or mountain lion. This act of bravery did not go unrewarded. The chief expressed his gratitude by accepting Jonah as an honorary member of his tribe and adopting him as his second son. However, the chiefâs son Noh-Tante did not take this decision lightly.
Noh-Tante showed nothing but resentment towards Jonah because Jonah was highly regarded in the chiefâs eyes because of his skill as a hunter and horseman. Noh-Tante expressed his jealously but the chief refused to hear his sonâs petty complaints. The chief sent them both on the mission to advance to a full warriors. Noh-Tante saw this as the perfect opportunity to betray Jonah. The chief told Jonah and Noh-Tante that they must do a horse raid against the Kiowa tribe in order to complete their tribal ritual of warrior.
During the raid, Noh-Tante knocks Jonah unconscious and leaves him at the mercy of the Kiowa tribe. Noh-Tante informs the chief that Jonah is killed during the raid. Fortunately, Jonah is rescued by a band of scalp hunters who slaughter the Kiowa tribe. The scalp hunters were unaware of Jonahâs presence but Jonah was eventually found by a trapper who nurses him back to health. When Jonah regained his strength, he returned to the Apache tribe after he fought in the civil war on the confederate side and told the chief about Noh-Tanteâs treachery. The chief was at a loss of words. Both of his sons wanted to the otherâs scalp so the chief decided that there was only one way to settle this.
Both sons would have to participate in a sacred tomahawk battle to death. Noh-Tante feared that he would lose his bout with Jonah so he sabotaged Jonahâs tomahawk. As the battle raged on, Jonahâs tomahawk began to come undone. In an act of panic and self preservation, Jonah went for a knife that he concealed in his boots. Jonah kills Noh-Tante in an act of self-defense but the tribe views this act as dishonorable and punishable by death. The chief knew that Jonah had broken the rules but he didnât have it in himself to kill his only other son.
The chief had no other choice but to invoke a terrible reminder. The chief had his men subdue Jonah as he took the tomahawk from his dead sonâs hand. The chief placed the tomahawk in a nearby campfire then he approached Jonah. The searing tomahawk branded the right side of Jonahâs face and left him with âThe Mark of the Demonâ. Afterwards, the chief degrees that Jonah is to be banished from the tribe. Later on, the chief kidnaps Laura Vanden, a young woman that Jonah has been tracking because the chief has learned of Jonahâs intimate contact with White Fawn, Noh-Tanteâs widow. The chief kills White Fawn in front of Jonah and just as he is about to kill Ms. Vanden, Jonah immediately grabs a tomahawk and cleaves the chiefâs head in half.