Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-04
THE ILLUSTRATED BEE.
Old NiObrara
Continued from Fifth Page.)

Judge Dundy that an Indian had the right
to sever his tribal relations and claim the
protection Of the United States under the
constitution. Out of this case came the
friendly efforts Of Bright Eyes, an Omaha
Indian girl, her acquaintance with an
Omaha newspaper man writing under DR..
Miller on the old Omaha Herald; a court
ship, engagement and marriage ensued, fol-
lowed by a lecturing tour in the eastern
states and Europe, in which Standing Bear
and Bright Eyes told the story OF the
Poncas to hundreds OF interested audiences.
Out Of the incidents of that time arose the
Indian rights agitation, which has since
given the influence of the best citizenship
and the best legal talent in America to Sc
cure just treatment for the Indian tribes.
One of the results of its work is the passing
away Of the old tribal relation and the
adoption of the Indian as a full citizen of
the United States, all the Nebraska In
dams, 5000 in number, now being citizens
and the men voting at all elections. Bright
Eyes (now Mrs. T.. H. Tibbles) lives in
Lincoln, where her husband edits the Ne
braska Independent. Standing Bears home
is a few miles from Niobrara. The Ponca
episode in Nebraska history waits for its
poet and story-teller, perhaps until one Of
AAiAh bibOu snail dbStIl MS IlIle.
INTEREST i'm the Indian.
The presence Of an Indian population OF
several hundred exercising the rights Of
american citizenship makes a very interest
ing study for the student Of American
politics. Just how to get the Indian vote
on your side is as full of interest to the
Knox county politician as how to corral
the Bohemian or German vote is to the one
of Douglas county To tho atbnnloni.t A.
study of the characteristics of the Ponca
and Santee Sioux people has been at
t%ractive. Many Of the best scientists of
America and Europe have made Niobrara
their temporary home and hundreds of the
finest specimens of ancient and modern
Indian workmanship have gone to enrich
distant museums along with geological
wonders from this region. 1t may be
hoped that Nebraska will be able to retain
in her own borders the large part of what
remain, so that future generations of Ne
braska students may not be compelled to
go to Boston. New Haven or even London
and Paris to study the sources of Nebraska
history. One Of the pioneer mercantile
houses here, the Bonesteel company,
founded by II. E. Bonesteel, deceased, a
member OF the Nebraska state senate in
1887 and a leader in democratic politics in
the early days, has a collection of Indian
ort and industry which is the result of
years OF Indian trading and the admiration
of all visitors. 1t includes the s~calping
knife and the (white) human scalp OF
a generation ago as well as the beautifully
ornamented and pictured pipes and hunt
ing shirts Of later artisans.
Niobrara-L'eau qui Court-Running
Water-liquid syllables that will live to
c~onjure images of Indian teepees by the
side of swift-rushing floods, of buffalo on
tall cliffs above crowned with pine and
cedar, of fur-capped French voyageurs and
bold American frontiersmen, of an era
when the west was a new world and hope
and fancy built a bower together on the
enchanted spot at the junction Of the two
streams-long before the express train from
Omaha steamed in, while the electric
photograph calls out "Niobrara-all aboard
for the upper Missouri, Saskatchewan,
Yukon valley and points beyond"
A. E.. SHELDON.