Omaha daily bee., 1911-04-12
NOTED LEADER OF RED MAN
Remarkable Traits of Halfbreed
Chief of Comanches.
ROMANCE OF HIS PARENTS
Guide, Philosopher and Friend OF
His Race, PeRcemRker and
Protector In Dealings
with whites.

with whites.
/ THE most picturesque figure In the alb
! original life Of the southwest and the last
OF the great leaders Of the red race IN that
quarter" summarizes the tribute paid to
| the memory OF Quanah Parker, deceased
chief OF the Comanche Indians by Frances
f. Leupp in the Boston Transcript In his
capacity as commissioner Of Indian affairs
under Roosevelt. Mr.. Leupp came in direct
contact with this most remarkable leader
Of red men, and learned to appreciate his
honesty. integrity and unsslfish labors in
behalf Of his kindred. What he accom-
plished and how, his characteristics and
his parentage are thus detailed by Mr.
Leupp
The father Of Quanah was a notable man
among the Comanches. Quanah has repeat
eddy spoken Of him TO me as chief but
| have heard this claim denied though ev-
eryone familiar with the family readily
accords him a high rank. The mother vas
a white girl taken captive by the tribe in
/ one Of its forays. Her name was Cynthia
| Parker and she lived in Chillicothe, o., or,
rather in the then wild region which later
furnished a site for the present city. She
was about seven years old when band
Of Indians found her at play at some DIS
lance from her fathers house and Kid
mapped her. This was i'm the latter end Of
the eighteenth century The disappear
ance OF Cynthia and an elder sister. who
was taken at the same time, aroused great
excitement among the settlers in that part
Of the frontier. but the searching parties
sent out at once were unable to find a
trace Of the children or their captUrs.
Discovery of the Captive.
whole generation had passed when
one day, on the plains of Kansas, a corn
pany of white troops surrounded a hand
Of hostile Indians and swept down upon
their camp, where she was found In the
tepee Of the head man Of the band, fine
looking woman in Indian costume with the
Indian carriage and address. but obviously
not of Indian blood Although she could
speak no English, having forgotten her
mother tongue through long disuse the
commanding officer discovered through an
interpreter that she remembered some of
her child history and she was soon iden-
titled as the stolen Cynthia Parker. She
was taken back to Ohio, where a number
OF her relatives recognized her and did
all they could to induce her to stay with
them; but she could not reconcile herself
to ,the change from the free life of tle
Indian camp to the restrictions Of the
modern social order nor could she bear
separation from her Comanche husband
and the children she had borne him, one
of them being the baby Quanah. So, after
) a years vain struggle TO adapt herself to
the ways of those about her, she was per-
mitted to return, and thenceforward fol-
lowed the fortunes of her adopted people.
This is the story as I nave had 1t from
Quanah's lips, with many details not neces-
{ sary to rehearse here. Quanah was always
very reverent of his mothers memory and
used to say that his faculty for getting
along with the white mems government
was due to the white strains OF blood which
, he drew from her. OF his father, most Ct
his stories had TO do with humorous Incl
dents.
A Poser.
Nobody among the Comanches of our
day ever attempted to contest with Quanah
I his authority I'm the tribe, which was king
r like both in its scope and in his manner
; OF exercising it. The national government
2 early recognized this trait as a valuable
asset in transacting business with his peo-
r pie and made large use of II, He really
continued to rule long after II had been
I made known to the Indians that the era
D Of chiefs had passed away, and that their
] fealty was now TO be given to the Great
Father at Washington. When a payment
, of money was to be made to the Conan
4 ches per capita, he always sat at the head
of the pay table, identified the men and
8 women as their names were announced
o verified the numbers and sexes and ages OF
e their families respectively. maintained or
der when any trouble threatened, and in
J every way proved a useful coadjutor tc
! the agent and his clerks 1t was the same
way when individual Indians wished e
' lease their lands to white farmers Quanah
{ was able to furnish the leasing Officers
with whatever information was needed
D about the circumstances Of a would-be
4 lessor or the condition of his household
- Family disputes within his following were
referred to him almost every day. to set
r tie like a benevolent police MAGISTRATE
4 and to his credit it should be said that,
D although In more ways than one he re-
! sembled an oriental cadi, he usually con-
trived to do substantial justice in matters
Z which would have sorely puzzled a white
I Judge unskiIled In the lntricacles Of aborigi-
nal ethics. He had a quaint way Of put
ting things which sometimes upset the
grave conclusions Of men better educated
, than he. Secretary Noble, during the HGr-
\ rison administration, set himself the task
4 OF breaking up polygamy among the In
, dams Some OF the chiefs affected resented
a his interference, and threatened mischief
Others sulked and plotted. ouanah re-
ceived with perfect good nature the lecture
n on his sinfulness which the secretary de-
. livered TO him In person, and then re-
, sponded: "Ir Secretary, I have thre,
wives I love them all the same. dom
. know which two I should put away YOU
= tell me, and then L will go home and
= do A."
i AS he had cleverly foreseen, his adver
:, ( sary was posed. The secretary rubbed hil
3 forehead. played little with his eye
glasses TO kill time, cleared his throat
y sententiously, and pronounced his iudg
a ment that Quanah had better keep all his
. wives as long as they lived and behaved
n themselves, but not take any more; bu
i babe him bring up his children. and tn,
young men Of his tribe, 70 the practc,
4 Of monogamy.
Heap Like white Man,