News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-06-27
APACHES IN PRISON.
CAPTAIN JACK AND HIS MUIR
DERoUs BAND IN OHIO.

CAPTAIN JACK AND HIS MUIR
DERoUs BAND IN OHIO.
Too Noble to Work and Associate
With Common Curious
Incidents in the Life of the Saw
ages in the Columbus Penitentiary.
The Columbus (Ohio) Penitentiary
contains many phases of humanity,
making it an attractive place to visit.
Last year the revenues from this source
approximated $25, ZOO. During the G..
! A. r. encampment thousands of people
went there and paid twenty-five cents
| to inspect this city embraced within
walls surrounding twenty-one acres of
| land. It is wonderful place to study
human nature, as it embraces all classes
who are paying the penalty for having
offended the majesty of the law of the
land. Those attracting the most atten-
| ton, however. were the Indians.
Since August last the cane shop has
been the centre of attraction for visitors
| to the 0. p, for there worked the ten
Indians who were sent there from the
United States Courts of Arizona The
visitor who had read Cooper's "Leath-
erstocking Tales" or Mayne Reid 8
novels probably expected to see repre-
sentatives of a tall, graceful, fne-look-
ing race of people. If SO, he was
doomed to disappointment. The Apaches
are neither tall nor graceful. They are
low of stature, with short, squat bodies;
their bones are small, limbs slender
and not very well formed, the hands
and feet small enough to drive
any woman wild with envy. Their
heads are rounded in front, but
compressed behind from being strap
ped to board ON the mothers back
during infancy. Their hair is long,
straight, stiff and blue black. They
take most excellent care of it and feel
the utmost pride in its glossy surface.
Their eyes are deep set under shaggy
eyebrows, and are as black and spark
ling as one can imagine. In action and
carriage they are very slouchy and un-
graceful, not even quick on the feet.
When the correspondent visited them
(the day of their departure from the
PRISON. he found them in the company
of the white prisoner who had been their
teacher during their imprisonment, and
from him learned much that will proba-
bly, interest the readers of the Enquirer.
Their teacher said that, although he
had hal experience in teaching the
Apaches at the reservation, he had never
seen any one take so readily to the ways
of school-boy as did those who came
to this prison with Captain Jack
and Tzay gin tilth, the two boys sent
Gov. fho1, fr-
the prison they were unable to tell the
name of single letter, and knew but
few English words. Three months later
they could recognize at sight over 600
words, and could add, subtract and
multiply any figures or numbers under
fifty. In their school-room occurred
many laughable incidents. In no other
place about the prison was the uncer-
tam yet amusing side of the Indian
character SD well displayed. About six
| weeks after the opening of the class
captain Jack decided that it was best
| for him to rcfuse to go to school. oa
vancing as his reason the fact that iit
was nm India Chief and should be on
an equality with the Warden. He said
'sIn guard house San Carlos, all time
school, no workum; oil time workum,
no school, Corrmbus (Columbus) no
work, good school: work, no school: me
big Chief" He soon learned that Indian
! Chieftainship offered no reason or cause
for exemption from work. Finding this
to be failure he applied to the Warden
claiming the teacher ''talked fight and
wanted the Indian pupils to do too much
| talking. He also advanced rs reason
for not going to school the fact that the
teacher was not in prison for murder,
and was too bad man to be allowed to
associate with the cattle stealing, wom-
an-ravishing Apaches. When he discov-
cred that all these pleas were unavailing
he found another-the Friday dinner,
fish. "Indian, no likee fish, said his
Royal Highness. "No gittim meat, no
school" He continued to go to school,
and ate fish, though without any appre-
ciable increase of brain power.
They had not heen long in school be
fore it was learned that they could sing,
and their singing proved great attrac-
ton to those who were fortunate enough
to be given the privilege of visiting the
Indian school. Their favorite song was
called by them "The Corn and Barley
Song" This song seemed to be "Hoog-
a-nau. HooS-a ,nau bo' ohi-nitz, tzin
bangeelt Iii ha, and so on, ad ibitum,
and droned out in tiresome monotone
that was worrying to the ear. The In
dams considered it good music, and if
the white visitors laughed were apt to
become angered, and to exciaim,
"White man no likee good song.
Occasionally they sang to their Great
Spirit, AUX, and their motionings and
genufections were almost graceful, but
certainly pleasing. On such occasions
it was their custom to stand before
some of the many pictures in the Cath
olic chapel and remain i'll respectful
silence while Captain Jack muttered his
incantations, and then at his signal
would burst out in o shrilf cry of Ski
YAH" and then continue their crossing
for nearry half an hour. AT times Cap
tain Jack could be persuaded to dance,
but not often. Their dances were the
most ludicrous things imaginable, since
they consisted merely i'll hopping first
on one foot then ON another, like sand
hi ] crane Jack was very fond of the
ladies and very polite. He was always
much provoked if guard passed through
the shop with n lady and failed to intro
ducs him. AS he said, "He like 'un
white squaw. White squaw good fiend
Injun." He was shrewd enough
to understand that he got more
sympathy from women than from
men. When n woman would asl
how he was doing he would reply
LILLY bit sick; no too much sick-lus
'nough no work There was nothing
he disliked 50 much as to be made t.
work. He would ask to be excused from
work for every possible reason, even t
a scratch on the finger from cane; and
while he did not always succeed as wei
rs he wished, it always caused short
ening of his task He never earne'
enough to pay for the medicines h
used. Whenever he could advance n
other reason for going to the hosplta
he would find fault with the water. i
heara man from Arizona complain o.
Ohio water was extremely amusing t
one who knew what one was compelie
to drink in that region of alkaln
lagoons and soda pools. His plea en-
abled him to gain his point, and justine
the thought or opinion held by M
that white men were no good.
They did not like to go to church, a
they thought the white preacher dl' :, TO
much talking and was "all-tlmo fool
They could not and wcr'd not believ
that anything that the white prisont
did or wantel to do was Ut could h
good Jack said that as 'lt' white me
were here for stealing the? ought ne
to be allowed to speak to the indian
who were hero for Kill ing. lie nevC
failed to give good, ralthy exhibi