The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-11-10
While in ataIkgtive mood Yesterday

While in ataIkgtive mc ID yesterday
Geronimo. the old Apache chief, who
is one Of the attractions of the Indian
congress. unbosomed himself and talk
ed quite freely of the Indian uprising
il and around the vicinity of Leach
Lake, Mimi, says The Omaha Bee.
The old man has spent more years IN
war than in following the pursuits of
peace and as all of his warfare has
been waged against the whites by all
of The older Indians be Is looked upon
as great man and what he says con
sequently carries good deal OF weight.
Speaking of the Minnesota troubles
Geronimo through an interpreter said
i have heard something of the fight
up in the north and some of my friends
have told me some things, so that l
have quite an idea of the situation,
| don't know where Leech Lake Is,
but | suppose it is way out IN the
woods or someways ont from the big
towns. | have not travelled up that
way. SO | don't know much about the
country, only from what have been
told. | want to say that the Indians
are a lot of red fools, for going into
this fight against the white men. They
will get the worst of it IN the end and
then they will be sorry.
" ears ago" continued the old chief,
Il Thought that l could whip the whole
United States, but since | have been
around the country | have changed
my mind There is no country that
can whip the United States and what
is the use of few hundred Indians
starting in to underta Ke the job. Since
coming to Omaha | have learned thai
than the leaves on the trees or the
blades of grass on the prairies. Com
ing up from my home in the south |
saw more white men than there are
Indians in existence and l am told
that there are only few down there
as compared with the number up III
Minnesota. where few fools are max
ing war. Right here at the exposition
there are enough people coming every
day to put An end to every Indian in
the world if they saw tit to do SO,
Then, besides this, the white men.
have ali Of the guns powder and hul
les They have all of the big guns
add they are the ones that count
Down at the government building the
other day | saw gun that shoots
more bullets in minute than all of
the Minnesota Indians could shoot III
year. The United States has hun
dreds and thousands of these guns
and | am told that the country has big
houses filled with powder and bullets
and can make as many more every
day IN the year, SO, as L said before,
what is the use of a few hundred In
dams going ont on the warpath trying
to clean out the government?
wv hen L vas young man and Il
fool lived down along the south Dor
der of the United States where there
were only few white people. Some
of my old friends told me that those
We're the only whites in the country
and | believed what they said | went
to war and suffered My men were
killed and was made prisoner. Oh
course, that made me mad, but it was
the best thing that ever happened to
me, for it taught me lesson and con
WINGED me that | was not the only
person i'll the world. Now | am salts
fed to settle down and be good Cit
zen. My days of fighting are over
except to fight for the Stars and
Stripes, which l would be glad to dc
if l had a chance. OF course, if |
should be called to go out to fight In
dians | would 10 So but [ am through
shooting at white men. When the
president comes here this week | want
TO meet him and tell him | am friend
of the white man. Some of the white
! men have wronged me, bnt they were
bad men. and | don't blame all be
cause a few are bad.
Il am an old man now and | want
my people tie learn the ways of the
whites. 1 want to see them raise corr
and cattle, and live in houses, and
believe the president and the big men
at Washington will help my people il
they will help themselves"