The Washington times., 1914-07-08
FREE SPO PEE AF TER
b, "a PRISON YEARS
6 ackfoot Indian viii Seek
Daughter, Then Return to
His Tribe.
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noises" he said grimly, ''I used to lie,
d try to feel right there quitting his
D nd over his hearO and then when l
sw peaceful l knew the Great Spirit
v as in me, and 1 could go to sleep"
he religions of the Indian are as num-
q very simple idea of one Supreme
BsIng.
Father Smith preached to US before
] was taken from my people. ne salo'
and j thought he said fine things;
y hen another man. came along and tolq
ire his religion was no good. so 1
|tllnk your religion very much mixed.
! ] lust believe in the Big Spirit. He
n axes me feel right here, and the pig
Indian again put his hand to his heart.
Spo PEGS first glimpse of the outside
' orld from which he had been snatched
go ruthlessly was had In an automople
de Yesterday evening. Mr.. and Mrs.
JGussei MacLennon and Delegate Robert
:. Hamilton, of the. Blackfeet tribe,
took him for a spin around Potomac
ark. Then they went to the New Cap
5 ol Hotel for dinner, and in the evening
be was received at the office of Indian
commissioner Cato Sells, where a group
Uf newspaper men and officials Of the
Indian office gathered to shake hands
with him.
With Good Nature.
There he sat, with stoical good ma
tIre. in wonderment Of the attention he
was attracting now. He was dressed
In Emerican clothes. his hair was close
j. cropped, and his iron gray mustache
\ ided to his resemblance to many
onzed white men one sees daily.
Eack to Indian dress? Oh, no. White
sllar nice. Shoes nice. l like white
mans clothes. Never go back to In
can clothes" he told his friends.
His air while on his automobile ride
as that of a retired business man,
njoying an evenings spin. He looked
it'll placid and calm interest at the
Strange sights TO him of the city, hut
only once did he show any surprise.
he gave a start when he saw electric
Z gns as they lit up and went out again.
How funny" was his comment, and
he chuckled in amusement at this curl
GUS new spectacle.
Once he was driven near a market
wagon on which the driver was asleep.
Unless the horse know the way, that
man never get home" he told his inter
prefer.
spo Pee was equally composed when
he faced the gathering awaiting him at
Commissioner Sells office. He was told
that the commissioner. with others, had
been wording to obtain his pardon
thought there were those outside
working for me. though 1 did not know
who they were" he replied through In
terpreter Hamilton.
Ask him how it feels to get out" one
reporter requested.
Good" was his cultural and succint
reply.
Would See Daughter.
N has been only in the last few
months that Spo Pee has again picked
up the words Of, his own LANGUAGE
Delegate Hamilton has been a FREQUENT
visitor to his quarters since the move
n1ent for lis pardon was started This
lost memory for words was the final
straw which convinced those about
Eim he was insane
I couldn't talk much" he said last
night, because 1 had forgotten words.
could not find words to say what /
wished. So I was silent Always /
would almost have the word, then It
would go again.
spo PEGS greatest desire is to see his
daughter again. She is his only living
relative. She now is married and is
known as Mrs. Take Gun. She lives
with the Blackfeet tribe at Browning.
Mont. and Spo Pee will be taken to
her by DR.. John Daugherty, of the In
dian Office.
Spo PEGS conviction was for killing
white miner in Montana, just after
the Custer massacre. when feeling be-
'Ween the Indian and the white man
was intense. He claimed he killed the
man in self-defense. Last night he
told virtually the same story he told
at the time of his trial. He said he
never had seen the white man before
Spo PEGS statement at his trial Is
preserved in the records of the Ind!ar
Office. 1t is considered a specimen oi
simple expression.
You ask me if have anything t.
say why i should not die. Ten year.
ago the Great Fathers soldiers cam
10 my peoples homes and killed Z
great many young men and women. OLE
men and little children. l myself wa,
shot The soldier chief did not ask VI
II We wanted to die. But you are
great chief: you ask me to say why
should not die. ] did kill the white man
for / thought II i did not kill him n
would kill me: he told me he would d.
20. When / first saw him he woult
not take me by the hand"
Then Spo Pee went on with his accoun
OF the killing. and concluded. You ar
great chief. and can hang me, bu
YOU have no right to do SO. I hav
spoken straight. my heart is brave. /
is done"
Last evening Spo Pee was asked T.
sign MS name In leSlDle ana stead
hand he wrote Purify Spo Pee
Delegate Hamilton explained that n
had learned that purify emant +
make one good" After that he alwav
p-efixed the word to his own name
His Strange Pastime.
Many things about spo PEGS strane
conduct. which led his attendants :
accepts the theory that he was insane
have been disclosed since he again hs
developed the power to express him
self
One Of h!s pastimes at the Govern
ment Hospital was the making c
checks. in imitation of those he ha
helped one attendant make out for
pay roll. He would print" United State
Of America" about the border. tediousl
make an imitation of the L. S. eaR
seal. and write on these checks, "Pur
fy Spo Pee. st. Elizabeth's. WashInt
ton"
When asked about this practice
Eaid he knew the checks were valueles
but he killed time by making the i'm
tstion Of the engraved seal, and
gave the checks TO friends when the
came to visit him in the hope that or
OF them might reach his tribesmen an
reveal his identity.
His fate was unknown to any OF h
race until a delegation of Sioux Indiar
visited the Government Hospital about