The Republican., 1900-12-27
INDIANS WHO ARE SMART.
Chippewas and MunAees of Kansau
Paid by the Government for
Their Reservation.

vation, about eight miles west of OF
| tawa, Kan, on November 9, 1900. sig
nalized an event of no small historic
al value, says the St. Louis Globe
| Democrat.
These little bands have an interest
ing history connected with their res
| idence of more than so years in this
county. Prior to 1888 the Chippewas
| comprised small band in the vicin-
ity af Detroit, and in that year, head
| ed by their chiefs Estonquit, or Fran
els McCoons, moved to this county
and located on their reservation,
which was conveyed to the descend
ants of the tribe by patents from the
lands subject to sale and conveyance,
as in the case of ordinary citizens.
Chief Estonquit was at one time one
of delegation of Indians from Cana
| da who visited England at the time
| of King George, and he also spent six
months in France, and was the only
one in the delegation who could con-
verse without the aid of an interpre
ter, as he readily spoke the French
quite noted, and he never forgot the
distinction he achieved by his foreign
| visit.
! The Munsee, or Christian Indians,
have almost a national record. They
! are remnant of the Delaware tribe,
| who came under the influence of the
Moravian missionaries in Pennsyl-
nr,fn nl I IL
| eenth century. After a varied his
| tory they located on the Muskingum
| river in what is now Tuscarawas
county, o. There, during the revolu-
tionary war, they were attacked by
detachment of militia from Wheeling
who were fighting Indians and who
| thought there We're no good Indians
but dead ones. Coming suddenly upon
the Munsees while they were gather
ing corn, the soldiers promised them
protection. But after they had been
| gathered into their little church the
soldiers decided by vote to extermi-
nate them, and accordingly that night
and the next day sc of the band were
put to death without resistance and
their church burned over their heads.
The remnant of the band migrated
OF Leavenworth county. Kansas,
in the early portion of this century.
They have all along been attended by
Moravian missionaries. In 1859
they removed to this county and
bought an interest in the Chippe-
wa reservation, and in 1861 Rev. Jo-
seph Romtg was sent to them by the
Moravian church. He labored among
them for ten years, when he retired
and other missionaries took up the
work. In February of this year Rev.
Romig returned to the reservation,
after an absence of 80 years The
venerable missionary is much i'm
pressed with the changed condition
of his little band, and as he sat in
the little mission church last Thurs
day witnessing the final act in the
government dealings with the tribes,
he was much impressed with the con-
trast between the intelligent. edu-
Gated people that now are and the
untutored tribe of half century ago,
Then none could speak English; to-
day none use the Indian language.
Some of the young men are graudu-
ates of Haskell Indian training
school; some are teachers in that
school; Others are in various states,
filling positions of trust and useful
ness. Nicholas Hurr is a teacher in
the lndiap training school at Fort
Lewis, COL, receiving a salary of $500
per month. James Plake is clerk in
the Indian school at Geneva, Neb., at
salary of $1,000 per annum.
The reservation comprises seven
sections of land in the western por-
ton of this county, and is locally de-
scribed as 1.-The Chippawa Hills" The
little mission church and schoolhouse
combined is located in valley in the
midst of the hills, which rear their
woody peaks aloft in fitting simili-
tude of the mountains "round about"
the house of the Lord in oden times.
Maj. w. r. Honnell, Indian agent
from Horton, Kan, made the paw
ment on behalf of the government
of $4,000, which the government has
held for number of years. Each
member of the tribe received a check
on the United States depository at
at Lawrence for $491.47, each sum be-
ing the per capita share of the fund.
Children under IS years of age are
required to have guardians appointed
and approved by the probate court,
with sufficient sureties. At the same
time Maj. Honnell delivered to those
entitled thereto the United States
patent for the land owned or her
tied by each. Thus the events of
the day closed the tribal relations of
this people. Thus were they released
from all connection with their Great
Father at Washington, except that
which they owe to him as citizens of
the United States.
Thus is the noble red man swal-
lowed up by the great Caucasian tide
which surrounds him. Already MANY
of the Indians of these tribes have
married and mingled with their white
neighbors. Notable amo.g such mar
riages was that of the missionary's
daughter to young Kill Buck about
Is years ago; since which time they