The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-02-29
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TKe mother 81 an Indian baby
dreamed stranE dream. An don pIt8
/ she III d rainbow and Sunderit her
3iittle sons name il Engll y letter y
Ing. TIE medicine mem Of her people
ygolt family Of the Seneca Ip=I
dishs, living near Butialc sad the
dream meant that her infant would
ione day become q chief among ne
white mem This was In 1928. The
boy tr6mE earliest babyhoed head the
prophecy; and he shaped his We 70;
yardl iul9lling Il 4, III Il,
He was first known % He.nosa,an-.
sdaI Itile reader ater. when as z
Youth his talents. cotrs Sc ~ and
strength won him the rank Of ssshllep
I Of the Senecas. the name was chang
ed to Do.ne.haga ava Guardian n the
Western Gate). But native rank and
title did not satisfy the ambition OF
theElad. he Remembered the prophecy
and resolved to become as the white
Tnan about him, He took the name
ely Samuel Parker" and began his
long struggle to reach the heights oc-
cupled, by. his white brethren. From
the first there were endless obstacles
inShis!path.l
as Meets the "Rarred Door,
For instance, when he had master.
ed a good school education he want
ed 10 70 to college, but found the way
closed to him. Next he studied law,
but when he applied for admittance
to the bar he was told by the authors
ties that Indians were not citizens.
and that only citizen could become
a lawyer The man whose ancestors
had ruled III America for centuries
before Columbus landed was denied.
citizenship in this country But.
checked ia one career, Parker turned
at once to another. HezwFnt 70 the,
Polytechnic Institute at 'Troy,N N: W
and there learned the profession Of
civil engineer: He wasHgraduated with
thish, honors and set forth on q bust
ness mission to Galena lll.erThat
move decided his whole tfpture4
For at Galena, the tacitnrn young
indian, who Was everywhere baked
in his efforts to rise in life, met an
other equally silent man whom the
world at that time looked 3.oa as 2.
pitifuI failure. The "othef man was
Ulysses IS. Grant. The two quiet
failures" struck up a lifelong friend-
ship. Soon afterWard the civil war
began. Each Of the twotmen thought
he saw d chance to redeem himself:
HonoaBly discharged soldiers veto
entitled to4 citizenship. Parkers ops
portunity. to become aAcitizen seemed
| to have arrived at LAST He eppled1 r.
the governor OF New York for o COM
mission, An the army But again his
lad LUCK st6od firm. The, plea for a
! ,ceRmi ssIop, was. refused. So vas. @,
|, SECOND lofehpest that he sent q the
| government, at Washington. h, h,
But President Lincoln had away pt
consulting Justice rather than red
tape. He heard Of Parker's Gaze and
in 1858 sent him q eaptain's con mi
! .sion and soldesed, sAlm 3lsl.I
duty 10 General Grant, By this time
1.-THE naple of Grants was beeSntHg'
| as4 tandgs as IT. had once sbeei. Oh
scllrs. Yet the general did not for
| get the friendship Of the old Galena
days, He gave. Parker a position on
/ Indian his military secretary gii q
Al Grants dictation Parker drew
up the ferns Of surrender which Cen
| eras Zee signed at Anponattox In
Apr4l,; 1856, When Lee entered the
| room to sign the document and
| caught his fret glimpse. Of Parker, he
thought that Grant had sought tp in;
suit him by having q negro present
to witness his Official humillatlons
But as soon as he learned that Parker
was an Indian the Confederate gen.
eral treated. him with e$tren1e eour-
tesy. ,ls ~ rs =
Paskergiu 1885 was made breyet
briga.iier general Of volunteers, and
two years 5aiterward bTigadier gen
eral 10 the regular army, height
which no Indian had hitherto reached.
In spite Of THIS he,had great diflculty
III enforcing his right 1o.yote. Grant.
on becoming $presideH, made Parker
/ a, commissioner Of Indian affairs, IL
was almost the FIRST. instance ola full:
FLOODED indian receiving political Of
Ace under the United States govern
4 ment.e but Parker served with dis
tinction. and tactiibghis dacidedlytroa-
blesarhs position. In 1851 he aston
ished local aoSiety by marrying Miss
I Minnie sackett, aan.e acknowledged
washington. belle. He was received
IN good society and his brilliant ca
reer seemed destined to-. atretch
ahead for many years. ~
4 Downfall Of 4 career.
But as soon as Grant left the presl'
deIlcy PaFker's public life ended
without Grants influence to back him
!. the feeling against red men at large
was apparently too strong for him 70
overcome, ]. 1t was about 'Ehis time