The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-03

feathers. He was a grand upstand-
ing figure of a man. Yet he looked
diminutive beside the big, fat forms
of the Usage and the masculine Shaw
nees, until he looked around and then
the big husky Osages and the tall
ShawHees seemed to wither away and
leave but the single figure of the
old warrior in the foreground.
He took occasion early in the con-
vention of Indians to show his con-
tempt for the blanket Indians When
he was introduced to the chief of the
other tribes he held limp hand and
did not say word. One of the
other chiefs said it was like shaking
hands with monument.
In his speech made at that time he
said: 1.-THE hope of my people is the
Christian religion. BY that alone will
the remnant that remains be saved.
They need some restraint. Too long
have they been enemies of the white
man. Too long have they fought the
white men. The white brothers will
do all right by the Indians. 1t is the
Indians fault. 1 believe in God my
self Geronimo is a member of the
Dutch Reformed church near Fort
Sill and is an active worker in the
church) and every Indian ought to be-
lieve in God and follow his teachings
The sooner the Indians find that he
will keep on dying out Unless he does
something to save himself the sooner
VIII the 1Huidl amount 10 something.
Indian amounts to nothing now. Great
White Father pays no attention to In
dian. Indian goes to Great White
Father, gets drunk. Great White
Father disguised and turns away
Indian ought to go to Great White
Father like white man. White man
goes to Great White Father, and
Great White Father listens. White
man goes sober, Indian should do
same.
81 want to go back to my old home
before I die" the old chief said
plaintively, II am tired of killing
white brother. / am So years old.
Tired of fight and want rest. Want
to go back to the mountains again. L
asked the Great White Father to al
low me to go back and he says no. He
says he can trust ME, but cannot trust
other Indians and there might be Sc
rious trouble. There are not many
Apaches left. White men kill off
Apaches. But Apaches good Indian
now and will remain good. l want to
go to spend my last days upon the
mountains before passing on to the
happy hurting ground prepared for
the Indians"
If an electric shock had passed
swiftly through the aged frame the
effect could not have been more rapid,
when the question was put to him
asking what he thought of Miles He
Strengthened up and his eyes shohe
like Goals. His hands tremb1ed and his
lips twisted as if in spasm of pas
sion. He threw his hand high in the
air above his head and in a muttered
tone in the Spanish tongue he spoke
to the interpreter. The interpreter
said, THE old man does not want to
talk Of General Miles. He does not
want to say anything about those days
He is trying to forget them, and any
reference to the past is very painful
to him and agitates him very much. So
do not mention Miles, or Crook, or
Lawton, or any of the officers who
fought against him"
Wherever Geronimo goes he always
collects about him many curious on
| lockers and rapidly disposes of what
ever curiosity or trinket he is in pos
| session of. 1t is estimated that he
cleared as much as $50 a day at the
Collinsville pow-wow, disposing of his
photographs at 25 cents. and the plac-
| ing of his autograph, very crudely
spelled out name, G-E-R-O-N-I-M-O,
using all capital letters, added another
| Is cents to the value of his cards.