The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-03-22
LEARNS TO WRITE
NAME IN A NIGHT
Perseverance of ignorant In
dian Enables Him to
Save a Treaty.
he STUDIED: REST SLEPT
WHEN THE GOVERNMENT Off.
GALS DECLARED BAN ON THE
SIGN LANGUAGE, DELAWARE
GOT CLERKS HELP.

Bartlettsville, Okla. March 22.-To
learn to write your name after you
have reached the age OF forty years is
no easy task, and when the task is
performed in a single night, that the
writer might do a service to his coun-
try, the story becomes OF interest.
This is what John Young, a full-blood
Delaware Indian, living twelve miles
north of Bartlettsville, performed.
John is now sixty years of age, and
he was a member twelve years ago
of the last business committee ap-
pointed by the Delawares to complete
the final treaty negotiations on that
trip and get the document signed by
the Indians and representatives of the
government. John talks English well,
but he never learned to read and
write. 1t was this handicap that had
to be overcome in a single night.
There were five members OF the
treaty commission appointed by the
! Delaware tribe. 1t was an important
duty the commission had to perform
and the five men were the best who
could be selected. The government
| took the commissioners to Washing
ton, where the treaty negotiations
were under way. There the commits
sioners were entertained at the New
Willard Hotel and given every care
| and attention. The plan of adopting
| the treaty was finally agreed upon.
Could Not Sign the Treaty.
1t was agreed that the treaty should
be signed by the members of the SEN
ate committee on Indian affairs, by
the secretary of the interior depart
| ment, by the president of the United
States and by each of the five men,
bers of the commission sent by the
Delawares.
This last condition made the pros
pect Of the adoption of the treaty look
bad from the standpoint of the Della
wares. John Young could not write
The Indians asked if Young could not
be allowed to make his mark, but
those in control of the government s
interest in the case were obdurate
The fact that Young could not write
seemed to make it necessary to de-
clare off treaty negotiations.
The Indians would have to return
to the tribe and another commission
would have had to be selected by a
conference in the place of Young The
Indians realized that their people at
home were expecting them to com
plete the treaty negotiations on that
trip and get the tribal affairs straight.
ENvroofiv,o h,< \
have to drop the negotiations and
7djourn when they should meet the
ext day the Indian and government
representatives. finally adjourned their
Meeting for twenty-four hours.
Practices All Night.
Then it was that John Young arose
to the occasion and showed that he
was made of the right kind of mater
ial. He had seen other men draw
signs on pieces of paper and he knew
they called it writing. He had seen
the written names of other men and
observed that there was a similarity
about the name every time he saw it.
Knowing these things, he believed he
could learn to put down the sign that
| AAA~uAe oChA ne went 10 the
clerk in the New Willard hotel and
asked him to write the name John
Young on card. He took this card
and a supply of writing materials to
his room. All night long he sat there
and with the logged persistence of his
people copied that name over and
over
While the other members of the
commission slept or thought of their
fruitless trip John simply drew over
and over again the symbol that meant
nothing to him, but would pass with
the government as his name.
When morning came he had covered
his room with scraps of paper, but his
task was accomplished. The clerk in
the hotel happened to be a very good
writer. and when the treaty was pre-
sented to John Young for his sigma
ture the name that went down as the
pen glideG over the paper looked as
If it had been engraved.
John doesn't talk about the task he
performed the night he worked to dc
his tribe service. He is a simple
kindly old Indian. with a large fam,
lily. He owns the lake near Conan
known as Young's Lake, and he likes
to meet and talk to the hunters who
go out there from town. but he is very
modest about his own achievement.