West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1896-03-05
OUR INDIAN SCHOOL.
Another Interesting Letter From The
Teacher, 4. r. Thomas.
Special to rHE ARGUS.

/ opecia 10 titE ARGUS.
CAPTAIN GRAND. INDIAN
School. LAKESIDE, CAL.
presume some of my Preston
friends are beginning to think that
the Red Skins have taken my scalp.
but there is no danger. as | have
my life insured.
am always promising myself
that my work will soon not be so
crowdiug, but instead it seems to
increase all the time,
You should see me at their coun &.
Gil meetings when an important
question is up for discussion giving
them Daniel Webster speech.
There has been considerable
drinking and fighting among the
Indians lately, and at the present
time, two would.b be sports are cut
ting cord wood to work out their
fiues.
The Indians had one of their
semi annual feast lately and I at.
tended. They held an election in
connection with the feast, electing
new judge. Three beeves were
killed to feed the hungry crowd, in
fact they had little else than beef.
One bad feature is, they always
have something to make some of
them drunk, and they must gam
bic. After all. the gam bling is not
so very different from our custom
OF giving prizes at fair. The
boys played game of shlnny for a
ten dollar purse. They have a kind
of card game and they play a game
called phone. 1t consists of two
sticks, one black and the other
white held behind a curtain and the
one who guesses which stick it is
wins, and il he fails, he loses. 1t
is generally ten cents guess, but
sometimes as high as one dollar.
There were marks of improve.
men over some of their former
feast. There was little drunken.
ness and no fights. The stars and
stripes foated from tall pole and
before the evening carnival opened,
the Captain and Judge each made
speech to the people. There was
a taole placed against the flag pole
on which was spread red, white
and blue cloth; then the Judge
mounted and told every one to take
oil his hat. lie then proceeded
with as genuine and patriotic a
speech as ! ever heard on II Foulth
OF July. lie told the people with
forcible language and graceful ges-
lures that they were under the laws
of the great government Of the
United States, of which the flag
was a symbol and head authority at
Washington City, saying that there
are made the laws for the govern
ment and protection of every body
Indians as we'll as whites. The
government has given them tools
with which TO farm, school to ed
ncate their children and a teacher
to be with them all the time to help
them along. He said further that
they must obey and respect the
laws Of this great United States
and prove TO the great Father at
Washington that they were good
loyal citizens and that if any one
would so far forget himself during
the feast, as to get drunk and fight
or do anything contrary to the law,
he shall be lied to this flag pole
where the flag may look upon his
shame. He spoke in this strain for
near an hour, then the Captain
spoke, but he spoke in Indian and
my interpreter could not understand
it.. There we're no arrests nor tie
ups during the feast.
One would think, as I did a few
days before Christmas, tba' it would
surely be dull time. / had pur
chased some little things to give
the children, but word came that
there we're two barrels and box At
the railroad depot for me, and /
sent team after it, not knowing
what it was. A letter also came in
the next mail stating that tho Ladies'
Aid Sociely, Of Pasadena, had sent
me a barrel Of clothes and the Good
Samaritan Sosisty had sent barrel
Of clothes, ETC., aud box Of shoes
and stockings. They also sent e.
in money for mo TO spend as
wished and a number Of presents