The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-07-21
SPO Pee, SILENT
INDIAN, GOES
BACK TO PEOPLE
BlackfOOt Song Restores Reason
TO Brave, Long Inmate of
Government Asylum
MOTHER SHOT DOWN
BY u. S. SOLDIERS
Was for Long Time Confined
In Old Detroit Federal
Prison

WASHINGTON. July 21-Spo Pee,
the silent Indian" had served out 80
years OF a life sentence for murder
before a Blackfoot indian woman Wis
tied him at the Government Hospital
for the Insane, across the river from
Washington, and charmed him out of
his silence with a Blackfoot baby
song Spo Pee felt the call OF old
memories OF the western prairies stir
within him and he broke his silence
under the spell OF music
He told his history to the Indian
woman and the story created sen.
sation. II resulted in an inyestiga
ton by the Indian office of the in
terror department, and Spo Pee was
pardoned by President Wilson short
time ago.
He is now on his way to the west
With him is travelling an agent OF the
Indian Office, and the old man is to
be restored to his people. The old
mans story begins In the early SOS
on the Montana prairies
Spo Pee was a great hunter and a
warrior as well, and the pride OF the
Blackfoot was carried deep in his
heart In those days the buffalo had
not disappeared from the face OF the
prairie, and although Spo Pee carried
his smooth. bore with the other braves,
he had learned the trick OF drawing a
bow with the best OF them
Many a Blackfoot maiden cast shy
eyes upon him as he passed To his
wigwam Spo Pee brought many
haunch OF buffalo and many a costly
skin or its equivalent in ammunition
and trities from the traders OF the
scattered posts
The buffalo began TO grow scarce
and one day the bison were forgotten,
for the white man had crowded his
red brother and there was bloody war
on the prairies-
Spo Pee was one OF party of war.
painted braves that rode away from
an Indian village one morning at
dawn, for the battle was on with the
white man All day they rode and
al night they came back 70 the vii
lage, but something had happened
during the day.
The war party had been gone but
few hours when a war party OF the
white men rode out from one Of the
army posts with a brutal officer at its
head The soldiers rode over the
brow Of the hill and down a gentle
slope and there they came upon the
Indian village
Only the women, children and the
old men were home for the braves
and the warriors had gone away on
the war path Simple and terrible
were the directions the officer gave
TO HIS men
wipe en- out" was his order and
then followed one OF those far west
tragedies that cause the white man
shame even 20 this day The soldiers
were soldiers and wa Is war. so the
women and the children and the old
men had no chance. Unarmed and
defenseless. they stood and died while
the bullets rained upon the camp.
Every woman, every child and every
Indian patriarch persisted there on the
prairie. for the white men, hardened
with Indian warfare, showed them no
mercy Slaughtered in their wigwams
not an Indian lived TO tell the tale.
The bodies were dragged outside and
the village set on fire The cavalry
men mounted their horses and rode
away over the horizon
At evening the Indian war party
returned 10 find only a heap Of ashes
and the dead bodies OF their families
20 mark the busy village that had
stood there at dawn Spo Pee. search
ing with the others, suddenly grew
stif and the cry OF a wounded animal
came from his throat Before him
lay the murdered form of his mother.
beside the ashes OF his wigwam.
Spo Pee said never q word as he |
prepared her body for the Indian
burial They made a little Indian
cemetery OF the victims, placing the
bodies on rude platforms out of the