The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-01-15


In an Indian hogan near this very spot
on the mountain side there sat or sprawled
nonchalantly about the floor motley
group. The nigh. shone cold upon the
crisp patches OF last years snow that had
lain there over summer, and the fire, as it
leaped up at the center of the hut, lit it.
fully the dusk faces of the children of the
forest as they circled about it. In one
corner of the room sat an Indian mother,
logged of and trinketed with brilliantly
ornamented blanket thrown lightly ACROSS
her rounded shoulders and six strings of
vari-colored beads hung loosely about her
neck. Close beside her stood an away
tsail with pretty little papoose In 1t. On
the other side of her sprawIed an immense,
sinewv Indian smoking cigarette, logged
and tasseled Of in true savage style. Be-
side the reclining buckskn lolled upon
her elbows young squaw, who,
if fastidiously robed and raimented,
would have famed a fiutter in New
York. She was modestly clad, and simple
and unassuming in her manners. Closing
up the circle around me lay three Indian
youths. The interpreter completed the
round robin. / stood at the center of the
group. and as often as had said "Aquai-
ami" (greeting1. which produced sort of
magic ''sabe' between us about every
thing which We did not understand the
following story fell from.the lips of three
youths who were themselves part of the
squad that first escaped from the Grand
Junction school. The story was told in
answer 10 my questions for the space of
two hours through q reliable interpreter.
AS il proceeded the set faces and om-
inousy angry gestures that CLEANED out
over that little group told all too well how
soon they would have scalped Commits
sioner Morgan had he happened in at that
moment. The story is signed by all three
of the boys IN their own handwriting. 1t
is as follows:
.'Ma-mi-la- (the Runaway, Nar-k;-
yau-z tthe Little Mexican) and YaI-qua-
te-gwa 1.-THE Soft Tongue) tell the truth to
the white man.
"Our English school names are Larry
Bright, John Bowman and Ernest Riley.
"Three years ago when We were at the
Fort Defiance school We were told one day
to hold up our hands all of US who were
willing to leave Defiance school and go to
the Grand Junction school, a distance of
over 200 miles away. The agent had be-
fore that tried several times TO coax US to
leave the reservation school, saying that
if we went to Grand Junction school we
would be taught a trade, t. be black
smith, or shoemaker, or something
which we never were taught. In that way
would be all right, though We felt ii was
all wrong for us to go without our friends
knowledge or consent.
ut was hard for us to understand, and
We were some of Us young The youngest
of us was 10 or IL. the oldest 20 or % We
did not realize fully what we were doing.
So seventeen of us held up our hands and
moved out to one side of the schoolhouse.
At that time ]. b. Mooney was superin-
tendent, Vandeever agent and Lewis in
spector. Lewis and Vandeever formed us
In line, took us out of the schoolhouse to
big wagon, took us TO Gallup and thence
by rail To the Grand Junction school. It
was little after the gathering of the corn
when we went
I'VE staid there till the next winter We
suffered so much there that we made up
our minds to run away the first chance we
got. The food we got was bad very bad.
The clothes and shoes We had on when
we came were the clothes and shoes we
had on when we went away. We were
often punished severely. We often saw
children beaten with a bow cut in two.
The edges were sharp and the children
cried very hard. You could hear them
long distance off There were queer
doings in the school We didn't like it.
We hated it. We watched our chance to
run away. We went away when il was
one cold dav. We knew we would suffer
on the long journey.
ave had often asked for warm clothes
and shoes. but they would not give them
to u.s. We had no underclothes on. Our
shoes had holes in them and were worn
out Some OF our shoes had no soies
-
out. These boys that had the bad shoes
all froze their feet. They hurt them vet
Some of rs got stiffy trheumatism) and We
can't run we used to do. We'll, one cold
day We started. Seventeen got home alive,
but we have missed the rest and never
found them since. We came home in two
squads. There were seven IN one and the
rest in the other. We were III the seven.
We ran away nrst. We ran away Just De-
fore shutdown. We knew If We travelled
by nlsht they could not and Us or follow
us. We had never been that way before,
and We saw the mountains with the snow
on them anu We knew that way was home.
1--WE crossed one water with bridge
and then we came to water that had no
bridge. The water was awiuiiy cold.
There were pieces Of ice Roatng in the
river. The water came up TO our hips.
There were holes where We went down
deep. When we got ont our thin clothes
were frozen stiff n no time 81 all. ou- wet
shoes froze inside and our toes turned
blue. They began ~ burn and eed and
then 10 prick As a. If we were walking or
needles. Va tore pieces Of our clothes
and wrapped Cp our toes and tied the ends
OF the strips together, bat car feet hurt 50
we could rot 20 fast AFTER that any more.
Eve camreu tHat night three miles from
the school, We lad some matches which
We got ueIore we came away, and We built
Elittie fire III gulCh. BUt 4 cloud Of wind
came and blew II cut Then We pa; some
saeebrush over rs and laid down and tried
81 go 10 sleep. but We were 80 cold and
our fee Au-t 50 We couldn't get 10 sleep.
We were hungry. but we had nothing to
cas- that night. We didn't mind that so
much for we were used 20 starving. Next
morning when We tried 10 get up we :, ere
~ stld We could hardly rise u our feet
Our feet hurt terribly. They were al
cracked terribly.
We started early. hut We had - walk
slowly that second day. After while We
CT 10 4 COW BOYS camp. They gave rs q
It.le dour. pinch 81 sugar ana some tes.
We went only Twelve u1s.cs that day. We
earape3 that night on the side Of the
noun ain 1.-THE Sangfa De Cristo rang,l
We slept near tie edge Of the snow. IL
vas terribly cold.
I'VE got some cedar bark and laid L IN
der Us, also putting bark over Us, AMI
slept a little hat not much. We had 40
gloves GA and Ne fFuZe oar hands. The
rext morning &c had I4uta3Ue lctt 10 eat.
W started through the snow 10 cross the
mountains. The snow got deeper as we
weut. tai IA some places Il MAS az 10 oar
waists. We bad ~ - .oag distances
around great lbaed 1r-tts. There Nas q
GLAZED crust Of the snoN made ~ he
melting = tac zun thai fTCze the su!ta e
u4E4t sitter ia ght tai IS hal hardened 10 ,
oaat o. ice. l. male a great noise as Sc
bsoaa tarongh it. 1t toTe s.! the bAnaases