Ellsworth American., 1876-11-09

! coin, Of which / was an eyewitness. II
was on the occasion Of the visit Of about
} twenty Indian chiefs to the Executive Man.
sion, delegated by their respective tribes
to treat personally with the Great Father
In the adjustment Of their affairs. They
were habited In their attire Of feathers and
paint, and each one was impressed with
the greatness Of the occasion. the most
eventful, probably. Of their lives. Their in
terpreter placed them 10 the form Of .
crescent in the spacious East room, on the
door, as they would have been i'll at ease
on chairs. Thus they sat on the carpet In
decorous silence and waited the arrival OF
the Chief Magistrate.
A number of people had been invited to
be present at the interview, among whom
were officers, civil and military and foreign
diplomats, accompanied by their wives In
fashionable toilet. Several of the latter,
whose feet had not long left the asphalt OF
the Boulevards OF Paris, looked on the
copper -colored 'men-two or three using
eye-glasses-withp peculiar interest; the OBJ
jects Of Ii, however, sat under the close OBJ
servation with calm dignity, a. cslm as If
they had been in the habit of sitting amidst
the gaudy splendors OF an East room, and
of being looked upon. every day. by dis
tinguished men and handsome women the
absence Of any manifestation OF surprise
being q characteristic OF Indian nature.
AT length Abraham Lincoln came into
the room and stood before the dusky cres-
cent, while group Of well-knowu men
gathered behind him, to hear what was
about to take place. space being made by
ushers about the chiefs, the President and
the immediate group behind him. The in
terpreter occupied q place near Lincoln. to
turn the aboriginal language into English
as it fell from the lip. The ceremony be-
gan by personal presentation OF each
chief to the Great Father, each one going
up to the powerful white chief and shaking
hands-not extending the hand after the
Caucssian manner, but holding It high and
dropping it softly down into the Presiden-
tial palm. The names were furnished as
they came forward by the interpreter
White Bear, Big Wolf, Red Fox. and so
| on.
The face OF Lincoln was plainly seen by
most of the people present, for it was high
er than that of any other. When he came
into the room, IL was, as usual, pale, and
tlnged with the sadness which was its prin-
cipal characteristic in repose. He folded
his hands before him, and stood rather
awkwardly as he waited for the interview
to begin. After making his compliments
| and shaking hands, each Indian returned
10 his seat on the carpet In the crescent OF
Ceremony, each one Ia turn made his
speech 10 the President, standing up for
the purpose, and sitting down when done,
In parliamentary fashion, probably through
| instructions from the interpreter The first
one who essayed 10 talk grew nervous and
| In q hurried way asked for q chair in the
spirit OF wrecked mariner who seeks for
plank. When it was furnished him, he
took his seat and resumed the entangled
! thread OF his discourse. AS this trifiing in-
cident took place, 4 smile passed over the
faces of the spectators, and WAS reflected
in that of Lincoln. This smile, indeed,
deepened ihto an audible laugh in the rear;
bnt when the ear Of :he President caught
It, his face Immediately Strengthened into
seriousness and sympathy with the diScon-
| certed Indian. He did not ut once begin
! aud the interpreter said:
Mr.. President, White Bear asks for time
The Presiuetc uo&el, anu auo,urI sumo
went FOUND at the plight OF the perturbed
Indian, but did not appear in the face OF
| Lincoln.
Soon, White Bear rose to his feet. went
! at it again, and after fashion got through
with what he wanted to say, at which there
was a murmur of applause.
The burden Of their speeches was the
same. They had all come such long dis
tance, and so quickly, that they felt as il
] they were birds. To see the Great Father
l had been the wisE Of their lives. They
were poor. and required help. They had
always respected their treaties, and were
the friends of the white man. They want
ed ID be prosperous and rich like their
white brother. Big Wolf, particularly, en-
! larged on this theme. He said that he
would like TO have horses and carriages.
sausages such as he ate in the hotel In
| ~. uni. iLa
this added he. AS he designated the highly
ornamented apartment in which he stood.
! At this, the President could not restrain
! the desire TO share in the general smile.
Red Fox was the attorney and orator OF
the delegation. He dwelt on the the graf
| itication he experienanced at seeing the
| Great Father. 1t was the proudest and
| most important event of his existence.
Had he been familiar with the Nespolltisn
| proverb, See Naples and then die" he
would doubtless have paraphrased it to
suit the occasion. There WAS, however, q
| cloud In the otherwise clear in the sky of
his enjoyment He had an apprehension
that when he returned to his people in III"
Far West. they might not believe that L.
had seen the Great Father and talked to
him face TO face as 1t was his great privl-
lege to do then and there. Hence he
would like to return to his people laden
| down with presents, shining all over
| like q losking-glass." to prove TO them the
friendly relations whic ch existed between
b imself and the Great Father.
| There WAS no resisting this. and there
was some good humored laughing, but
the faces of all the Indians renamed ser
ious and reserved.
| Mr. President said the interpreter,
the chiefs would be GLAD to hear you
talk
To which Lincoln intimsted that he
would endeavor to do so.
NY red brethren said Lincoln, are
anxious to be prosperous and have horses
and carriages like the pale faces. pro-
pose to tell them how they may get them,
| At this the dusky men we're all atten-
ion, and manifested their satisfaction by
the usual Indian cultural sounds.
The plan is a simple one, said the
President. as the Interpreter turned his
words into the tongue Of the red men.
Their curiosity was fully aroused, Even
the spectators looked inquiringly. at Lin
coin. 10 know how he WAS going to pro-
vide horses and carriages for those who
thus bluntly asked for them.
You all have land said Lincoln. We
will furnish you with agricultural impls-
meats. with which you will turn up the
soil. by hand ifyou have not means to buy
an OK, but think with the aid which you
receive from the Government. you might
at least purchase one OK to do the plough
ing for several. You will plant corn,
wheat, and potatoes, and with the money
for which yoi will sell these you will be
able each to buy an OK for himself at the
end OF the first year. At the end Of the
second year, you will each be able to buy
perhaps two oxen and some sheep and
pigs. At the end Of the third, you will
prO5sbly be in condition to bay horse,
and in the course Of few years you will
thus be the possessoI Of horses and car
riages like ourselves
This plan for becoming proprietor OF
horses and carriages was not relished. for
It meant work, and the faces of the Indi-
ans bore disappointed expression a. the
President unfOlded It.
4 DO not know any other way to get
these things added Lincoln. 1t is the
plan we have puTsued-at least those Of
us who have them. You cannot pick them
, | o6the trees and thew de- NOT fall from