The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-30
S175,OOO FOR AN
INDIAN HE|RESS
Foster Parents Refuse to
Disclose Her
Identity.

Washington, May 29.-SOmeWhere
in Chicago, cared for by wealthy fos-
ter parents, 6-year-old Mildred Soulig-
nv pursues her way sublimely ignor-
ant of the search being made for her
by her natural parents and detectives
in their employ. She is ignorant OF
the fact that she is the daughter or an
Usage Indian sQuaw, and as such Is
entitled to an estate in money and
lands which, by the time she attains
legal age, will be worth upward OF
S175, 200.
Mildred was born in st. Mary's hos
pitaI. Chicago, January 10. 1904, the
offspring of a clandeStine marriage
which both parents wished kept secret.
In the face of existing circumstances,
the mother agreed to abandon the
child before returning to the Usage
reservation in Oklahoma A promi-
nent Chicago physician. then attached
to the hospital, promised TO md
home for the baby. Mildred was
adopted by wealthy, childless cou-
pie. whose identity was known oniy
to the head of the Institution and the
physician who arranged the adoptlon-
Truth Is Kept Secret
Before the adoption the foster par
ents insisted that neither the real
parents nor the child should be al
allowed to know the true status of the
case. This was agreed to and ali
parties were satisfied.
Rut the entire aspect of the case
was changed two years later wnen
Congress enacted a law requiring the
enroIlment of all members OF the
Usage nation, the richest tribe In
North America per capita, and the ap-
nortionment of tribal lands and
money. Immediately Mildred's parents
requested her enrolment, furnishing
| the office of the commissioner OF IN
dian affairs in this city with the re-
duired proof of her birth and exist
ence. The necessary evidence was 1ur-
nished by the Chicago physician, VINO
however, refused to divulge her
whereabouts
Demands for Proof.
The stumbling block, and the fea-
ture that brought the Indian com mis-
sioner into the case, appeared when
the Indian agent for the Usage tribe
insisted that the mother show PROOF
that the child would be benefited
the annuities from the estate, which
the mother wished to. draw. At the
same time local attorneys acting fol-
| the Usage tribe, on the assumpuor
that the child for which annuites
were claimed was nothing more ma
/ J6Tldl imam the OllSplAilS CA q RN-~-AA
| IMAGINATION, asked the interior de-
| partnent for proof that the little CIR
existed.
Richer as She Is.
Again the Chicago physician was
appealed to. He called in the foster
parents. They refused absolutely &c
allow their identities to be known, the
foster father declaring that by the
terms of his will he had made Mildred
heiress to a far greater estate thar
she ever would acquire from the
| Usage nation and that, as she was ig.
| norant of her mixed lineage, anc
would be happier in that Ignorance
he would insist that the original In.
tentions of the contract be adhered
to.
There this strange case rests. so Ia
as the federal authorities are con
cerned. The estate continues to pile
uo money in Mildred's name in the
| United States treasury, and will con
tinue to, so far as the authorities arr
concerned, until the Usage nation
proves not only that Mildred is dead
| but that she died without heirs.
Spend Decoration day at Saltair-
Take the children t. Wandamere, th'