The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-05
INDIAN MAID SURPRISED HERE
NOT A PRINCESS AND VERY MUCH
LIKE OTHER GIRLS.

She says please go Away"-She II
Gen. Pleasant POrtPr's Daughter and
Is studying MuslC. not for the stage,
Four reporters and three fashlighi
manipulators struck the trail Of an Indian
| Princess late yesterday afternoon, and
before tho falling rain made tracking inn
possible had brought the demure little
maiden, who might be called The last Of
the Creeks. to bay In a brownstone tepee
popularity known as a boarding house, at
30 West Twenty-ffth street. There fol-
lowed a narrowing session for the Indian
Princess, who tried to answer n dozen
questions at once, while keeping out Of
range Of three bloodthirsty cameras.
For the last six months Mamie A.
Porter Of Muskoge l. r.. elder daugh-
! ter Of Gen. Pleasant Porter, head Of the
Creek Nation, has been leading a happy
! life in this capital Of civilization. studying
vocal music principally, and conducting
herself just like the average New York
girl Of good breeding She journeyed
back and forth from a music studio daily,
and aside from her dark velvety com
plexion and black hair there was nothing
in her appearance TO suggest that she had
been any nearer an Indian reservation
than Madison Square Garden when the
Sportsmen's Show was there. To be sure
she usually carried little buckskin reticule,
but so do lots Of Indian girls Of the tribe
Of Manhattan.
There are some highly civilized things.
though. that an Indian girl doesn't think
Of One Of them Is sending her picture
and family history to the newspapers.
A woman acquaintance did that for Miss
"a
she tripped gGyly into her boarding house
Yesterday afternoon, hummng an Italian
not an lndian-air with which she had
been struggling at the studio, she found
herself surrounded by reporters. She
looked really frightened, and backed into a
cCsey corner 20 plan her escape.
Yes, I'm an Indian, and | suppose for
that reason I'll have TO submit TO treat
ment at your hands, just the same as other
Indians who have been swiped by the
whites ever since Columbus came over
here" she said, using the bit Of slang 10
show that she is a real American. But
since ] have no intention of going on the
stage and am studying music so that may
60 back TO MuskOgCe and be useful II pos
sible to the Creek nation. j think you white
scouts might go away and leave me In
peace.
INV father. although he is head OF the
Creek Nation. is only a hGlf-breed. while
my mother Is a half-breed Cherokee and as
n result ! am IlOlt lnOltn lllhn elilltT OF
them, although my grandfather was an
American.
"I am no different from many other
Indian girls in having had the advantage
Of a good education. We have many first
class schools i'm the Territory. and there
are scarcely any Of the Indian boys and girls
who do not get a fair common school eduCa-
ton. Moreover, many Of Us n sent TO tho
girls schools in the South, where we find
we have such things a. voices capable Of
cultivation and a great love for music.
which makes some Of Us so prcsumptuous
as 20 come 10 your own New York 10 study.
| am a graduate Of Belmont College in
Nashville
Miss Porter said that all thinking Indians
were sorry that with the advent Of the
Indian Territory into Statehood in 1905
the tribal governments will be abolished,
but. on the other hand, they feel it means
higher education for them and the situation
really isn't as pathetic as It seems. The
uneducated Indians are not aware Of the
change that is TO come.
"Intermarriages have had much 90 do
with making us glad to accept anything
that means higher civilization" she said.
when an Indian woman loves a man she
likes 10 be as near his equal as the American
civilization can make her and It often
happens to-day that the man she loves
il white. OF course / believe in inter
marriages, because ] have never lived
among full-blood Indians.
'SinCe ] have been studying music |
have had a desire 20 devote my life TO
bringing the beauties Of the Indian folk
songs Before tho American PEOPLE. Tor
that reason, when return home, in a couple
Of weeks, l am going 10 plan 10 do it. II
we only had such a composer a. Victor
Herbert q come among Us and write down
the beautiful little ballads one hears con-
stantly among the Indians, the American
people would hear a vastly different kind
Of music from that which Is 20 popular
now in the theatres They would find
that an Indian ballad consists Of some
thing besides noise
Miss Porter successfully resisted all
attempts TO secure her views on the things
she had seen and the people she had known
since she came 30 New York.
I am only an Indian girl without any
ideas about the things | SEQ that are worth
putting into tyre she said, "and since I
will miss my supper if you keep me In this
corner any longer I do wish you would
take pity on me and 60"
The reporters vent, though the pho
toRraphers stayed to do little more teas
ing.