April 4, 1889.

Hon. John W. Noble,
Sec'y of Interior,
Washington, D. C.,

Dear Sir:

Your encouragement that I write you war-
rants me in respectfully inviting your attention to an item
connected with the Indian school service. Very recently and
just before you took charge of the Department, new heads were
appointed for our large Indian schools.

The man appointed to superintend Haskell Institute at Lawrence
Kansas, which is the next in size and importance to this
school, never had any experience in connexion with school
work of any kind. He runs two daily papers in Lawrence and
is also an official of a Railroad Company which requires his
presence one day each week at Kansas City, and gives but a
moiety of his time to Haskell. He is a profane man, not at
all in sympathy with the work of Indian education, and by all
accounts his appointment was simply a tremendous sarcasm.

The appointments of the new Superintendents at the other
schools seems much to have been not intended to build up and
improve them. The fact that new men have so simultaneously
been placed at the head of the Genoa, Nebraska, Salem, Oregon,

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED OR REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF
THE YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

VOL. 15

16

2-

Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Haskell, Kansas schools will that no attention was paid to their previous experience or qualifications as either school or Indian service men, creates apprehension as to the intention of the appointments. Our success in Indian education depends largely upon uniform success throughout the whole Indian service, and especially must we look to these large and most favorably located schools for our principal results.

Each of these schools should have at its head a man who not only knows what he ought to do, but who realizes the importance of doing. If the Superintendents, teachers and other employees get their appointments as rewards for political services and not as rewards for success in school and Indian service, we must not expect to succeed. It is in your power to correct these evils and lift the school service to a higher plane at once. I respectfully invite your attention to Section 3, on page 24 of the Indian Appropriation Bill for the current year ending June 30, next. By this the Indian School Superintendent has sole power, subject to your approval, to employ and discharge Superintendents and other employees from all the Indian schools. Almost three months of this law remains available and the new law contained in Section 10, on page 30 of the Indian Appropriation Bill for the year beginning the first of July next is not operative until the old law ex-

VOL. 15

pires. These three months can be made to clean out the bad management at the Training schools (at least), and I suggest that if it is not advisable now to appoint a Superintendent who could continue to serve under the new law, one might be appointed temporarily, to actively and effectively under your direction carry out the purposes of the only law in force for the balance of this fiscal year. Would it not be practicable for you to appoint some one already in the service as acting Superintendent and clothe him with all the power the present law provides. I suggest that such Superintendent ought immediately to go to every one of these Training schools and get at the bottom facts of their present condition and discharge the negligent, incompetent, whiskey-drinking and immoral employees; and, under your direction, fill their places and establish those who are worthy and capable. I would suggest that he could best do this by a system of personal and written examinations, added to other and outside testimony.

It would be impossible for me to exaggerate the importance of immediate and energetic action in this matter, in order that we may have the full benefits of next-year's school service.

With great respect,

Your Obedient Servant,

Capt. U.S.A. Supt.

17

VOL. 15

44

April 27, 1889.

O. W. Conrad,
Logansport, Ind.

My Dear Sir:

Your letter of the 24, asking my endorsement of you as Indian Inspector, and enclosing letters from some of my old friends in Logansport, is received.

I have thought the matter over carefully. You ask my best counsel. The temptation to make an effort to oblige my oldest and best friends, is a strong one, and their endorsement of you is so hearty, that I cannot think it at all perfunctory. You seek an appointment to the highest position in the field service of the Indian Department. An Indian Inspector should know every detail of the Indian field service. He should know the duties of Agents and all employes under him. He should be thoroughly informed in regard to the system of accounts; for it is the Inspector's duty to keep the Hon. Secretary of the Interior informed in regard to all neglects and imperfections, as well as wrong doing in the Indian service, and how can he inform the Hon. Secretary in regard to these matters when he does not know them thoroughly himself? He

VOL. 15

45

2-Conrad

should know and have great skill in managing Indians, because when Agents get into difficulties with the Indians it is the Inspector's duty, and he has the power to remove the Agent at once and assume his duties until another Agent is appointed. In my judgment no man should be appointed Indian Inspector, who has not served an apprenticeship in subordinate capacities in the field service of the Department, and especially should he have served successfully as an Indian Agent. Governed by those principles I have already given my influence in favor of three of the old and well tried, and successful Indian Agents who were removed from office as Agents by the past Administration, and who now seek to return to the service and who feel themselves qualified for the duties of Inspectors.

