Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-26
INDIANS As HUMoRIsTs.
Instances Of stoIid Mirth and RuEEed
Honesty.

Boston ITaubCllpts
Mr. Francis f. Deupp, the commissioner
Of Indian AFFAIRS In his address at Har-
ward on Monday evening combated the
view that Indians are solemn, serious
minded persons, without perception OF HUI
NOR or love Of fun. on one occasion he
found a reservation at which the Indians
were overriding an smiable and conscl-
entious superintendent. waking him up at
all hours OF the night. and breaking In
upon him at meal times, with trifiinE af-
fairs that could be attended TO just as well
in business hours Mr.. Leupp, when the
time came gave them a lecture on the
courtesy they owed to the superintendent,
or agent. as he IL generally called, the
commissioner saying that this officer needed
time to sleep, time to eat time TO be with
his family. and in somewhat eloquent
climax, Some time for rest" Thereupon
an aged Indian, OF striking presence ana
great dignity, arose TO interrupt the
speaker with this explanatory statement;
THE last agent that we had here never
did anything but rest"
on another occasion an Episcopal bishop
was travelling through the Navajo coun-
try accompanied by an Indian guide. When
night came on the bishop consulted his COM
panion as to the best means OF hiding
pocketbook watch and other valuables In
his possession. The Indian promptly ridi-
culed the idea that there was any neces-
sity for doing this. bringing forward this
convincing proof of the soundness OF his
recommendations: There isn't another
white man within 100 miles" Mr.. Leupp
thinks the Indian essentially honest as
people, in spite Of all the legends to the
contrary which finger in frontier settle
A.Is - Hi u, ,erVsaz aO
years ago, backed by many phllanthropic
bodies, to appropriate $4,000 for the relief
OF a tribe which was then In sore distress
through the failure Of its crops. 1t had
been reduced to the necessity OF eating
its ponies. which is an Indians last re-
sort While the bill was pending two o.
the wise old leaders Of the tribe wrote to
Mr. Leupp urging him to use every atom
of personal influence that he possessed
against It's passage. saying that they pre-
ferred to endure their present sufferings
rather than run the risk OF pauperizing
their young men. He knew Of few other
peoples in the world who would have this
degree of ruggedness!
But perhaps Mr. Leupp's best story shows
the emphasis which the Indian puts on
poiiteness. II was customary at a GER
tain reservation, when payments OF tribal
funds were to be made, for the super
intendent to ask. as each Indians name
was called, II anybody had any claims
against him, which could then be paid,
and the balance turned over On such
an occasion an elderly Indian put in a
claim of 81, to which the younger brave
made no dissent. 1t was accordingly
taken out of the allowance IN the Gus
tomary way A few moments later the
young Indian was discovered a few hundred
yards from the agency beating most un-
mercifully the man who had presented the
81 claim. When he was called to account
for his behavior he replied that the elder
Indian had made a false charge against
him; that no such amount had been due.
why did you not say so?" asked the SUI
perlntendent.
What, tell him he was not telling the
truth? 1t would have been so very impo-
lite"