The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1912-02-02
OUT OF THE
SAVAGE STATE
By DAVID WAL TER CHURCH
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

cred to. say, half q century ago there
were repeated cases Of white children
being carried away by Indians and
brought up in the tribe. Those that
were raised by red men were boys, At
any rate. never read Of girl having
received such treatment. Doubtless
any girl falling into their hands was
killed Savages are not overburdened
with respect for the value Of women.
Some forty years ago was a young
lieutenant In the -th q. 8. cavalry.
and my principal business about that
time was lighting Indians. In one Of
our skirmishes with the Sioux we cap
tured one Of the white boys who had
been brought up as an Indian. lie
was a handsome little fellow. tall and
straight. about fourteen years old. aid
his originally white skin from having
been exposed had turned brown. He
could speak only the Sioux language:
could not remember any life but that
Of an Indian, any father or mother or
other relative. When captured he was
/ fighting like little devil.
| The colonel turned him over to me
to see II could discover his identity.
l questioned the Indians who had been
captured with the boy, but they knew
nothing of his antecedents. since they
had captured him from another tribe
when he was about four years old.
then questioned the boy himself
through an interpreter-and found that
he had once been shown the clothes In
which he had been captured and some
to whom he had belonged. These we're
a pocketbOok, II gold watch and chain
and various other things the boy could
not remember. They had been kept
BY an old squaw. who received them
ut the boys second capture from an
other squaw. to whom they had been
given by the chief of the tribe who had
taken the baby from his parents.
| Having reported this to the colonel,
he directed me to ride under q dag of
truce to the main body of the Sioux.
secure the articles and bring them
back If possible. He authorized me to
pay $50 for them. II necessary. went
| to the Sioux camp. purchased the ar
ticles for song and brought them
back with me.
Besides the watch and the pocket
book was a tintype Of a baby. and q
resemblance could be traced between
It and the boy. There were also some
lace and a bunch of keys on a silver
ring. ! examined the contents Of the
pocketbook. 1t was q long leather one
such as is used to carry unfolded bills.
II there had been any bills in It they
were not there when l looked into It.
There were papers the use of which
were very plain to me. but would
mean nothing to an Indian. For in.
stance. there was a deed to q lot in
the county of Cook, state Of Illinois.
There were a draft on a bank in San
Francisco aud two little books that I
recognized as savings bank books
! reported the ind to the colonel,
and he forwarded my report to Wash.
ington. After long period. during
which we kept the boy-much against
his wtll-at Fort G.. to which we re-
turned after the campaign. the colo
mel received an order to detail some
one to take the boy to the places indi-
Gated by the deed and the savings bank
books. with view to learning who be
was. The colonel gave me the Job.
Looking on the map of Illinois, /
discovered that Cook county was the
site Of Chicago. One Of the bank
books indicated an account in a bank
at Peoria and another In Quincy. both
In the same state.
l set OF In company with the boy,
who by this time had learned a little
English. and on reaching Chicago
found the lot In question to be in the
heart of the city. The deed was in
the name Of Edgar Kyle. This also
was the name on the savings bank
books and the draft on San Francisco.
The draft was for 5000. the accounts
In the savings banks amounted to an
aggregate of $0.743. and the lot In Chi
cago had within few years become
worth about 100000.
Pursuing my investigations, discov-
cred that Edgar Kyle some twelve or
thirteen years before had emigrated or
started In plains schooner for Cali
fornia with his wife and baby, but had |
never been heard from after leaving
the Missouri river.
l felt very sure that they had been
murdered by Indians, their baby car
ried of. that now had him under nv
care. and he was doubtless heir to a
very good property. But I saw very
little hope Of his possessing II.
On his baby clothing were the initial
letters N. k" and on this evidence
collected the draft and the amounts
In the savings banks for him. With
this as a starter ! succeeded in having
the court Of chancery appoint a guard.
Ian for him. and proceedings were be-
gun to secure the lot. which had been
bought in under a foreclosure Of a
mortgage for $4,000. A aaw In the
was discovered which en-.
.bled young Kyle's guardian to recover
the property for him by paying the
mortgage with interest.
Meanwhile Kyle was being educated
ma Is now a prominent resident Of a /,
western city. He still holds the Chi.
ago lot. which is worth three-ouarters I
u q million. He says his hovhood