St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-09-26
SELECT RED-sK1NNED WIVES.
American Army Officers Who Have
Linked Their Lives with
Those Of Squaws.

worth that the government is taking no
tice of army officers who married Fill
Pine girls after the loose fashion Of the
islands and then abandoned them. The
particular case is one in which a young
officer became engaged to Leaven-
worth girl. 1t was known that this Off
Ger had lived with Filipino girl near
Manila after some sort of marriage
ceremony. The Leavenworth girl is
said to have no objections to the facts
in the case and will marry her lover
when he gets divorce from his Filipino
wife, states the Kansas City Journal.
However, there is nothing particularly
new in the revelations with respect to
"morganatic" marriages by United
States army officers. Before the civil
war it was almost the customary thing
for officers stationed in Oregon or Wash
ington Territory to consort with Indian
girls. At Tacoma or Seattle the visitor
often has pointed out to him half-breeds
who bear the names of some of the most
distinguished of civil war generals and
who are known to be the sons or daugh-
tiers of these officers. 1t is explained that
when these officers were young lieu
tenants they were stationed in the wilds
of the northeast far from the society
of women of their own kind; that they
needed housekeepers; that 1t was the
custom of the region for white men to
consort with Indian maidens; that, ac-
cording to Indian standards, there was
nothing wrong about it and that from
every standpoint 1t was advantageous
to the girl taken for temporary wife.
At the little town of Puyallup, ten
miles from Tacoma, there are two fine
looking men who bear the name of gen.
eral who for long time was at the head
Of the quartermaster's department of the
United States army. These men are the
mother, a Puyallup Indian. when he was
lieutenant and stationed at the Puy-
allup Indian agency long before the civil
war. In later years he married an
American woman in the far east and
reared family. But he did not aban-
don his family on the Pacific coast. His
sons were taken east and put through
one of the leading colleges. He frequent
~ visited them and openly acknowl-
edged them. On one occasion, at least,
he was accompanied by his American
wife, who seemed to know the circum-
stances and to have accepted them philo-
sophically. His Indian wife lived for
American spouse, though he never Wis
tied her. But old-timers about Tacoma
will tell the visitor how he made her
old age comfortable while caring as
father should for the sons of their mar
rage
LiEhtninR'a Queer Prank.
In the state Of Maine lightning has
been playing pranks in way to star
tie the Inhabitants. Two miles above
Norridgewock, In clearing on the
west bank Of the river, stood a tall
pine, from limb of which some years
ago student Of the Eaton school
hanged himself. When the woodsmsn
came that way afterward they cut
down all the other pines, but spared
the suicide tree, as 1t has been known.
One night bolt Of lightning stripped
from the tree every branch except that
from which the student hanged him
self, and which is identified by a notch |
cut where the rope was fastened. All
little way of the lightning cut deep
and narrow channel through the CEN
ter of q great fiat rock on the river
bank. as neatly as stone cutters could
have done it.