The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-12-13
THE TRIBES LAST STAND.
BY w. c. M'cARTY.

The North American Indian will make his last stand at the Worlds Fair. The once powerful Indian chiefs, and the remnants of their once feared bands of warriors will assemble in numbers for the last time. They will establish their lodges on a plateau overlooking the city of knowledge, and will return, for the time being, to their picturesque life of a hundred years ago. when their sway over much of the lands of the Louisanans purchase was undisputed by the white man.
 It will be a peaceful and digniied stand --the final gathering of chieftians and tribes of a dying race. Peace, the domi- nant theme of the universal exposition. will prevade the Indians camp, and his heme and surroundings will be shown as they were hundreds of years ago, before the white mans civilization forced him to seek the land of the setting sun. The home life of the real Indian will be faith fully portrayed. Those features that have been exploited by mecenary show men, who sacrificed the true and in- teresting portrayal of the Indian life to sensationalism, will be absent.
 The Indian exhibit will be under the direct charge of expert representatives of the United States government, S. M. McGown superintendent of the Indian school at Chlocoo Oklahoma, and who has passed many years among the h. dans, will be superintendent of the ex- hibit The government has appropriated s75,0OO for the maintainance of it. The | At. fyf I,,e. ,1 lotted an advantageous site of 40 acres for the purpose. The tract lies in the wes- tern section of the grounds, north of the great UnitA States map that is worked out in repf Tentative crops of the states and adjoiniiN Uncle Sams farm. The eastern end of the Indian reservation is a precipitous bluff, about 20 feet high, and 1t overlooks practically the entire expo- siton grounds.
 The Indian exhibit will not only be the largest and best that was ever assembled but in all probability it will be the last representative gathering that can be se- cured. In but few places do the Indians retain their primitive mode of life. Each year the circle narrows. Even now one can count on the fingers of one hand the indian chieftians who gained their promi- nance in wars. Further Indian wars arc looked on as impossible and before another exposition of the magnitude of the present enterprise can be launched the primitive red man of the forest will be but a memory.
 Geronimo, the once bloodthirsty Apache chief. who spread terror throughout the southwest until he was finally captured bv General Nelson A. Miles, will be one of the striking feature of the Indian ex- hibit. But Genonimo is more than 70 years old now. and it would look un- reasonable to look for one to succeed him.
 Of all the tribes that roamed Americas forests the Apaches were the most cruel and treacherous And of all the Apaches Geronimo was the most vicious He fought desperately when escape was possible by no other means, But slaught- CT from ambush and the staying of the defenceless was the more to his choosing. Long years of captivity have broken his spirit and he is docile because he has met his master. When General Miles first made Geronimo captive he was sent to Florida. but in a short while he was re- turned to the prison at Fort Sill. Gero- nimo will be nominally free at the Worlds Fair but practically prisoner of war.
 Chief Joseph, of the Neg Perces, also will be one of the interesting personal- ties. He, too, is aged, and while he fought valiantly against the encroach- ments of the white man. he met the foe dS d brave Ildu SlOuiu anu lldS lilt ft- spect of the men who conquered him.
 The Indian exhibit will show the abori- zine and the civilized Indian. On the 40 acre tract there will be a village of Sioux Indians from the Dakotas. They will wear their native picturesque costumes and will live in teepees fashioned from sticks and the skins of wild animals The warriors will be armed with bows. arrows and tomahawks The surroundings of the huts will be made true to nature as possible and the patch of corn tended during the summer by the squaws to augment the food supply brought in from the chase by her master will be shown as it was in the early days.
 The Hopi Indians from Arizona will be allotted a reservation near by. They will maintain their ancient tribal costumes While there is now but a handful of this once powerful tribe left in Arizona, an evidence of their love of the traditions of their forefathers is shown in the fact that the corn they raise has never been crosse6 with other varities, but it is the