The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-09-03
ONE VICTIM o.
A BIG ERROR
Who Has Paid An Awful
Penalty
For Thiny-TWo Years This Indian Brave
Has Mingled With None Of His Own
Race, Nor Any White Man
Save His Guards
The Digest

Out in the Blackfoot district le-
gend had grown up during the last
quarter century and more concern
ing Spo Pee the Indian who was
spirited away by the Great White
Chief, and who would remain forever
hidden, suspended half way between
life and death. And during that
time, thirty-two years in all.
there dwelt in the criminal ward of
the Government Hospital for the
Insane in Washington, D. c., a
strange Indian patient who never
spoke a word to living soul. For
the last ten years Delegate Hamilton,
of the Blackfoot District, has been
carrying on a search for the legend
ary chief, who once had been tried
and adjudged guilty of killing a
white man, but though he went
through every penitentiary in the
country, his search was fruitless. 1t
remained for a party of Blackfoot
Indians. sightseeing in Washington
to discover Spo Pee in the hospital
known as St. Elizabeth's, and to set
about the work OF his liberation.
The Washington Times comments
thus upon his heavy punishment:
awakened from a tortuous and
horrible living nightmare of thirty
two years, Spo Pee, Blackfoot In
dian brave. today takes up the skein
of life where he dropped it third of
a century ago, when the white man,
with an unconscious and bitter irony,
performed the humane" act of COM
muting his death sentence.
Spo Pee probably paid the heav-
lest penalty ever exacted of any hu-
man being in any enlightened land
Snatched from his own people, af-
ter touching farewell to bis daugh-
ter. then three years old, Spo Pee
was placed in a prison where none
could speak his tongue. Then Spo
Pee tried to make signs in Indian
fashion. Fingers cross, one hand on
another. slgnified to him shooting
the bow and arrow. Two fingers
straddling his doubled-up fist meant
horseback ride. Spo Pee had no
war paint, 80 he decorated himself
with buttons and all the trinkets he
could find. He had nothing with
which to trade, so he made strange
devices on scraps of paper and gave
these to his guards.
For all these things Spo Pee was
adjudged insane. Then he was brot
to Washington and put in the ward
for the criminal insane at the Gov
ernment hospital known as ST. Eliz-
abeth's. Taat was thirty-two years
ago. Since then the Indian brave
has mingled with none of his own
race, nor any white man save his
guards, who were sane.
No one but an Indian could have
stood it, his friends assert. But
Spo PEGS stoicism stood him in good
stead.
Soon after l was sentenced" he
said through his interpreter. 1
made a petition to the White Faith
ers to pardon me. | was told the
pardon would come. So l waited
and waited. But now l guess it has
come"
Spo Pee broke into a smile that
bore nothing of resentment or ma
lignance, as he sat surrounded by
white men plying him with ques-
tions.
Spo Pee was convicted of killing
a white miner in Montana. in spite
of his earnest assertions that he had
never seen the miner before. and
was only fighting in self-defence.
The plea that he made at that time
has been preserved in the records of
the Indian Office. 1t reads:
You ask me if | have anything
to say why | should not die. Ten
years ago the Great Fathers soldiers
came to my peoples homes and kill
ed great many young men and
women. old men, and little children.
l myself was shot. The soldier
chief did not ask us if we wanted to
die. But you are great chief; you
ask me to say why l should not die.
l did kill the white man, for l
thought if | did not kill him he would
kill me; he told me he would do so.
When l first saw him he would not
take me by the hand"
Spo Pee went on with his account
of the killing and concluded, You