The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-04

SAVED BY A FINGER
How Phillip Block Escaped
Death by the Indians.
INDIANS HAD HEARD OF IT
And When They Saw 1t They
Knew He Was a Friend.

Yesterday Mr.. Philip Block Of watonga,
Oklahoma, was the guest of Mr.. Ashley
Garst of Casey G. Garst. Mr.. Block also
called on Mr. and Mrs. Hays, old friends,
and spent the day in noting the changes
in population at the confluence Of the Lit
| tie and Big Arkansas rivers,
For the last twenty-five years there has
not been an Indian in the southwestern
country who has not known about Philip
Block, for he has been their friend for
many, many years.
He is a rather small man, with bright,
! intellectual face and black hair, which
| is little longer than is usually worn IN
| this country. He smoked cigar during
his tax with an Eagle reporter, explain
ing that he would have rolled his own
cigarette and smoked that ii he uad not
seen that people did not smoke cigarettes
| up here.
During his short talk, he suspected pub
LEGATION and demurred, but he was not
promesed exemption from an interview and
some Of the many interesting things he
said are put down.
Asked why the Indians held him to be
their friend, he answered that he had al
ways treated them right. He could not
say there was any one specific act which
had won them over,
However, there must have been some
such thing for he tod how the Kiowa
Indians had once burned his house and
those of other settlers and driven him
forth.
But friendly with them, he afterward
became, and one of the curious incidents
In his life hinges on this friendship. Jim
Vann Of Butler county. a Mr.. DAVIS from
cover on the Walnut Creek" and Philip
Block were once headed from the North
Canadian for Wichita with two loads Of
buffalo robes. They expected to put up
with DR.. Lewellyn Of Wichita. The Kiowa
Indians were on the war-path and the
three men were somewhat uneasy and
were making for Wichita as fast as their
heavy cargo of hides would permit.
One morning across some mills they saw
about 800 Indians. They were Kiowas and
were hldeously painted. Mr.. Block said
he considered the game of life finished
there and then as did his companions.
II made my peace" said Mr.. Block.
He knew that the Kiowas were friendly
to him. but probably no one IN the on
coming war party knew him, and any pro-
testations of friendship ne would make
to them would be futile in their then fero-
cious frame Of mind.
q,
the crisis and Mr. Block determined 10
try his only hope.
The Indians were coming down pell-mell
on the party. Mr. Block had lost the first
joint on the fore-fnger OF his right hanl.
He did not know whether the Indians had
ever noticed this or not, or whether 1t was
generally known to the Indians or not.
But there was no time to guess, so he
went out to meet the savage war party,
holding his right hand high above his
head and that stump of a finger In plain
view. At few PAGES the whole bepainted
outfit stopped. They had seen the finger.
The leaders had heard of Block and his
short fore-flnger. They dismounted and
formed a circle, took out three pipes and
began to pass them around, each Indian
taking a puff. The three trembling white
men. with their hair on end. stood by and
listened to the discussion, the upshot Of
which was that the whole party was con-
WINGED that this was indeed Block, who
was a friend to the Indian. The three
men with their cargo were permitted 10
pass on.
When Colonel Leavenworth appeared at
Med cine Lodge to make the famous
treaty, there were no Indians present to
make the treaty with. Mr.. Block, then
a government scout, and another man
were sent out to get the Indians TO come
in. This was not an easy task, for the
Indians were segregated and obdurate.
The two men Travelled all over the south
west, holding councils with the Indians
and trying TO get them TO agree to meet
Colon5l Leavenworth at Medicine Lodge.
BY d.nt of hard riding and diplomatic
argument, they got nearly all the Indians
of the plains 10 meet at Medicine Lodge.
where the famous treaty was made, and