The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-22

the evening. An attache was waiting
at the door for them, and they were
conducted by a short cut ahead of the
waiting lines of people directly to the
Blue Room. If the supplemented In
dams were astonished at the unaccus-
TONED scene of splendOr, their express
slonless faces gave no evidence of it.
or the slightest trace of embarrass-
ment. Calmly they shook hands with
the chief executive, and with every
lady in line despite the offensive bou-
quets, and then slowly and majestically
stalked into the midst of the wondering
throng, behind the line, where they
continued shaking hands the whole
evening, with a condescending How
for every conner.
Chief Joseph, the battle-scarred old
warrior, is next perhaps to Sitting Bull.
the most famous Indian of his time.
He is most impressive figure, over
SIX feet high, CORRESPONDENCE broad
shouldered, with a head and profile of
Roman emperor, his long black hair
slightly tinged with gray. He is dress
ed always in the fashion of his peo-
ple-breech clout. leggins, moccasins,
earrings of haliotas she'll bead neck
laces and bracelets and head-dress of
eagle feathers, falling down behind and
trailing yard upon the ground. 1t
is said that Chief Joseph's blankets
and bead work are the finest ever seen
in Washington, where many Indians
come to consult the Great White
Father" naturally in the best attire
their tribes can produce. His story
is as sad as any in all our sad Indian
history. Provoked to fight the white
man by the Wanton murder of his
people, the stealing of his cattle, and
innumerable outrages and iniustices. he
and his little band of warriors were
chased on that fearful march of a.
thousand miles, impeded by nearly 400
helpless women and children, by three
of our best Indian fighters" with their
well-equipped troopS-Gen. Howard
Gen. Miles and Gen. Sturgis. Chief
Joseph had a young wife and several
children along, who all starved or froze
to death on that long march. When
at last the handful of famished and
WORKOUT warriors that remained were
captured by Gen. Miles, they We're al
most within sight of their destinatio
and their superhuman efforts had been
all in vain. There is nothing to ex-
coed in pathetic eloquence the surren-
der speech of the broken-hearted Chief
Joseph. He said: 81 am tired of fight
ing. Our chiefs are dead. Our little
children are freezing to death. NY
people, some of them. have run away
in the hills and have no blankets, no
food. 1 want to have time to look for
my children. and see how many of
them are left. Maybe 1 shall find them
all among the dead. Hear me. my
chiefs. My heart is sick and sad. From
where the sun now stands l will fight
no more forever" And he has kept
his word, though many times suffer-
ing wrongs that would make white
men fight till the last gasp. His own
Wallowa Valley, in Oregon, beyond the
Snake river, is rapidly filing up with
white settlers. and the Indians are be-
ing crowded out of the last bit of ter
ritory to which they can lay any
claim. 1t is said that all the settlers
can be bought out at the rate of only
SIS the acre. For years the Indians
have been saving UP from their an
nuities, and the sale of cattle and
skins, toward this end. They have now
about two-thirds of the money required
to free their valley from the invaders
peaceably, by purchase, and they ask
mainder. 1t is not a large sum, as
appropriations go in Washington, but
it will not be done.
Congress is economical. in spots.
Other and much larger appropriations
are asked for public buildings that
would be useful and ornamental, but
are not strictly necessary: and these
will be granted. But the act of JUS
tice toward the red wards of the ma
ton, with whom Uncle Samuel has so
many times broken his word, will not
be done.
The ball in honor of Miss Alice
Continued on Page Nine).