The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-29

ing to make every Inu1Hn Jay Gould,
it does not follow that it can make CIV
nized men and women out of them.
The incident is still fresh in the public
mind where the young Indian, educated
at the Carlisle school in Pennsylvania,
returned to the plains and killed a
United States officer. justification
was claimed for this act, but there
really was none 1t was pure savagery.
out of school and was, perhaps, as near
civilized as any Indian is susceptible
OF. A correspondent in Tahlequah, L.
T., writes me that one of the features
of civilization he finds in that section
is an Indian editor and an Indian minis
ter. Ny correspondent called at the
residence of Creek Indian farmer one
day and remained By invitation for din
ner. Imagine my surprise" he writes,
when the head of the family took his
seat at the table and asked blessing
on the food. Also imagine my surprise
when this same head of the family The
had sixteen children) took one OF the
boys away from the table for some mis-
behavior, lambasted him with piece OF
mule harness and swore some OF the
most terrible Indian territory oaths
during the performance that l have yet
encountered-and / have encountered a
great many"
CURIOUS INCIDENTS NEARER HONE.
The Cornplanter Indians occupy some
of the garden lands Of the state Of New
York, and have lived there for many
years, having every advantage accord
ed them that the white men Of the state
possess, and yet it is a question If their
civilization as a community is much
further advanced than when they first
took possession of this reservation A
year or two ago, was riding up the
Allegheny river on the Western Penn
sylvania & New York railroad, which
passes through the reservation. Below
Salamanca my attention was attracted
to an Indian astride of log floating
complacently down the middle OF the,
river. His long legs were immersed
in the water up to his thighs.
He was chanting a maudlin In
dian dirge, and altogether presented
a rather novel picture. l asked
the conductor about our noble red
brother on the log, and he informed me
that this was an ordinary spectacle
during the summer months and not an
infrequent spectacle even when the
water was too frosty for agreeable
bathing. The conductor was stout,
well-conditioned man named Richard
son-"Pap' Richardson his friends In
Buffalo called him because of his
large, fatherly appearance. He looked
like Grover Cleveland, except that he
had more good nature in his face. Con-
ductor Richardson went into the In
dian question with me as he had
come to know it from running
a train through the Cornplanter
reservation every day for some
years, and coming in contact with the
Indian as patron of railroads, that ina
portant adjunct of civilization. He had
many humorous incidents to relate IN
regard to the devices of the Indian to
beat the railroad company out OF his
fare. An Indian, he said, would never
buy a ticket except to the next station,
no matter how far he expected to travel.
He would not get off at the station to
which he had purchased his ticket, but
would continue on his journey, taking
chances on the conductor overlooking
him. When called upon to pay, he will
reluctantly shell out enough pennies to
carry him to the next station, and there
again neglect to get off. So he will
continue paying from station to sta
ton, until he reaches Salamanca,
where he originally started for.
1t is Mr. Richardson's theory that in
the early history of the road some In
dian worked this game successfully,
and every one of them who now travels
on the road thinks it is worth while to
try it. The curious circumstance Is that
the same Indian will try it day after
day, never apparently discouraged by
defeat, and always satisfied in his own
mind that the conductor does not
fathom his deep laid financial scheme.
As to riding down the river on a
log, they do that because they have
no money to ride on train. They
90 up to Salamanca from the reser-
walton, spend all their money for
whisky, and take this method of get
ting home Most of them are good
watermen and it is a large Indian,
drunk or sober, who can't float home on
small slab, If nothing better is at
hand. But sawlog Is their favorlte
craft, and to see a half-drunken buck
floating serenely down midstream, sit
ting astride log, chanting bacchana-
liam and t-go-home-tlu morning
song. does not impress one as indicative
of that high order of civilization which
should be the outcome of a residence of
half century in the imperial state OF
New York.
PROFESSIONAL BLACKhALINa.
It is just as much part Of liberal
education to stroll observantly along
Broadway in midsummer as in the rush
of the winter season. have never seen
the parks and squares, with which New
York is blessed in mum bers, though not
in accordance with her merit, looking
as beautiful as now. Nor have the peo-
ple in and about them ever seemed more
contented with their lot; yet 1t is the
opinion of most of those whom one
meets that there has not been for a
good many years so little money in cir
culation as at this season. OF course
when cash is so difficult to obtain
through regular channels the black
mailers and confidence men who prey
on this and every metropolis sharpen
their wits all the more, and L an con-
WINGED that they are reaping harves.
just now.