The Washington herald., 1914-02-25
WOMAN AND THE HOME
WHO'S WHO AMONG WOMEN
OF BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT
Miss Clara D. True Is the "Little Mother" to
1900 Indians Scattered Along the
Rio Grande.
BY MARY h. MULLETT.
slitea ~ JULIA CHANDLER nANz.

(Copgnsht, Islf1
When Miss Clara True graduated from
the Mayville Academy in Missouri a
dozen years ago. the principal Of that
insutution hastened to present her with
a fine letter OF recommendation.
In II he stated in plain terms that his
lex-pupil stood high in the classics" T"
and that she was cultured and refined" !"
OF course this was gratifying to Miss
True, especially rs she expected to teach
school, a profession In which such a
testimonial might come In very handy.
Armed. therefore, with the document
and of course with the qualities which
inspired it-Miss True started out to be-
gin her career. And where do you sup
pose she went, with her elevated stand
Ing In the classics, her culture, and her
refinement?
To a fashionable New York school? To
a preparatory for college? Not anything
like that Let the surprising fact be re-
corded that the one thing she chose to
do with this outfit OF culture and classics
was to teach Indians.
| The school she took charge Of was
government one at the Santa Clara pu-
eblo, In New Mexico. and Miss True
stayed there six whole years. Now,
when that principal stated that she
stood high" in the classics he meant II
hguratively. for in a literal sense Miss
True does not stand high in anything.
She weighs only 1o5 pounds But every
one of that los is pound Of energy and
independence.
In charge of the pueblos at that time
was a superintendent who-but why talk
about a man when he's down? The su-
perintendent has passed on to another
post-by official request-so IL is enough
TO say that he was a large-sized thorn In
Miss True's spiritual flesh.
| When. for instance. she took $50 of her
own money with which to stamp out an
epidemic OF diphtheria, her only reward
from the superintendent was a reprimand
for interfering with what was none of
her business
Failed in His Duty.
He was right about il being none Of
her business II was his! And II was
because he hadn't attended to II that
she had taken a hand in order to save
human life.
Finally. service under the superinten-
dent became absolutely unendurable; SO
Miss True taught in California for
while. Two or three years ago. how
ever, having resigned from the govern
ment service, II was back TO her Indians
\ at Santa Clara that she promptly re-
turned. Here she has a small fruit ranch
which she runs: and another job. which
o
4 Little Mother to the Pueblos"
These puebios, or Indian villages. are
! scattered along tho Rio Grande River
for a distance Of 100 miles. and in them
dwell about 1900 copper-hued inhabi-
tants. Being the friend, protector, in
structor-in short. the little mother to
| these Indians is the job that runs Miss
True
Tho story Of how she contributed to the
4 al of hn inf sg 81
ring as a chapter out of a best seller
Tho superintendent had been letting the
| Indians and their affairs get into several
bad messes. II came out that he had
permitted them to be robbed of their
land. to be cheated in everything from
pastures to pedagogy. and that he had
permitted whisky-selling to them in Yio-
lation OF the law.
When Miss True left the government
service she felt free at last to act. So
she sent for "PIssyfoot" johnson. chief
special officer of the Indian Bureau for
| roofing out the liquor traffic among the
Indians. Johnson came with alacrity
| and worked with energy-also without
fear of, or favor TO. the superintendent.
That gentleman, TO save himself, re-
ported to Washington that johnson was
| there stirring up trouble" So, natu-
rally, when some drunken Indians at
tackled Juan Cruz Ia young deputy ap-
pointed by Johnson) and in the firing
, which ensued one OF the Indians was
killed and Juan Cruz was accused Of hav-
ing shot him, the superintendent was far
from slow to give Washington a garbled
version OF the facts.
Culture Not Wasted.
With this version in their possession.
the government wired johnson not to
defend Juan Cruz in the courts. The lat
ter had, therefore, an excellent prospect
Of being hanged, and the wiles of the su-
perintendent promised to triumph, when
and her name might be True Blue with
out serious damage to the facts-got the
women Of the Rio Grande Valley to-
gether and organized them into Juan
Cruz Defense Committee"
She didn't believe tho young deputy
was guilty. She knew the Indian moth
ers wanted their sons saved from drunk
enness. So she organized the women.
They prepared their own statement OF
the situation and wired il to Washing
ton. Immediately there was something
doing in official circles.
Back, by telegraph, came the order to
johnson to see that Juan Cruz was de-
Tended. An inspector followed mighty
promptly thereafter and investigated the
whole affair. Result? Juan Cruz saved
from the gallows, Johnson's job gone, the
superintendent transferred-and the de-
other work under their Little Mother"
II really looks. doesn't 1t, as If all that
high standing in the classics and all that
culture and refinement were not 80 badly
wasted on the rude red men as at first
IL seemed they might be.