The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-03-23
THE KAw lNDIANs.
Thomas STANLEY Visits Them.
FRUITLAND, Lyon Co. KAN.,l

RESPECTED FRIENDS, SroRLER 81
GRAHAM IL left home on the 29th
1st month, 1877, to visit the Kaw
Indians. Having supplied myself
with good assortment of tracts, l
started out by way of Cottonwood
Falls and up South Fork of Cotton
wood and thence down Walnut riv-
or, falling among acquaintances
along the way, aud handing out
tracts. At Eidorado / had 8 pleas
ant visit with DR.. White and wife,
formerly from Americas, and found
them as sociable and hospitable as
ever.
Twelve miles southwest of Au-
Rusta, visited small settlement
of Friends, met with them In the
evening and had satisfactory meet
ing. felt like encouraging them to
faithfalness in all respects, that they
might have good influence over
the settlers around them, and thus
add to their happiness. Next morn
Ing they helped me on my way sew
eral miles. l was much favored
with opportunities to ride. This
gave chances for social and reli-
gious talk to our mutual satisfac-
ton. Ny visit to the east last sum-
mer enlarged the field for conversa-
ton. Thus travelled on pleasant
At Arkansas City 1 stopped with
my former acquaintance, Friend
HoughtoD, who formerly lived in
Enporis. He appears to be sue
cessful merchant and is doing q
large business. Near thirty miles
southwest of this point the KaW
Mission IL situated and Arkansas
City is their post office. From here
had very pleasant walk over to
the Kaw Mission, being kindly as
sisted over Walnut and Grouse
creeks. On my arrival at the sta
ton was cordially met by boil
Indians and whites, and 1 had ma
ny god shakes of the hand. l
found about fifty children in school
and Anna Jane Thompson, of EN-
poria, their successful teacher in
charge. Cyrus Hunt and wife had
the care of the Mission as Superin-
tendents, with others to assist in
the various departments, and DR..
VIM. Hunt, who has been among
them for several years, is still their
doctor. Uriah Spray and Mary,
his wife, now have the general care
of the Indians and have been labor.
ing amongst them for the past four
years with good success. They are
much respected by the Indians and
I hope that they may be spared to
still labor in the cause; but US
health has been impaired of late,
and there are fears that he will have
TO leave this field of labor.
visited nearly all of the Kawl
in their dwellings and endeavored
to encourage them In habits Of in.
dustry, so that they might live like
good, christian white people. Dur
ing the three weeks that spent
amongst them 1 attended two burr.
als and endeavored to impress them
with the solemnity Of the occasion
and that we should all strive to bt
ready for the change that awaits US
We have been trying to induce
them to quit the practice of killing
pony at the grave of the departed
and have got them, in council, tC
agree TO abandon the practice. We
feel like giving Uriah Spray the
credit of obtaining this decision
rs he called them together and gave
them dinner a short time before
my visit, at which time he layed this
subject before them, and they
agreed to abandon the practice.
was much gratified in finding
some OF them with nice stocks o.
hogs and fowls. Some had cu
and hauled logs for houses and mos
of them had built good chicken
houses. Some had also taken good
care of the peach trees gave them
last spring and the spring before
and had tended them well, so thai
they will soon have peaches to eat
at home. During my stay with
them 1 dug up and distributed near
1900 peach trees and seven hund
red apple trees, showing them how
to plant them ont and take care OF
them. Last summer just after theil
wheat was cut there came q very
heavy rain that raised Beaver creek
to near six feet deep frem bluff tC
bluff, which swept of all theil
wheat and fences, and many chick
ens, destroyed their beans, peas
mellens and pumpkins also damag
ed their corn considerably. Sine,
then they have had a good deal o
sickness and death, so that the
tribe now numbers but little ovel
four hundred. This casts q gloon
over them SO that eften partool
of it to some extent, and felt fol-
them in their afiliction.
The POncs delegatian of Indian
from the Upper Missouri river, Wis
tied the Kaws during my stay, &C
companied by their agent and in
spector, Kimble, and by Samuel d
Hinman, q successful missioner,
among the Santee Sioux. L wa
moch pleased to talk with him il
regard to his plans and to learn tn,
secret of his success. He Informed
me he gets right down among then
and endeayors te lift them up b,
his example and encouragement il
all respects. Inspector Kimble
who has visited near or quite all o
ihe Indian tribes in the states anC
Territories, told me that the mos
successful missionaries were thos
that mingled with the Indians Il