The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-23
LID MILES 4 HOT CHASE
JOSEPH, NEE PERCEs CHIEF, WHO
WAS IN THE CITY
YESTERDAY
ON HIS WAY TO WASHINGTON
He Wants the White Father to Pro-
vide His Tribe With Schools
for Artisan Train
Ing.

With his trusted friend and adviser,
Peo-Peo-Telect, and Stephen Reuben. a
native interpreter and chief, graduated
from the Carlisle Indian school, Joseph,
the famous war chief of the Nez Perces
tribe. is making his journey from his
home on the Colville reserve, Oregon. to
Washington to visit the Great Father.
The old chief shows the mark Of advance
Ing years. but, as he sat In the union
station with his friends yesterday after
noon and conversed OF his mission. he
gave no evidence of lessening keenness
of mind or of any diminution of strength
and vigor.
The famous war chief who led the pres
ent commander-in-chief Of the United
States army, Gen. Miles, merry chase
for months during the campaign against
his tribe in the '70s, is on his way to
Washington to ask the Great Father to
give him schools. Peo-Peo-Telect, who ac-
companies him, IS his closest friend He
Is wealthy for a Nez Perces, owns stock
and 800 acres of land, and Is forty-two
years of age. Stephen Reuben is a
giant thirty-seven years Of age, and, by
virtue Of his education and native keen
ness, one Of Joseph's confidential coun-
selors.
Chief Joseph himself is past sixty, some
what less than average height, broad
shouldered and of massive frame His
hair is black as coal and his eyes are
keen and brilliant. He is dignified and re-
served, and was drawn into conversation
with difficulty. Reuben was attired in
Indian dress, with bucl1skin jacket and
trousers and a beautiful belt of bead
work, from which hung a lash of wam-
pun. broad black sombrero covered
his head, decked with a white band Of
weasel skin. Peo-Peo-Telect wore a
white sombrero, with a heavy red band
Of beadwork. Around his neck hung q
band Of beadwork decorated at intervals
with mountain lion tusks. From 1t hung
a battered silver half-dollar and an
eagles feather. Chief Joseph was less
pretentiously attired. Save for an under
shirt carefully embroidered and a band
Of red fur on his sombrero, he presented
| a sombre study in black, we'll in touch
with his distant bearing.
The delegation will visit Washington for
the purpose Of asking President McKin-
ley and the members Of the Indian bureau
that the government grant the IT'S
tribe lands in severalty, build them
schools and look after the education of
their children. They particularly request
an industrial school where the me-
chanical arts and a course in manual
training may be taught. Another especial
request is that the government transfer
the band from the ColviIe reserve to
their accustomed haunts in Idaho, or, fail
| ing this, to the foothills Of the Blue noun
| tains in Umatilla county, Oregon. The
visit is made, at their own expense, and
| they will prefer their requests with every
confidence that they will be granted.
| The home of Chief Joseph is on the
Colville reserve. During the recent
smallpox epidemic there he was trans
| ferred with a portion of his band to
Lapwai, Idaho. where his family and the
members of the band are temporarily
stained The old chief will have a per-
| sonal request to prefer in addition to
| those for his kinsmen and tribesmen
when he reaches Washington. He will
| ask that in pursuance of a promise given
years since the government will grant
him the privilege of returning to the
| Businesses of Idaho, his former haunt,
| where he may end his years in peace.
Back of this request Is an interesting
| bit of history.
| Upon the close of the Nez Perces cam
| paign in 1871 Chief Joseph, who had
| Howard, was taken into the Indian terri
tory and kept under surveillance for
| eight years. At that time the govern
ment promised him that his good beha-
| vior would bring him the opportunity ul-
| timately Of returning to Idaho, where
| he might again see his old home. After
| the eight years probation he was trans
| ferred to the Colville reserve, where he
| has remained ever since. It Is this
old promise Of which the war chief will
| remind the administration.
| Chief Joseph talks delbera tely and
thoughtfully. His mind seems perfect
| ly clear upon all the events Of the cam
| paign. but Of these he does not wish
| to talk "Chief Miles was a good fight
ing man." said he in answer to q ques>
ton. my tribe lost many men in battle
| with him. He is a great chief
And he has many good young men,
| added Peo-Peo-Telect, with the faintest
suggestion Of humor. Chief Joseph
nodded gravely.
at may happen that I shall see him
again in Washington" he continued. "He
will greet me as a friend and we will
| have talk"
Il and my young men are now tired Of
! fighting. We will never again shoot the
Great Fathers soldiers. We did so
once, but that was many years ago. and
| I was a young man. Now 1 am old
and do not desire to fight.
81 will go to Washington and ask the
Great Father to build schools for my
young men. We wish especially an In
dustrial school, where they may learn
useful things. 1 will also secure an edu-
cation and my young men will become
civilized. 1 will ask that the members
of my tribe have white teachers to
lead them and help them to learn use-
full things. ] have known many white
men. They can teach us useful arts
The old chief spoke highly of the
eagerness of his young men to learn
new things, and said that some time they
would be as well educated as the whites
If the government helped them.
Chief Joseph Is an honorary chief OF
the Order Of Red Men and a member
of the Order of Foresters. He takes
great pride in his connection with these
bodies and spoke of many prominent men
in the West with whom he is ac-
quainted through them. The party left
late yesterday afternoon for Chicago
over the Milwaukee, to proceed to WASH
ington from there. Chief Joseph car
ried with him card of introduction to
Speaker Henderson of the house. given
him by a local railroad man.