The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-09-10
GEN. ELY S. PARKER.
Full BIooded Iroquois Indian With a
Remarkable History.

Remarkable History.
Gen. Ely S. Parker, who died last
week was full blooded Iroquois of the
Seneca or Wolf tribe of the famous Six
Nations of Indians. He was High Chief
Sachem Of the confederation of tribes
which is now scattered on reservations in
several parts of New York, at Green Bay
Wis.,, and in the Indian Territory. He
was born on an Indian reservation at
Tionawanda, N. Y, in 1928. Gen. Parker
received good education, and then read
law, but was refused admittance to the
bar on the ground that the Six Nations,
being wards of the State of New York,
were ineligible TO citizenship, and none
except citizens could be admitted to the
bar.
Refused license to practice law, he
entered the Polytechnic Institute at Troy,
and took up the study of civil engineer
ing, graduating in due time with high
| honors
| After leaving the technical school at
Troy he settled in Galena, ILL.,, where he
became the personal friend of Gen.
Ulysses S. Grant Later he was appoint
ed to position in the Engineering Corps
of the United States Army, under Gen.
Badly Smith. When the civil war broke
out he entered the Union Army, and
received commission as Colonel or I'm
gineers. Later on he became attached to
Gen. Grants staff. with the commission
of Colonel. He was appointed military
1xrN mt nd
him through all his campaign.
| When the final struggle came and Lee
| decided that his cause was lost, it Tell to
the lot of Gen. Parker the representative
of..the original towners of American soil,
| to prepare the conditions of surrender at
Apponlattox. This he did, and with a
few minor changes, suggested by Gen.
Grant, the terms of surrender were pre-
sented to and accepted by Lee. Gen;
Parker always preserved the original
draft of the conditions of surrender, with
the gold pen which was used by the Union
and Confederate generals in signing the
document which he engrossed from the
original draft, and (which is now in the
War Department. in Washington.
On March %, 1856, he was appointed
First Lieutenant of the Second United
States Cavalry; on June l, 1867, he was
made First Lieutenant, and then was
promoted to Brevet Captain, Breyet Major,
Brevet Lieut.. Colonel, Breyet Colonel
and Breyet Brigadier General of the
United States Army on March g. 1867, fol
faithful and meritorious service during
the war. His portrait is among those
painted in the historic picture represent
ing the surrender of Lee. After the war
Gen. Parker returned to civil engineer.
ing. He was then citizen in spite OF
his being an Indian, underline law which
gave all who had served in the Union
armies the right of citizenship; yet every
obstacle was thrown in his way 80 pre-
vent his voting. After Gen. y. S. Grant
was elected President of the. United States
he fattested his old friendship for Gen
Parker by making him member OF the
Indian Commission. 1t was Gen. Parker
who negotiated the removal OF his tribe
from New York to the fertile and pleasant
lands on Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Gen. PARK er became an attache OF the
Police Department in New York in 1876,
while Clinton B. Wheeler was Police Com
missioner. His skill as civil engineer
peculiarly fitted him for the position Of
experimenting tall the repairs to the
ton he kept, besides purchasing all the
supplies for the department till the day
of his death. He was quite wealthy
man once, but was wrecked in the me
morable failure of Jay Cooke & Co. dur
| ing the great panic of 1873.
Gen. Parker's family consists OF wife
and daughter. His widow is white
woman, q native of Washington, to whom
he was married twenty. five years ago.
His daughter is Is years old. Gen.
Parker was notable all through his
career. Writers have described him, and
Mark Twain in one of his works calls
him lovingly "Old Seneca" He was
the successor as Chief Sachem of the
Iroquois to two of the most notable
Indian chiefs in history, Cornplanter and
Red Jacket.
Gen. Parker was a notable figure,
standing erect as staff, over six feet in
HEIGHT. He always wore sugar loaf
hat, with stiff, flat brim. He usually
dressed in suit of slate-oolored cloth,
with Prince Albert coat. Like all the
famed Iroquois race he had regular
| features and was lighter in complexion
than the Indians of the West. He was
| member of the Grand Army of the
Republic and of several secret societies.
Gen. Parker had in his possession the
medal presented by Washington to Red
wore it. His Indian name was One
doneoague. Police Commissioner Grant
knew Gen. Parker we'll. and spoke feel
| ingly of him when he heard Of his death.
"Gen, Parker he said twas brave
man. He served on my fathers staff
during the war with distinction, and
was promoted for bravery. The General
has always retained the piece of paper
on which the conditions of Lees sur
render at Appomattox. were originally
drawn" Col Grant said he was think
| yesterday morning
at am supestitious, he said, and when
I heard of his death, was not surprised. !"