Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-11-06

Always the young lieutenant was Interested In
the Sign Language He recognized In 1t medium
of successful diplomacy with the Indians. AS
rule the Indian scouts employed by the cavalry
useless interpreters. He saw that the
first step to gaining the confidence of the various
tribes was to be able to talk with them.
Lieutenant Scott was fortunate in early gain
ing the friendship of remarkable Indian, l-See-O,
q Kiowa. The Kiowas have probably killed more
white men, in proportion to their numbers than
any other tribe. Yet I-See-O is the most famous
peacemaker the Plains have ever seen. He had
deep love for the Indian and the intelligence to
see that in the long run their resistance to the
white man hopeless. He has proved his sol
der courage many times under fire. lie has also
had the moral courage to stand up at the council
fire and tell the assembled warriors the exact
truth Of the situation ISee-O became the guide
philosopher and friend of the young cavalry lieu'
tenant, taught him the refinements of the Sign
Language and gave him a deep insight into the
Indian mind. Together they headed OH many
bloody outbreak.
Today tepee stands on the reservation at Fort
. SILL OKLA isolated from the rest Of the post. In
it lives I-SeeO, seventy years of age and sole
survivor of the Kiowa scout detachment. He is
still sergeant full pay and allowance and he
is unique in the army of the United States In that
he is never to be retired denoted until the post
bugler blows "taps' his soldiers grave. 1t
was General Scott who secured for his friend and
fellow peacemaker and clever scout this unique
reward for his services. The army has built him
a comfortable shack, nicely furnished But E-See-
O will have none of it, except to use 1T as store
house-the range he uses as sort of chifrDnier.
General Scott's long and enviable Indian record
contains many notatiOns like this: Settled by
diplomacy" In fact he seems to have been tho
federal governments main reliance in many times
of threatened trouble. From 1894 to 1897 he was
in charge of Geronimo's band Of Chiricahua
Apaches In 19OS-after he had served in Cuba
as adjutant and in the Philippines as governor OF
the Sulu archipelago and had been four years
superintendent of the United States Military acad-
envy with the rank of cOlOnel-he was sent to
settle the troubles of Navajos in New Mexico and
Kickapoos in Arizona In 1911 he was smoothing
matters with the Hopi Indians in New Mex
ico In 1912 he took charge of the settlement in
Oklahoma and New Mexico of the Apache prfs-
oners of war. In 1913 he settled by diplomacy
the Navajo Indian trouble at Beautiful Mountain
Ariz. In 1915 he settled the Piute trouble at
Bluff, Utah-when he major general and
chief of staff.
And Mole Tequop certainly possessed the re
spect of the fighting Indians of the Plains as
soldier for in 1892 he enlisted and commanded
Troop L, Seventh cavalry, made up of Kiowa, Co
manche and Apache Indians. He held them to the
service through five years of enlistment.
The great war staged fitting climax to Major
General SCOTS career as soldier by putting him
on the front line at Arras and Chalon in command
of the Seventy-eghth division, A. E. F., where he
won his D. S. M.
Perhaps, however, Hugh Lenox Scott is doing
right now as Mole Tequop the best work of his
long career in the service of his country Ger
tain it is that when He-Talks-With-His Hands
lifts his right hand with open palm and spreads
his blanket on the ground-thereby saying in the
Sign Language, II come in peace and friendship
Come and sit down; want to talk'-the widest
Plains Indian will accept the invitation and listen
with open mind. And these days of new riches
and citizenship and a federal policy in
the making are days when the Indian needs
tried and proved friend who understands him.