Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-11-08
TOMAHAWK TWIGS.
FiftyYOung Indians Pass Through
Chicago on their Way to
School.

Chicago Times.
Fifty red men, or, to be exact, fifty
red boys and girs, collected from the
various Indian agencies on the upper
Missouri river. in charge of Lieuten-
ant r. II. Pratt of the Tenth United
States cavalry, arrived in the city from
the West yesterday afternoon, and left
for the East in the evening. They
came by the Illinois Central from
Sioux City, and departed by the Bal
timore and Ohio. They are going to
Hampton, Va, to be educated. It is
the intention to teach them the Eng
lish language, to instruct them in ag-
riculture, to train them in the me-
chanic arts, and to prepare them gen
orally for gaining for themselves an
independent livelihood. There are
ten young squaws in the party. Six
or seven Of these are frowsy and filthy
looking, with homely features. One
girl is decidedly pretty. Another
would be passably good-looking if the
fat that clings to her bones was more
judiciOusly distributed. These squaws
were selected with reference to age,
intelligence and chastity, though it
was charged by some persons in the
agencies that one Of the girls, in
her ambition to secure an English cd
ucation, has already acquired consid-
cradle carnal knowledge Tho boys
are small Of stature, and with the usual
copperish complexion. Both boys and
girls range in age from fourteen to
twenty years. In tribal nomenclature
they represent the Mandans, Gros Ven
tres, Arickarees and Sioux. A major
lity are of Sioux parentage. A few are
half-breeds, or, as they used to say on
the line of the Union Pacific, half In
jun and half Ingineer. They were
selected from among the Indians at
the six principal agencies on the Mis-
souri,, viz. BerthOld, Standing Rock;
! Cheyenne river, Grow creek, Lower
Brule and Yankton, About one-half
the party have attended the denomi-
national schools of the agencies, but
with no regularity. A few can read
and write in the Dakota or Sioux Ian
guage, but only one out Of the fifty
can talk English, and he speaks il
more distinctly than the Republican
candidate for sheriff in this county
BY the aid of three years course O
instruction at Hampton they hope Il
be able to converse in English.
Most Of these Indians were outfttet
by their agents and teachers with new
names as well as new clothes befor,
) starting East A few, however, retaiI
their aboriginal patronymics, of whicl
the following as samples: Tis-cah- -ful
Laughing face), Ecorupt-ta-ha (Mar
that Looks Around), Korunach (Siouy
Boy, Pa-ma-mi Zone Who Hooti
While He Walks), and Zie- Vie (Yel
low Hand). Zie- VIE is the pretty cir
referred to above. One of the boy
is son of Little-No-H Heart, ono,
famous warrior of the Sioux nation
who, as principal chief at the Cheyenn
river agency, has won distinction as
peaeemaker during the past five years
These aspiring youths from tn,
frontier have experienced feeling o
bewilderment and amazement eve
since they took to the rail at Siouy
City. Their heads have been continu
ally thrust out Of the car-windows
Last evening they were marched
through State street, and the sight
they witnessed nearly coaxed thoil
eyes out of their sockets, They be
came so interested that it was viii
difficulty that they were prevailed
upon to return to the train. Lieu
I tenant Pratt, desiring to indulge il
, the luxury of a Turkish bath, tool
one of the most intelligent Of tn,
boys with him. Tho young buck ex
perienced degree of rapture from
the rubbing that was quite amazing
, He fairly screamed with ecstacy, anC
wanted permission to remain there al
night On the car, before startin,
eastward, quartet of lads sang
hymn in their native tongue, and
Judged from an artistic standpoint
the melody far surpassed that which
may be heard in any average Amcri
can Sunday-school this morning.
The experiment of sending thes,
! bucks and squaws to an eastern schoo
originated with Secretary Schurz anC
Indian Commissioner Hoyt. Thei
} idea is to educate them and afterwarc
use them as mediums of communica
r tion between the government ,uthori