The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-03-24

On October 4, General Howard
with his two aides, Lieut.. Guy How
ard, his son, and Lieutenant Wood,
accompanied by two friendly Nez
Perces (both of whom had daugh-
tiers in the hostile camp and an in
terpreter, arrived in Miles camp.
The next day, these two Nez Perces,
George and Captain John, entered
the camp of the beleaguered Indi-
ans. They told the chief that Cen
eral Howard was there with prom
Uses Of good treatment and that his
whole command was only two or
three days behind him. With tears
in their eyes they begged him to
surrender because his was a lost
cause and Joseph agreed.
The scene which followed is de-
scribed by Wood in letter which
has never before been published. 1t
follows:
''The surrender was October 3,
1877. Joseph rode up the hill near
to sunset to where we were-How-
ard, Miles, Chapman, the interpre-
ter; Oscar Long, adjutant to Miles,
Guy Howard, the generals son and
aide de camp, and myself. was
aide de camp, also adjutant general
in the field-in charge Of records,
etc.
''Three or four men on foot hung
around Joseph, clinging to his knees
and saddle blanket. All were bare
headed. Joseph's hair hung in two
braids on each side of his face. He
wore q blanket do not remem-
Der the color, but would say gray
with black stripe and I would say
it was girdled about his waist but
carried up and around his shoulders.
Under his blanket he wore wooden
shirt open at the throat, dark
color-I am inclined to think it was
army blue. He wore moccasins and
leggings. His rifle was across the
pommel in front of him. When he
dismounted he picked up his rifle,
pulled his blanket closer around him
and walked toward General Howard
and offered him the rifle. Howard
waved him toward Miles. He then
walked to Miles and began his
speech" 49,
The text of that historic speech as
given by Colonel Wood follows:
Tell General Howard 1 know
his heart. What he told me be-
fore-I have it in my heart.
I am tired Of fighting. Our
chiefs are killed. Looking Glass
is dead. T0o-hul-hul-Sui is dead.
1t is the young men now who
say Eyes" and emo" (vote I'm
the council). He who led on the
young men (Ollicut, his brother)
is dead. 1t Is cold and we have
no blankets. The little children
are freezing to death. My pe0-
ple-some Of them-have run
away to the hills and have NO
blankets, no food. No one knows
where they are-perhaps freez-
ing to death. / want to have time
+ to look for my children and see !
how many Of them / can find;
maybe 1 shall find them among
the dead. Hear me, my chiefs,
my heart is sick and sad. From
where the sun now stands I will
fight no more forever!
The above version Of the "surren-
der speech" is the one given in an
article ''Chief Joseph, the Nez
Perez" by Colonel Wood which ap-
peared in the Century magazine for
May, 1884. It has often been re-
printed with considerable variation
in the text but we have Colonel
Woods assertion Tin Chester A.
Fees "Chief Joseph-The Biogra-
ply of Great Indian") that this is
the correct one. In the letter, previ-
ously quoted, he says: Neither Gen.
eral Miles nor anyone else knows Jo-
seph's long surrender speech accu-
rately except myself. No one was
interested to take it down. Oscar
Long, Miles regimental adjutant,
was there to take it down but did
not. No one was told to take it
W.T. XUT