Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-21
ABOU 7 CARLISLE.
Letter From w. q. Field to the
Courier.
GIVES A HISTORICAL SKETCH.
Is in Carlisle, Where the Indian school
Is Located and Says That the Son
of the Noble Red Man is
Being Transformed.

w. G. Field, foreman in The Courier
composing room, is in Pennsylvania,
where he is visiting friends and rela-
tives. Mr.. Field is representing the
Courier at the republican national con-
sention in Philadelphia. In a recent
letter to the Courier Mr.. Field gives
a historical sketch of Carlisle, where he
las been visiting dating back to the
colonial times aud bringing 1t down 20
the present, and making mention o.:
the part the place played curing the
civil war. Carlisle is where the famous
Indian school is located and as Mr..
Fields says, is where THE sons of the
noble red man is being transformed in
homo" The letter follows:
Carlisle, Penn, June 6, 1900.
Dear Courier-Truly my lines have
fallen in pleasant places. am now in
captivity in one of the most charming
localities to be found in this part Of
the country-the Cumberland valley.
On my way hither encountered many
things of deep interest not only to the
traveller in general, but especially so to
the inexperienced. Oil wells, gas wells,
coal diggings, coke ovens, smoke dirt,
hot sun and superfuity of perspi1-
alton coupled with Il loss of sleep.
The last, perhaps accounts in a
great measure for my rhapscdies over
this retreat in this beautiful Cumber-
land valley. The town of Carlisle, the
county seat, was laid out, history says,
SIN pursuance of letter of instruction
issued by the proprietary government
to Nicholas Schulz in 1751.'" With the
exception of Shippensburg and York
it is the Oldest town IN Pennsylvania,
west of the Susquehanna river. 1t
derives it's name from Carlisle in the
county OF Cumberland, in Scotland,
and that place is the prototype of this.
1t is built with. rectangular streets
from a center square, and situated be-
tween two parallel ranges of lofty hills.
Altho the town was not laid out until
1851 settlers were here as early as
1870. One. of these was James lie Tort,
Ia French-Swiss) an Indian interpret
er, who settled and lived at the head
of the small stream which flows thru
the eastern part of town, which STREAM.
bears his name
( History, or tradition, has it that IS
years before the declaration of inde-
spendence, before Kind George III had
assembled the throne Of England, Car
Isle was founded as the county seat OF
Cumberland county and has ever since
go remained. This locality has its In
dian traditions and figured conspicu-
ously in the Indian wars. In 1853 a
treaty was signed at Carlisle between
Benjamin Franklin and the other COM
missioners and the chiefs of the Six
Nations and other western tribes. their
allies. The garrison here then consist
ed of only twelve men,. One complaint
of Poor Lo was that in exchange
for their lands with the white men no
thing but rum had been given them.
Indictments, for this offense are to be
found now in the court records ..'for IL
legal sale of liquor to the Indians
who live outside of the inhabited por-
lions Of the province
The whipping post and pillory We're
established here in 1854. and rnese eff
fectual methods of punishment were in
use for many years thereafter, and as
one citizen remarked to me today, ct
would be far better now if they were
used in some instances, than simply
an incarceration in the county JAIL
The barracks heretofore mentioned
were in use in the revolutionary war,
the civil war, and now in times OF
peace, the grounds, etc., are part OF
the famous Carlisle Indian school, at
which place there were about 1000 of
the progeny of the noble red, beins
transformed into better specimens OF
no hNy hot, or-
tho rumor has it that some of them
are officers sons. 1 will write of this
school perhaps, at some future time.
We approach the revolutionary per-
iod: In July, 1774, a public meeting
was held, at which resolutions were
adopted severely condemning the act
of the English parliament in closing
the Port of Boston, and urging v1g-
orous remedies to correct the wrong;
also advocating general congress for
the colonies. A committee was APP
pointed from this county for the pur-
pose of corresponding with the COM
mittee of this province for the further
ance of every measure conducting to
the general welfare of British Amer
lea. Some of the descendants still re-
side in this locality Major Alldrae was
at one time confined here together
with others of his class This house
still stands and was plainly visible to
the naked eye OF your informant.
From the beginning of the wars III
this country, This point set quite q
figure. In the war of 1912 four COM
panies were raised in Carlisle, and in
the civil war six companies left this
place to participate in some of the
most severely contested battles or
the war. This place is the scene Of
many invasions by the enemy whose
depredations consisted in great meas
IRE, in inroads upon the commissary
OF the public. But the most exciting
episode occurred July /, 1868, when
General Fitz-Hugh Lee. with a large
body of cavalry, came to within 200
yards of the town and gazed up the
street at the stacked arms Of our in
fantry. After a few shots had been
exchanged the Confederates began
shelling the town, causing of course,
the utmost alarm and excitement, the
citizens generally being upon the
streets. The bombardment kept up
for half an hour, then the town was
raked with volleys of grape shot. An
Immediate surrender of the town was