Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1921-11-24
LADY WRITER
HAS TROUBLES
DEPLORES CONDITION OF KOOTR-
MAI INDIANS AND SCORES AN
H1PATHY OF LOCAL FOLKS
IS THE QUEEN OF ALL CRAFTERS
Claimed To Be Here To Get Data for
Magazine Article.

MISS ElZdUetu nope f1dupt, -WuU
claims to be a lecturer and magazine
writer, spent couple of days of her
valuable time in Bonners Ferry,
Thursday and Friday of this week,
leaving in a great huff when it seemed
local folks did not respond heartily
to her apparently distorted ideas of
Indian uplift work.
Miss Haupt worked fast Upon her
arrival here she Immediately button
holed several prominent folks, in
formed them that her mission here
was to secure data concerning the
Kootenai Indians and that she was
preparing. an article to be published
in the Geographical Magazine, in
which this locality would be praised
shy-high.
This lady of literary skill finally
found her way to the Kootenai Mission,
where, according to reports, she dis
played audacious gall in a greater
quantity than is good for one person
to have. Superintendent and Mrs.
Fisher were pestered Several Indians
were visited, interviewed and their
condition deplored Finally Miss
Haupt learned that an Indian had re-
Gently killed a golden eagle and she
Immediately decided that she must
have that eagle and that it must be
sent to President Harding as a gift
from the Kootenai Indians.
The Indian was asked if he would
part with the eagle. Yes, for five dol
lars.
Miss Haupt was all enthusiasm.
Fine, the eagle must be loaded in her
sleigh. She must take it back with
her.
The eagle was placed in the sleigh.
Miss Haupt was ready to depart. Fare
wells were being said But Mr.. Indian
hadn't received his five dollars. He
must either have his eagle or the five
dollars. What cared he for fame?
And all the flattery, all the persuasion
of the gifted Miss Haupt could not
move him, could not melt the stone
heart. Neither were promises of fut-
ure payment of any avail.
Miss Haupt was in despair; she
must have that eagle and the Indian
was obdurate. A happy thought struck
her. If the Indian wouldn't trust her
for measly five dollars she must
prevail upon Supt. Fisher to do so.
You pay him the five dollars. Mr.
Fisher" she said. But Supt. Fisher
was mistrustful and anyway indica-
tions were that it would be a long.
hard winter and the government didn't
pay him to finance whims of lady
magazine writer's.
Despair changed to anger. Out of
the rig she climbed. "Ill not return
to Bonners Ferry in that rig unless
you put that eagle back" she said.
She made good her word and walked
back to town
1t was a tedious hike and she had
time for reflection and also for schem-
ing Mentally she made up a list of
the local folks VINO are looked upon
as the friends of the Kootenais and
upon her return to Bonners Ferry she
visited each one with the appeal, do
you love the Kootenai Indians? How
much do you love the Kootenai Indi-
ans? Do you love them enough to
give me five dollars?" and she ex-
plained that part of the money was to
be used in buying the eagle and hav-
ing 1t sent to President Harding and
part was to be used to defray expenses
in preparing the article she was to
write.
She succeeded in getting a few do
nations. 1t seemed to be question
OF giving her the money or insulting
her. She was persistent The secur-
ing OF that eagle was a life or death
matter with her. And with her vic
TINS 1t was case of digging up to get
rid or her. But at that her success
was limited, enough among those who
loved the Kootenais" and she walled
and ragged at the antipathy of Bonners
Ferry folks, at the "laxness and ineffi-
clency' of Supt. and Mrs. Fisher, at
the "heathenishness" of local clergy.
at the lack of civic pride of the com
munlty and so on. If she forgot any
thng 1t will probably appear in the
article" she is to write.
Anyway Bonners Ferry was a town
In which she could not, would not re-
main another night. She could not
permit herself to be contaminated by
the associations here.
So she hiked until she came to a
Moravia farm home where she secured
lodging for the night and next morn
ing she left for Spokane.
In Spokane Miss Haupt had better
success in her scheme of upliftment
and the story of her activities is told
in the following article published Mon
day in the Spokesman-Review in
which the woman managed to get in
a dig concerning the Condition" of
the Kootenai Indians:
The most prosperous Indians in
the United States are the Nez Perces,
while the most miserable are the 100
kootenais near Bonners Ferry, ac-
cording to Miss Elizabeth Hope Haupt,
a lecturer who is passing through the
city while collecting material for a
magazine article on Indians. Miss
Haupt spoke yesterday at the Bible
schools of the First Presbyterian.
First United Presbyterian and Central
Methodist churches.
heard at Washington, d. c., that
the Indians of the northwest were
prosperous, with the exception of the
Kootenais, and went 400 miles out
OF my way just to see If the stories