The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-07-21

| their language was not the Language
/ OF Spo pee and he regarded then
with sulen hate and refused to breal
! his silence Always he waited. yea
| after year, for the long delayed ven
| geance OF the white man. which ht
| felt sure would come some day in ter
rible form and end his servitude for
ever
The winter OF 1914 was changing
into spring when a party OF Black
foot Indians came to Washington on
business with the agents of the Great
White Father While they were In
! Washington, they decided 10 visit the
government hospital where Spo Pee
was incarcerated, still serving out his
life sentence under the belief that
, any day might be his last on earth
Even to Spo Pee the memories OF
the plains were growing vague, and
ne had come to regard his place OF
confinement as home The guards
were kindly to the old Indian, but his
calm, silent composure never relaxed
When the party Of visiting Indians
came TO the government hospital one
OF the guards showed them Spo pee
ASK them to talk to him." said one
OF the guards to the interpreter. "He
might belong 70 their tribe.
Several of the Indians tried to In
duce Spo Pee to speak, but they were
not successful. There was a little
Indian woman in the party, however
who was very curious about Spo Pee s
history She determined to persuade
the Indian to break his long silence,
and she set about the task with all
the patience OF an Indian woman
Spo Pee made a few harsh sounds,
but the Indians could not understand
From long silence he had forgotten
even the accents OF his native speech.
Then the little woman pushed for.
ward She silenced the man and
spoke TO Spo Pee She dropped the
questioning tone the braves har used
and from her lips came the sounds of
the little peoples talk"-the baby
told OF the Blackfeet
They were simple little words she
spoke delivered in lulline, sing.song
tons, that only the mothers ana
babies OF the tribe could understand
Yenrs before, those sounds had been
heard by Spo Pee at his mothers
cries within him
She sang 10 Spo OF the villages. of
the plains, Of the wide prairies and
the vanished buffalo The old man 8
eyes lit with a strange FIRE and she
began 10 question him she asked
Spo Pee. among other questions. his
name, and the long.silent indian open.
ed his mouth and said
"Spo Pee
But the little woman did not pause.
She kept steadily on in her slug,song
chant-the chant " the little peo-
pie" and suddenly Spo Pee startled
those about him wit[ the question
"where is Three Bears?"
This was the first question that had
fallen from Spo PEGS lips I'm all those
long 81 years. and one OF the members
OF the party. startled out Of his IN
dian stolidity by the question, an
swered
"Three Bears has been dead for 26
years"
The words. however. meant nothing
to Spo Pee. but he understood the
Blackfoot death sign and they told
him IN sign language OF the passing
OF Three Bears shadow passed
over the face OF the old Indian and
ne seemed saddened. but the spoken
word had rolled back the silence Of
three decades and Spo Pee, had
spoken
Two days later the Indian Woman
came AGAIN, and Spo Pee asked her
when the white man would put him
70 death. Curious az his question,
she drew out the story OF his strange