Omaha daily bee., 1911-04-12

established its more modern system OF
handling these things. When trouble arose
between lessons and lessees. growing out
OK alleged trespass or otherwise. the cat
tlemen were quite content to leave the
case to Quanah TO settle. and he always
treated them fairly After the passage Of
| several years they subscribed to fund
with which they built him a fine large
house, and he set his people the example
OF living in IT, believing that this would
be one OF the symptoms Of Advancement
which the Great Father would most APP
precate in them A member Of the white
group who had been absent when the hat
was passed wished TO contribute his share,
too and asked Quanah what form II had
better take. Quanah promptly answered
that he would like a roller-top desk and
swivel chair. His white friend exclaimed
in establishment at this. as the chief could
neither read nor write. So Quanah eN-
planned himself
You see," said he illustrating with
appropriate gestures as he went along,
me open desk and sit down in chair
so-and lean back, and put feet up on desk
and light big seegar, and hold newspaper
up in front OF me, all same white man
-sabe? Then, by-m-bye white man he
come in and knock at door. and he say:
Quanah, me want talk t you minute.
And me swing round in chair-so-and puff
lots of smoke in his face. and me say.
Go way! Me vey busy tdayv"
Humor ON Tap.
Quanah's humor was always on tap.
even when he was engaged in serious
business. When the ghost dance furore
broke out in the northwest. somewhat more
than twenty years ago the news Of it
spread into the Oklahoma country and
the Comsnches. with their neighbors. the
kowas and Apaches. became more or less
excited by it, Quanah took the matter
calmly, and il was largely through his in
flUence that the three tribes sent a Joint
committee to Dakota to inquire into the
business. When they returned the ennis
saites united In explaining that the cause
| OF the uprising was the report, generally
believed among the northern Indians that
the Messiah was about to come back to
earth, restore to the Indians their ancient
heritage and drive the whites away The
Apache committeeman was pretty we'll
convinced that this was true and disposed
TO counsel his fellow trbesmen to prepare
Tor the great event. The Kiowa member
was trtfe uncertain. especially as a
tribal election was impending in which he
had something at stake, and he was anx-
ious to propitiate both radicals and con
servatives. But Quanah chucRled a little
when called upon for his opinion, and de-
| liVered himself thus automatically:
"Mebbe-so Messiah he come; mebbe-so
no Any way, me going keep one hand on
Messiah and one hand on Gov-ment-then
me safel'
1t is needless to add that the Messiah craze
wrought little havoc among the Comanches
Red Progressive.
Quansh was a progressive, without being
a reckless iconoclast. He uniformly advised
his followers to adopt the ways Of civiliza-
ton, employed white physicians when he
was ILL., sent his children to school and
tried to make his home a radiating center
Of rational modernism He even Joined
Christian church in his later years. though
suspect that he would have found It diff
ficult to expound the grounds of his faith
beyond simple wish to lean on something
unseen. and higher than himself now that
the worship in which his fathers INDUCED
had been largely swept away or so adul-
terated as to be hardly recognizable. He
remained, through all his cultural vlclssl-
tudes. loyal lover of the old things, even
after he had entirely ceased to regard them
with awe. One of the last talks had with
him was about the changes time had
wrought in the white mans ideals as we'll
as the Indian's-for that was a firm tenet
OF his philosophy; and he framed his argIi-
ment so as to compel support Of the plea
OF some of the older Indians that they
might be allowed TO gather now and then
for big dance in the costumes OF a former
generation, sing their songs Of war and
the chase and Standardization, and gem
orally live again for little while the life
of their traditions. Referring TO this very
Washington's birthday season for an illus
tratlon, he inquired what harm 1t did the
white man 20 dress himself up once a year
in the costume of the Continental troops,
and have sham battles with a mock enemy;
and he reminded me that he had been to
the theater on some Of his visits to the
east and seen white men perform in plays
where they went back to a far remote and
barbarous period for their armor and
their weapons and in which the action was
chiefly fighting
And what answer was possible to such
logic?
! TREASURE LOST IN MAIlSACK