The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-12

pair had a child, little girl, born 20 them.
But for some reason the distinguished man
left his Indian wife, probably divorcing her
after the Indian ideas and fashion. He
then married q lady Of his own people and
has had since then a large and beautiful
family. The squaw wife, after the sspara-
ton from her husband. went back 70 her
tribe in Washington territory, keeping the
child with her. The child, at about IA wears
Of age, was discovered at Father Chirause's
school at TulaliD, Puget Sound, by an enser-
prIsing Frenchman. He offered his hand
and was accepted, and the writer was priv
LEGGED TO be present at the wedding. SO the
little half-breed with fair bit of educa-
ton started in soon after as housekeeper
IN neat little cottage, which her lively
husband maintained by log work at neigh
boring mill. Before our Father above ''the
squaw" was doubtless. like the concubine of
the ancient Levite, a bona-fide wife.
Men, nc viewer, who get so high up in tha
world as her husband did were never called
''squaw men," and oftsn the fact Of the In
dian wife in later years has been most care
fully suppressed.
The son of one of our leading citizens, in
the wild days Of his youth, thought it
would be surprising to his friends and graft
flying to himself to become the husband OF
an Indian girl. The maiden he selected was
bright and handsome, could read and write
little, and having seen only the camp life
of frontier parties of white men, was fat
tered and delighted, and full OF hope that
she could perform all the social conditions
Of the young mans wife. After marriage,
like some other white men, he draak rather
freely OF. whisky, his favorite beverage, but
unlike white bridegrooms generally ne in
duced his bride to drink freely with him.
The pair visited the nearest city and soon
overturned all tho ordinary staid customs OF
that city. It took much ready money and
all of its abundant influence to keep them
out Of the clutches of the law. For a while
he lived the life of veritabe "squaw MANI
AID doubtless might have been so adopted
in the tribe as TO have become a chief and
have led thousands of them in their sui
sequent wars with tho white Americans,
but his parents and friends interposed and
forced him to send the woman back to the
tribe. He, too, has since married white
lady aud raised family. His first bride.
after that one spree into which no led her,
has not ceased to respect herself, and she
has managed to live and work in good
homes ever since. Though circumstances
made this rnesalliance, yet, IN our judg
ment, the first marriage was the valid on o
OF which the heavenly father knows, and
the squaw woman, for a few days led astray
by dissipated man, was superior to the
''sQuaw man,
A very able gentleman from an eastern
city was attacked with terrible disease
which disfgured his face. He may or may
not have been at fault, But at any rate q
sense or deep shame came over him at the
sight and consciousness of his misfortune
He soon abandoned civilized life and began
TO wander about among the Indian tribes.
tie brought up at last near the Moia We
mountains of Arizona. He attached him
self to a small band that had q sensible,
goCd-hearted chief. He married, 1t is under
stood, into the royal family Of the tribe and
has goodly family of boys and girls living
Just as the Indians live They are nomadic
They live under the boughs Of trees. They
plant little valleys in the sprjng-time
with corn and potatoes They watch
and herd bands of ponies. They are
with the widest when on the warpath
Our poor friend, though of high culture.
manages to be en- Indian with the Indians
and nothing more. He advises the chief, is
often his chief of staff. He takes the In
dians' part in all quarrels with their white
neighbors, but manages quite often to settle
difficulties amiably and so prevent outrages
and bloodshed. just as soon as this wild
tribe Is forced to take up land and have q
permanent reserve, our poor friend will
doubtless arrange, as SO many others have
done, to get 100 acres at least three times
repeated, assigned to his wife and himself
A good house will arise in one corner and
near by large barn. Oats and barley
Will grow upon part of his well-chosen
acres, corn azd hops upon another part
Fences will come and orchards will
be inclosed. Artesian wells, pressed by the
nelghboring ridges into intense activity,
will afford his family water to irrigate and
plenty of water to drink for his household
and the animals which roam more at large
with the common herd. This is a type of
the usual "sQuaw man" to be met in Ari-
iona, New Mexico and among the Indians of
the interior. In loving the Indian women
well enough to eXpatriate themselves thew
manage to attain unto the onpensations.
The writer does not like the cognomen
"squaw men" for If we define the term as
we have used it, to mean the husband Of an
Indian woman, it has in our American his
tory touched the highest in the land, judges
OF the United States courts. msmbers of
congress, generals in the army officers of
the general staf, most prominent merchants
and hundreds Of citizens Of the first stand
ing Ia the community where they live.
Two things are usually asserted ard be-
lieved in common frontier society. One is
that the man who marrieS squaW hos de-
graded himself, and the other is that the
issue of such marriage is bad: that is. that
half-breeds are bright and shrewd enough,
but deficient in moral character. This can
hardly De true as general statement.
Nearly all of cur Interpreters for the Indians
were at one time 'squaw men," or half
breeds, and their moral character has not
been of the best repute. Yet they compare
favorably with our own citizens who have
clustered around the many Indian reserva-
tions simply for greed. There Is certainly
no indigenous taint-nothing that education
and true religion will not overcome, as it
does In either white man or Iadian unnixed
o. 0. HOWARD.