Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-27
LIFE ON THE AGENCY.
A Big Talk by the New Agent to the
0toe Indians in Council.
PONIES, NOT ADVICE, WANTED.
Double ElOpement of Pupils From the
Reservation School.
THE ADVENTURES oFANEwsPAPERM MAN
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE D1spArcH.1

Der 2O.-The old agent has stepped out
gracefully, carrying with him gold watch
as token of esteem and the good wishes OF
the majority OF employees at these four agen-
cies. He is a good-hearted man, full OF
generosity and sympathy. He will locate
in Arkansas City. The new agent is fully
installed, and, like most all new things,
comes with a freshness, gush and impulse:
new theories, new rules and new regulations,
wondering in his heart why more has not
been accomplished in the past and the In
dian farther on the civilized road. A home
| ly old maxim says: "a new broom sweeps
clean, but the old one knows the corners
better"
The new agent has excellent plans and
rules, which we hope will be enforced and
accomplish much good. No profanity,
Sabbath breaking or immoral conduct will
be permitted on the four reservations. The
law has been tackled up in conspicuous
places, so all who pass may read and proft
thereby. So 1000 people at least will enjoy
Puritan Sabbath. These Indians like a
new agent and new employees. They can
impose upon their ignorance of themselves
and how affairs are conducted on an Indian
reservation, and until their subtlety is
known they enjoy more liberty and greater
ease. It is amusing to see the policy shown
by the old camp Indians. They are natural
diplomats. They give the impression to
the new agent that they are much abused
people, and are, as they always have been,
in perfect harmony With all the rules framed
by the Great Father. "Oh, yes, we love
work, always have worked and are anxious
to work, they say, but our ponies are small.
We want good stout horses, etc., etc. 4"
han cfor
and they make other excuses for their lazi-
ness. 1t is hard to make people work when
they can get food and raiment without work.
The Indians are not to blame.
AN INDIAN COUNCIL.
attended my first Indian Council yester-
day. School was in session, but I gave il
in charge of one of my best boys, Joseph
DeRoin, the interpreters son. The chill
dren promised that they would be good.
When 1 returned found that joseph had
made an excellent disciplinarian, being no
respecter of persons, but dealing out Justice
to all The children told me that he
''thumped" John for stretching his neck in
trying to see out of the window. John is
his brother, big. black-eyed, roguish boy
who loves fun better than he loves anything
else.
The Indian Council was a unique affair.
1t was held just back of the commissary
building. The Indians were squatted, Turk
fasion, in semicircle on the ground, while
the agent, clerk in charge and interpreter
sat in the open barn doc! of the commls-
sary, which Is elevated about four feet from
the ground. The agent looked somewhat
impressive and commanding as he sat there
with two large books on his knees and his
eyeglasses adjusted over his keen black
eyes. He gave his talk first in clear, de-
cisive, kind voice that foated out on the
breeze and seemed to mellow before it
reached the ears of his listeners. He said:
This is your country, and you must see to il
that no white man settles here among you. If
white men, passing through, pitch their tents
and are inclined to make this a stopping place
your policemen must arrest them and bring
them into the agency. You have school here
that the Government has established for the
good OF your children, and you must put yonr
children into school. When your children are
benefited you are benefited. You have good
employees, treat them right and they will treat
you right. II any of these employees abuse
you report it to the clerk in CHARGE
prove your charges and we will Settle n
have but one wife, and it is bet.
ter for an Indian to have but one wife.
The more wives you have the more RESPONSE
bility you have and the more trouble Have
but one wife, love her above all others. Don't
whip your wives. l never whip my wife and
never expect to. saw one Of your women
bearing on her back a great load of wood
while her husband reclined in the tepee smok,
ing. l heard young man say once that
WSd ,Sav anS Sssea in the
your wives bear the heaviest burdens, "Iet
me tell you one thing, and this is for the whites
as well as for the Indians: There is too much
talk floating around. Don't listen to 1t, don't
heliava losl Ind inlr,
and act out your thoughts. Remember the
eleventh commandment, Keep your mouth
shut"
THEY WANTED MONEY.
Occasionally the Indians would give sig
nifcant grunt, move about uneasily, as if
growing tired. They were disappointed.
They wanted to hear about money and some
thing more interesting. 1 watched Okahom.
anie, one of the meanest Indians in the tribe.
He had an insolent look on his face, and sew
eral times his grunts were almost war
whoops. He deliberately arose, while the
agent was talking, and sprawled himself
down farther away from the sound of his
voice. His look and manner spoke more
more than his words, had he talked. 1 no.
ticed one old fellow who seemed to get a
great deal of fun out OF it all, for he sat with
his red blanket wrapped about him, his
slouched hat pulled down over
his sore eyes, and giggled all
the time. Two women in the background
said to me: Heap talk, pis coon-ie."
"Piscoonie" means no good, so to them it
was "Heap talk, no good" Mrs. Mvucus
looked really indignant, and if she had had
the privilege of talking might have said
some pretty sharp things. But it was good,
good homely advice, and what they needed.
The agent continued by saying: "Don't
visit other tribes, especially to get presents
of ponies, have higher aim in life than
that, and when other tribes visit you treat
them we'll, but don't give away what you
need yourself, and never leave the reserva-
ton to visit other tribes without permission.
think you would be better in every way if
you had less ponies, so advise you to sell
some of your ponies and buy one or two cows
and some pigs. Your corn will yield you
more profit if fed to pigs and the pigs sold
want you to raise good crop of wheat"
Occasionally be referred to the Bible in his
conversation to substantiate some of his
remarks and to impress the Indians that the
words he spoke were the Great Spirits words
also. They were "Wah-cun-dah's"
words. "Wah-cun-dah" in Otoe means
God or spirit. noticed in
tue auolence one, james WHITE
water, an Otoe Indian, who has been in
prison in Nebraska for II years, and who
has but recently been released. 1t seems
that one evening, years ago, while drunk,
he rode up to q field where two white men
were moving and deliberately shot them
dead. His sentence was imprisonment for
life, but for good conduct he was pardoned
by the Governor. While in prison he read
the Bible through 80 times, and is now a
converted Indian. 1 noticed while the
agent was talking that he seemed to be the
most earnest listener, moving his head and
Inns as If nartlv sanctinnino what he snid