The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-14

variably Return TO His Original
State Whenever Opportunity Of
fers - Instances COrroborative
of Col. Sheehan's Assertion Cited.
There is not civilized Indian in
America" was the remarkable utter
ance Of Col. Timothy ]. Sheehan, the
famous deputy United States marshal
who took such a prominent part IN
the recent trouble with the Pillnger
Indians at Leach Lake.
IT care not who says differently"
continued Col. Sheehan. for my claim
! is susceptible Of indisputaible proof.
The Indian cannot be civilized He
is always an Indian. and. though he
inlay spend years among the whites, he
WILL on the first opportunity, return
to his original state and be, if posi-
Bile, more of a savage than he might
have been had he never passed
through the civilizing process. Blood
Will tell-in the Indian, If nowhere
else. You can take the redskin when
an infant and keep him away from his
kind to manhood; then give him a
| chance and he will go back to the te-
pee and become the worst savage Of
the tribe.
UNERRING INSTINCT.
Some years ago I was one of
commission appointed to take a party
of young Chippewas to school. About
a dozen were selected. They were the
brightest young savages in the tribe,
and were at an age when 1t was
thought that they could be weaned
from their savagery and completely
civilized. We got them to the school
ali right. ind they were taken there
in such "a roundabout way that no
white man, TO say nothing of a child,
could have found his way back, unas-
sisted. The Indians were treated roy
ally. They were given all the food
with ample clothing. The next morn
ing the entire lot We're missing. They
had stolen everything that was in the
pantry, and had started afoot for the
reservation, which they reached, In due
season, In good condition. And they
Travelled as the birds fiy-straight
across country, through the timber ar
irving at the reservation while the
teachers of the school were securing
the country for 100 miles or more in
vain search for them.
CULTURE TO SAVA4ERY.
'fBut there Is still another incident
in which I personally figured" contin-
ued Col. Sheehan, that convinced me
OF the folly of attempting to civilIze
the redskin. We took a party of In
dian girls and boys TO Carlisle, and
they remained at school until the girls
became. apparently, refined and Gull
tured, while the boys were the pride of
their preceptors. One day, at their
earnest request, they were taken to
visit their people That was the end
of their civilization. There were half
n dozen Indian girls who could do
fancy needle work that would put to
the blush their paleface sisters, while
they could play the piano and pick
the guitar with any expert. SO soon as
they arrived at the reservation, all
their savage instincts seemed to re-
| assert supremacy. The boys dotted
their neat-fitting apparel and gleefully
donned breech- clouts, while the Indian
maidens FASTENED to the paternal tie
PEGS to return shabbily-clad and SEEM
ingly forgetful of the fact that they
had ever been submitted to civilizing
influences.
BLOOD WILL TELL.
There is one more incident that
came under my personal observation"
| said Col. Sheehan, that firmly con-
WINGED me that once an Indian a red
skin would be always an Indian. A
colonel, who commanded a detachment
Of soldiers who were sent to oueI an
breast OF an Indian mother a pap
poose of about year. The boy was
reared by the officer as his own No
reference was ever made TO the tragedy
that took him to a civilized home He
was bright, though indolent youth.
and grew to the age of sixteen with
every indication that civilization had
claimed him. Then came the deporta-
ton of the Sac and Fox Indians from
Iowa. My military friend was in the
town through which the Indians passed
guarded by United States soldiers. SO
was his adopted son, Smith. AS soon
as the young man saw the Indians. he
announced his intention of accompany
ing them. And he did, despite all the
pleadings of his foster father and
brother. And with them he remained
And that Indian boy was taken away
from his tribe at an age when IL would
be presumed that he had not formed
any Of the habits Of the savage l tell
you 1t Is in the blood and will never
out
NO EXCEPTIONS.
There are exceptions to most rules"
continued Col Sheehan. "but none to
the rule as applied to the Indian. Once
an Indian always an Indian, is the
only rule that fits his case reassert
that there Is not one civilized Indian
in America ! know there are persons
who claim otherwise. but they are mis-
taken. They have simply lacked on
portunlty to see the Indnn tested.
Take any redskin, care not how long
time he may have been away from
his tribe, or how young he was when
he left It. Give him but a glimpse of
the tepee and the breech-clout, and he
VIII quickly return to both. And all
his savage instincts VIII be reasserted
no nBtter If he was taken into civil
ization when a mere babe"
Blaze at THIN.
TIFFTN, O., Nov. 1s.-Fire burned five bus