New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-05
THE PLEA OF CHIEF LOT.
A PATHETIC APPEAL FOR EDUCATION
AMONG THE SPOKANE INDIANS.
THE VENERABLE LEADER DESPAIRs OF HAVING
A scHooLHoUsE FOR THE CHILDREN OF
HIS PEOPLE FAMILY AFFECTION
OF THE INDIANS ELOQUENT
LY ExEMPLIFIED.
TO the Editor of The Tribunen-'


To tho EditOr Of The Tribun eHT
Sir: Captain Lee, of the 9th Infantry. the
Government agent for enlisting Indians in the
Army, has just left our post, having made a
beginning in the work for securing company
from the Spokane tribe for Company Il of the
4th Infantry. At the conference Chief Lot,
most notwithstanding man, made speech OF
such eoquence that i must send you an abstract
taken from notes that made at the time, what
ever the imperiections, attributable TO rude in
terpreer. lie said.
MY father was chief Of all the Indians md used 10
tell them what il was right TO do AMER MS death my
too / was bad. Whlskey made these lines on
my face When my brother died they wanted me TO
not talk good out Of bad But Washington Govern
ment wanSed to be chief too. Then studied to be
and to use pen ana ink. l liked my family to go
alongside of me, and was anxious to have my people
nm there hear IT, but 1t goes in the ear and out:
lose it. look up into the say and see nothing. Where
something that the white man uses to see long
distance "a teescope) but see nothing put Digei
look down and see only the ground The munster
took the Bible and Interpreted what Jesus said, and
that to me glass 70 see God Inen mSrau6 d
write before died. That was my mind when Generai
Howard saw me- lie told me Washington wents You
to send your children to place to~u ssheo Cod
knows love my children. God knows whaI wantc ,s
Captain Wilson came the next year ana aEee INT nine
send The people were afraid Dut sent h ho
the next year he wanted some more. gave MN d
lot Of boys and girls. Ihey seht inc si0A '"ON ~"
rest died down there.
The agent here explained to us that out oil
twenty-one that were sent sixteen died.
I made ND my mind, continued Lot that my
people right in beng afraid TO send tne IN v
away Then %a W%sbortop and spoke only one
things: az like school-hOuse.' Two men then toid
Moses "LOt says he wants school. do you Wnht !,
- M I
Then they asked Tonaskit and again t1ey us"o my ~
Lot says he ants eo' SO Then they
turned to me, "Why do you not sehd your mnrrsn
to Catholic schools % ~ o want an rhev aid
Lot yOu go home and in two months you WIN nay,
schoohouse rhe agent expaeG a9a s ~aI long nc
ago that have forgotten when it was. IL was lnree
years that very anxious but now upI wt''
hut none Tor me IA good illustration of how Things 20
out here. hear that they looked at place on inc
scnrey They do not want TO send their children so
far away to school II had had their c mar hoS 2
in a coffin and sent them home, so they could see
them. | don't know who did this but they treated
nv people as though they were dogs. -
Y6n. my friend-since you have come here, my
heart has been looking around this matter Al inc
ing TO them to be soldiers. But want then to be
soldiers I'll never have sch0olhouse Dut Vnc! Ia,i
father YOU could make n soldier OF me. want my
boy 70 be soldier and them IL 1t Is good TOT hlh' IL
will be good for inc rest
have given only an outline, but the old mans
eloouent pleading moved us hll The Captain
said Gould that speech have been heard by
an Eastern audience, how it would open their
hearts and their pocketbOoks;" l hope he will
eAcusc my mentioning 1t, but ne at ONCE SUD
scrbed $40 toward that school house
The old chief afterward added; They owe
me that building. When they buried sixteen
childrn, they should pay me by building
school," ~, lii.
They have made the beginning in the enlist
ment Chief Lots son. in obedience TO his 1ather,s
wishes, was the first to give his name and though
five Others have followed his example that part was
not of so much interest. Cannot you, through
your paper, help this old man to his schoolhouse
before he dies Some of your readers may ay,r Ie
moved to subscribe, following the good example
of this Army captain. The Department OF the
Interior provides school teachers whefs there G aIe
easily outstrip these public charities at least In
WALTER AARVINE,
Post Chaplain, U, 5. A,
Fort Spokane, Wash, Sept. Is, 1891.