Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-10
WOMAN IS TRUE
INDIAN FRIEND
MRS. FOWLER PROMINENT AT
CONFERENCE
WORKED WITH THE AUTHOR OF
"RAMoNA"
Riverside County Home of First Gov
eminent Teacher in California.
Began Her Lahors In
Test School

Moving quietly among the throngs
that attended the Indian conference at
the Glenwood last week could be seen
a woman whom all who have the good
fortune to know delight to honor
Most OF all do the visiting Indians
count themselves as very fortunate TO
be numbered among her friends, ana
more than any other woman perhaps
in Southern California revere her as
their one best friend.
Twenty-eight long years ago n klnu
Providence which is looking after the
welfare of the unfortunate red man
for whom the light of better days
seems but now to be dawning placed
Mary Sheriff in the way of becoming
the Instructor of the first government |
school TO be established among the IN
dams of California. Miss Sheriff later
became Mrs. w. p. Fowler, and by that
name is we'll known to many in the
state, but more particularly In South |
ern California, says the Riverside
Press.
Furnished Material for 'Ramona"
If Helen Hunt Jackson, who wrote
the immortal Ramona which has
been aptly termed the Uncle Toms
Cabin" of the Indian, were alive TO-DAY
she would have much to tell OF Mrs.
Fowler's important part in the Shaping
of that wonderful story during some
of the time that she was gathering ner
material she was the guest OF MIS-.
Fowler In her San Jacinto home and In
the picturesque Indian village or So
boba, which still nestles under the
shadow of Mt. San Jacinto, about
whose hoary head there cluster many
Indian legends. and where Tauquitz'
.'the evil one" can still be heard as ne
ruimbies the great door across his cave
entrance.
Mrs. jackson secured the climax for
her story from Mrs Fowler, who, AFTER
the work on the book had been started
sent the author the facts concerning
the death of Alessandro at San Jacinto
at the hands of Jim Farrar. or San
Trimple, as he Is well known In TINS
county.
The home of Ramona has been placed
by jealous Southern Californlans all
over the southern part of the state out
San Jacinto has really the best claim TO
the location of the famed habitatlon, as
indeed there IL no disputing the TACT
that the characters of Alessandro (Juan
Diego), Jim Farrar and Aunt Ri (Mrs.
l. O. Jordan) are taken from san ia
cinto One description of Ramona
home depicts the scene OF SICK girl
who Mrs. Fowler once took Mrs.
Jackson to see. 1t was Mrs Fowlers
GOOD fortune to make water color
sketch of this adobe home before the
earthouake of Christmas morning, l9oo,
shooL MANY of the old walls down,
buryine four of the village basket max
ers under them.
The First Indian Teacher
Mrs. Fowler came to California from
Pennsylvania in 1880, and the work tnat
she afterward took up with the IN
dams was farthest from her thought
At San Ignacio, which is one OF the
oldest Soutl. srn California settlements,
she became interested in the efforts OF
some of the Indian boys of the Coahuit-
La tribe to learn English. This in turn
interested the Indian agent, ana ne
asked Mrs Fowler if she would consent
to preside over school In case ne Sc
cured the consent of the government 10
establish one at San Jacinto. She re-
,,Iied that she would in case her health
,vouId hermit, and in October OF that
wear. 1880, she received commission
from the government to teach the
school that was established merely as
a test school among the lhoiahs Vi
California. , ,,, 90
forts of that time are seen even in XIV
erside today, for not without the sue
cess of that first experimental schooi
among the Indians of California, ana
particularly Southern California, would
the government have established Sher-
man institute, which TO-DAY constitutes
the Carlisle of the west
For seven years did Mrs. Fowler
remain at her post and though not
engaged officially since, she has taken
an active interest in all that pertalned
10 the welfare of the Indians and has
kent in close touch with them ana
their needs. In connection with the
Woman's Indian Relief association of
pbiladelphia she organized the RAJ
mona mission, and under its auspices
did much for the Indians in the i'm
movement of the industrial conditions
of their homes. She has been for a
number of years and is now state SUI
nerintendent of the department work
of the w. C. T. U. among the Indians
Why Mrs. jackson Came
The occasion of Mrs Fowler's meet
ing with Mrs. Jackson and the import
ant results of that meeting - which
was no less than the securing to the
Sobobans of the land on which they
now live--is an interesting chapter
Mrs. Jackson went to San Jacinto II
the spring of 1882 for the purpose o.
writing an article for the Century
magazine concerning the condition o.
the California Indians. This was ont
of a series of four articles the pub
fishers sent her to California to Sc
cure The choice of topic for tn,
fourth article was to be optional will
the author, and she selected the In
dams, as appealing TO ner the mor'
strongly.
Riverside was made the center of on
of these articles, which had for it
subject the industries of Southern
California. The second article, which
uertained to the old missions, had TO
a title, Padre Junipero Sierra and Hi
Work" 1t is interesting to note il
this connection that Mrs. Fowler ad
heres to the former Spanish pronuncia
ton that accents the third syllabl
of this word, stating that she can fin,
no authority for the accent on tn
antepenult. The other paper Mrs
jackson was commissioned to writ
was on the old Spanish life of Los An
geles, and this she treated under tn
picturesque title of ECHOES from tn
City of the Angels"
How Sobobans caved Lands
The authors choice of the subjec
with regard to the Indians was wha
took her to San Jacintos and she be
came greatly interested in the Ian
troubles of the Sobobans Mrs. Fow
Ter suggested sending personal let
ter of appeal from one of the India
boys. but this the author though
would be useless, as a department
clerk would be likely to consign 1t
the waste basket. Later Mrs. Jackso
thought better of this and wrote Mr.
Fowler to forward her the letter, to
Unf N 60. TO- - A - ....1