The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-07-05
PRESIDENTS TRIP
Continued from page l

noticing a group of Indians nearb!
said he wished the states would "joiI
in encouraging the Indians to EN-
brace the best in American citizen
ship"
Good Luck Token Given President
At Pocatello President Harding
was presented with a polished steel
horseshoe of beautiful design by
Thomas Adkins, Boise blacksmith.
Mr.. Adkins was introduced by ex-
Governor James H. Hawley, who de-
scribed the history of the material
from which the good luck token was
made. Mr.. Adkins then presented
the horse shoe, telling the president
that it was the supreme moment of
his life.
The luck piece was made from a
rusted wagon tongue clevis, or clamp
which was found near the south
bank of the Snake river near Guffey
at the mouth of Sinker creek. This
piece of iron was picked up and taken
to the historical museum at the
statehouse at Boise and the history
made known. This and other pieces
or iron are the sole remainder of a
massacre that occurred at the mouth
of Sinker creek in 1857.
small immigrant train of ten or
more wagons was ambushed at that
point, and the entire party is sup
posed to have persisted. After in
| f1icting cruelties upon the wounded
survivors and then putting them to
death, the entire train was robbed
of all articles of value and then
burned. A party coming few days
later found only few charred bones
and the burnt pieces of metal to in
dictate the awful tragedy.
Governor Hawley, in presenting
the horseshoe to the president, spoke
of the spirit exemplified by the. pion-
GERS of sixty-Six years ago, and in
structed the president to carry the
piece of iron back to the east whence
it came in the spirit of union of in
terests.
The other portion of the iron clevis
will be preserved by the state his
torian with a record showing the
use of the portion that is missing.
In acknowledging the gift Presi-
dent Harding said
81 want to address you, my coun-
trymen, again in order to make &C
acknowledgement of the gift which has
been presented to me.
''Mr. Adkins, I am exceedingly
orofof,11 for fIic focfirnopio1 will
in conformity with your admonition, !
carry it farteher than was originally
intended by those who drove the wa
CONS and met their unfortunate fate. :
There is something else about it that !
| treasure even more. 1t is not alone
the kind wishes of the blacksmith; |
it is not alone that it is symbol of :;
good fortune, but l like to possess it
as a mark of the handicraft Of an
American mechanic, whose numbers,
alas, are growing far too few. l can
remember when the blacksmith was
the most notable citizen in all the
community. Everybody turned to
him for assistance; not few turned
to him for advice; all of his friends
turned to him for the neighborhood
gossip, and he was a great factor in
the community. l think the most
interesting man l have ever known
in all my life was Chandler Smith,
village blacksmith, who shod the
horses sharpened the plowshares, re-
set the wagon tires, and then when
he had no special and urgent repair
work to do turned his attention to
building wagons and buggies, and he
made better ones than any modern
commercial manufacturer ever
turned out. They were really great
men, Mr.. Adkins, who carried on the
trades in the earlier and pioneer
days, and l hope, sir, that you are
preserving their type in this western
/,
81 had no intention of speaking so
long, but if there Is one thing needed
to bring us back to the Industrial
heights in America it is to have men
who work at the bench or elsewhere
put more soul into their work. !
know that Mr.. Adkins has put his
soul into the making of this horse
shoe. Let me say that the greatest '
in life is the pride in 1
he things you have been able to do.
That Is what makes the waste places {
urn into gardens. II we can only |
lave great Industrial army in Am 6
,rica with pride in the work to be
performed, each man eager to do
lis work better than anybody else, I
am sure about the future of in l
lustrial America. thank you, Mr..
Adkins, and I also thank you,. Gov
rnOr Hawley." 4
Editor B. H. Read of the Idaho a
falls Post published the following t
nder the heading of side lights on +
he Presidents trip:
Members of the presidents party a
aid the Idaho Falls crowd was the
argest that has ever heard the presi-
ent deliver rear platform address. !.
hose on the train could scarcely be- IL II
EVE their eyes when they saw the Il
immense crowd that had gathered
ere. 81 did not know there were o
hat many people in Idaho" said one u
ewspaper correspondent. II
The perfect manner in which the g
were carried out in D D
L. | L