Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1898-04-15

hAtch
Handsome Homes.
After a long residence in Indian terri
tory and a careful observation OF family
and domestic life as it exists here, l am
thoroughly convinced that the lndlan
woman who becomes the wife of white
man always makes good ana faltnIui
wife, and manffests devotion to her
husbands happiness and comfort which |
we seldom see equalled among women
of the Caucasian race, no matter what |
their nationality Thus declares Meal |
lister correspondent of the Boston |
Transcript The Indian woman married
to a white man seems to think that she
must be her husbands slave, and her
gratitude to him for having made her his
wife and for treating her with kindness
and consideration are unlimited.
White men who come here and become
owners of large tracts of land are COM
PEELED for their own safety to marry In
dian women-they must have Indian
wives to afford them protection, and some
Of them even get rid of their white wives
In order to marry Indian women Tor that
reason. No white man married to an IN
dian woman in Indian Territory dares to
ill-treat or abuse her in any way A man
would be an utterly heartless brute who
could maltreat creature so loving, faith
full and devoted as an Indian wife, put II
such a wretch should venture to manifest
any unkindness to his Indian consort her
relatives and friends would put him out
of the way just as surely as that he had
been born.
For this reason the white husbands of
Indian women in this territory are al
ways kind and good, and I almost wish
that relatives and friends of married
women belonging to the caucasian race
and dwelling further East were equally
prompt to avenge the wrongs they SO
often suffer at the hands of those who
have sworn to love, cherish and protect
them Married life on the Atlantic coast
would be a great deal happier If such
were the case.
The Indian woman who is chosen in
marriage by a white man is so grateful
to him that in every instance she will try
with all her heart and soul to be what ne
would have her. She will try to learn
and improve herself in every way, SO that
she may be credit to her husband and a
source Of joy and pride rather than OF re-
! greet and modification. When she sees
| lady from the states she will examine
| carefully every article of her dress ana
| ask her all sorts of questions about the
manners and customs, the ways and
fashions of the effete East. She Is more
anxious to be stylish and fashionable, II
possible, than any society woman in our
Eastern cities.
McAllister, the place from which l
write, is named for James McAllister,
my host who is the richest man in all
this part of the country. He has the
| finest residence in Indian Territory, and
his wife is an Indian squaw. 1t would
never do however, to use that Word
"squaw' n such a case Here we would
say that Mr.. McAllister is married to
| native" That Is the term by which
Indians are designated in polite society
in the Indian Territory. Mrs. McAllster
Is tall, handsome woman OF command
ing presence. She is the daughter of a
Choctaw chief She has very pleasant,
kind and friendly disposition, and never
saw a better housekeeper. She regards
servants as a nuisance and refuses to
employ any She has three cildren, two
sons and a daughter, and she brings
them all up to do homework. Indian
mothers make no distinction in that mat
Ter between boys and girls. On wash
days one of Mrs. McAllster's sons helps
wash the clothes and the other gets the
dinner.
The children of Indian mothers by
white fathers always treat their mothers
with the greatest respect and regard
their white fathers as superior beings,
toward whom they show generation and
respect. Susie McAllister, the daughter,
Is fifteen years of age. She is very tall
and as straight and graceful as pine
tree. If you saw her with her hat on
you would think she was only a very
dark brunette, but with her hat off, her
Indian blood shows itself in her hair and
her high cheek bones. She Is very pretty
as we'll as highly intelligent and accom-
plished. She has been at a boarding
school in Missouri and plays very well
upon the grand piano which ornaments
her mothers drawing room.
Mr.. McAllister takes his children with
him on his business trips to the East
and in company with their father they
visited the worlds fair in 1893. Mrs. Nc
L l,,,-
band but once, and that was great
/ many years ago. When they arrived a
, St. Louis they went to the Planters
1 house, but they were refused admittanct
because the proprietor believed Mrs. Nc
, Ahlster to be a negress. Fortunately
, Mr.. McAllister met in the hotel lobby
travelling man who was well known t.
3 him, as well as to the hotel keepers. anC
' who vouched for the fact that 1t wa
!, Indian and not negro blood which gav'
' the dark tint to Mrs. McAllister's mag
Z nifcent complexion. Rooms were thel
q promptly assigned them, and the hote
4 people did everything possible to atom
}. for their unfortunate mistake, but tn
q young wife who, like all Indians, is of
+ very sensitive nature, had been SO deepl.
b wounded and mortified that she ha.
}. steadily declined to accompany her hus
band outside of the Indian Territor,
II ever since.
Is AS every one knows who has ever ex
n amined the beaded moccasins and othe
q similar work done by the Indians, Indial
e women are very apt at learning to us
" the needle. They can be readily laugh
q to make their own dresses and even thei
d husbands shirts. They have no taste 4
J. dress, however, and seem perfectly awar
e of the fact. A young white dressmake
ID who came here from the states shor
II time ago, and who is coming money, as
le sures me that the Indian wives of tn
81 wealthy white residents will cheerful
pay any price for good dressmaking. Sh
q told me the other day that soon after he
10 arrival Mrs. McAllister requested her I
make some dresses for her daughter.
N will pay you any price" she said, 'if yo
u, will only make them stylish"
- Indian women are very fond of goin
% to church, and If you want to be 1p tn
. social swim you must attend alt Ii
ie church services and festivals. They Yves
dresses of expensive silks and satin, an
~ the gaudiest bonnets imaginable which
- point of style look as though they ha
- been the Sunday-go- to- meeting wardrot
~ of good old Noah's wife and daughter
in-law. There is one article of DIRE.
which the ladies of Indian Territory r.
gard as Indispensable to every occasIo
and that is a white apron. No matt,
70 how rich and expensive a dress NAV b
Is the Indian lady thinks 1t wholly ipcon
re plete unless a large portion of it is col
IN cealed by a white apron. Sornetim
iF | these anropS are Of muslin or lireT d