The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-12-15

child lay was locked up, with the eXceo-
ton Of one outside door opening on the
porch The medicine men were in a room
on the opposite side Of the house. lying
around on pallets TO get little sleep
between their ministrations. They must
enter the sick room barefooted from the
outside door. The room shat We occu-
pied was a large room just above the
sick room. There was q Brussels carpet
the floor and a marble topped bedrccm
set in the room. The arrangement of
the furniture was unique. Standing in line
against one side of the room, each article
touching its neighbor. stood a sewing ma
chine, table, marble topped wash
stand. and the dresser. On the marble
top of the dresser was dropped a large
splash Of wax or grease from the candle
and the end of the candle vas imbedded
in this until it cooled and the candle
stood alone.
There was a couch, a trunk. several
satchels, saddle a brass bedstead, and
a ctove in the room AS it was cold
night, we filled the stove with wood, and,
after the fire was burning vigorously
attempted to close the stove for the
night. We found the hearth so broken
/ that we could not close the draught. and
no damper on the pipe The fire grew
! hotter every moment: the candle fell over
and went out and we had no matches.
The windows could not be raised BY any
of our efforts. We went to bed to suffer,
) not to sleep.
All night we could hear the bare feet
of the medicine men patter around the
porch. as they relieved each other in their
attentions to the dying child. The room
grew hotter and hotter, while the sounds
that came from the room below acded to
the discomfort and gloom Of the night.
+ There were sounds of blowing on the
patients body, hoarse, heavy blowing;
groaining moaning. granting like a hog,
bowling like a coyote, growing, snarling,
barking, every frightful noise that one
+ could not think of.
/ The room was like a furnace the bed
hot to touch, not a window could be rails
! ed. and there was not a drop of water
in the room. / may have slept few
minutes during the night. but 1 doubt it.
Morning dawned very tardily and the
light disclosed the window fastenings a
little out of the usual place. and in the
darkness we had failed to find them. The
. uAllS CliiQ WdS 44ENNi iS4L LII tAAF ~
ment in quiet all night long and this had
+ been going on for several days. l doubt
il well child could survive such treat
ment long.
The sweat house is a small. tightly en-
closed tent or hut, in which the patient
lies while water is poured on rocks heat
ed very hot and the steam fills the tent
have seen a pneumonia patient come out
from this hot bath in winter into cold
north wind with nothing but a cotton
sheet wrapped around him, and walk
slowly across the yard into the house.
During the epidemic OF measles which
visited the reservation three years ago
scores of them died, from their cold bath
cure. There We're from 15G to 100 cases
among Tie children at the school here
with no deaths. During the epidemic
Of smallpox last winter many OF the camp
Indians died, but by thorough vaccination
and careful quarantine il was kept out of
the school with the exception OF a very
few cases among the boys An Old wo-
man from a smallpox camp stole IN TO see
her son and was discovered holding him
in her lap When some of the boys saw
her in the room they tried to run out and
get away from her and give the alarm,
but she seized them. held them and laugh
ed at them, and at the appointed time
they had a slight attack of the disease,
+ of course much modified by vaccination
, There has never been a death at the
school.
: An Indian is buried Immediately after
Death. and occasionally little before, and
his name is never mentioned again. All
his blankets his saddle and other pos
+ sessions are buried with him. and in many
cases his horse is shot. though not so
! often now as in the past.
THE sUB-AGENCY.
I The group Of buildings about half way
/ between Lawton and Fort Sill is the sub
4 agency. and next to the agency at Ana
darko is the most important station on
the government reserve containing SIX
square miles of land. on which the school
f is also located. The agency headquarters
used to be located al this point, but they
were removed to Anadar<o number Of
! years ago. There was also government
school here but it was burned about
twelve years ago. and only the stone
foundations are left. just back Of the po-
/ lice quarters.
( The Oldest building at this point is the
large stone house with chimney at each
erd. It was built twcnty-six years ago
+ Tor the physicians residence and office.
| This summer during the registration
young man about . years old called at
the house and asked permission TO go
through it, He IS now n practicing rhy-
clan in Iowa and had once lived in this
house which was built for his father. who
was the first government physician sent
to this point He had not seen his OLD
home since they had left here when he
vas small boy. lie told some interest
ing stories Of his life here. one amusing
incident occurred when his father was
away for the dav.
Several young Indians persisted IN re-
naming in the Office and his mother could
not PERSUADE them 70 leave One ~ THO
children had a mechanical tas. which
wound wits q key would run across tha
room. Size wound il up. opened the door
and set It down Il started buzzing across
The floor into Tho midst q the crowd
The room vas cleared - = few seconds
one Young Indian taking the vil59w sash
with him.
ANECDOTES AND LETTER
( The esd stone hous~ was PA to nssny
uses after th4 school trir-es before e
again became tbe physician residence
II was used al altfereni times ~ q school
a co-nrsIssars. ard q taa- Dsrsz one -
thc grass payments. fsse, money FOR fhr
raylnent. II she smcaut ~ sorsr ~ 6ftr
tr-..e-r-f ,s.,.f.rz uas k.-rs rea~a r.-s~