I could not go farther in bringing you to the attention of the Department than to forward your letter and its enclosures and say to the Hon. Secretary if I that I met you once; that I know nothing personally of your qualifications for the position you seek, but that I do know the men who write me the letters in your behalf are among the best in the community and the State in which they live. If the Hon. Secretary should then ask me what those men know about the duties of the position of an Inspector in the Indian service and your qualifications for the same, I should have to reply that they know

VOL. 15

3-Conrad

comparatively little of either; so that you see that I am
practically powerless to aid you in your ambition. I write
this in the greatest friendliness to you, as I believe for
your good, for the good of my friends, myself and the Govern-
ment. If you desire to go into the Indian service, why not
enter in some subordinate capacity and work your way up ?

VOL. 15

Dictated.

April 30, 1889.

Hon. Dyer B. McConnell,
Logansport, Ind.,

Mr. dear sir:

Will you be kind enough to give your best attention to the transactions of S. M. Howe with my mother. Please look over the papers that she can present to you, and take account of what she has to say in the matter, and when you have obtained all the light you can get, will you be kind enough to give me your full opinion, both of the case itself and what ought to be done about it. If in your judgment there is a fair case against Howe's present ownership, I should be glad if you take steps to prevent his sale of the property until the case it determined by the proper legal tribunals. Some weeks ago Howe wrote me and offered to withdraw all claims against the property and deed it back to mother if I would pay him $4,000.00

Trusting you will give this your prompt attention, and in form me at the earliest moment practicable, for which I will pay, I am,

VOL. 15

BLURRED ORIGINAL

VOL. 15

Dedication.

May 1, 1882

To A. L. H. (Bill)удь, Сары Т. Indus, Питерс, Д. С.

Dear Bill,

If the recommendation you have given me is correct, what you want, it seems to me, is in hardware and software to depend on endorsement. If there is any backbone to this recommendation, blend's autograph will probably serve as a good endorsement in your favor. I have no doubt your presence in Washington and in the Indian service would be unpleasant to some of the incumbents of the Indian Office. I am sorry to say, that with some of those people Ignorance and Inexperience are the best vouchers for preference. I quite fully realized that the anticipation to keep Oberly failed. Besides being most out-of-place politics, it isn't really good civil service. Good civil service would place some Agent, like you, who had demonstrated his capacity by the best of tests; the successful management of a large Agency. The appointment of School Superintendent is queer: a Boston Methodist preacher, as I understand. One would think that at least school experience would be looked upon, and it would seem to be common sense to add something of Indian experience. If anything new turns up please let me know.

Yours truly.

Dictated.

May 1, 1889.

Rev. J. Robinson,
Conshoocken, Pa.,
Box 105

My Dear Friend:

After receiving your letter informing me that your career at Educational Home was ended, I wrote inquiring you to stop and see us on your way West, where you said you were going; and had about concluded you had failed to get my letter and had gone by us. Mrs Pratt and I were glad to get the congratulations of yourself and Mrs Robinson, and renew our invitation for you to stop and see us.

Both our son and daughter are very prosperously located; the former at Albuquerque, Iowa, the latter at Denver, Colorado.

The loss of Mr Given was a sad and unexpected blow. Poor Mrs Given is greatly prohibited. Mrs Pratt is still quite an invalid, and expects soon, to go for some months stay, to Clifton Springs. With cordial regard to both yourself and Mrs Robinson,

51

BLURRED ORIGINAL

VOL. 15

Dictated.

May 1, 1888.

T. W. Potter,

Cantonsboumt, I. 1. 1.

Dear Friend:

I had not heard of the trading you mention;
but if in perfect honesty, as I have no doubt it would be,
I
can't see why it should be objected to. The report and effort
to pull you down are no doubt of the usual character and ori-
gin. I hope you will stand firm and fight a good fight. Cer-
tainly I would not resign under fire. You can show why and
wherefore; stand and do that. The real trouble is probably,
that they did not deal with the right Trader.

VOL. 15

Dictated.

May 1, 1889.

T. T. Richardville,
Marter Springs, Kan.

My Dear Sir:

Since your first letter I was in Washington, but found Mr. Oberly away, attending to the opening of bids, in New York, and the office so thoroughly swamped with work that it was not advisable to bring your matter up; besides, I would scarcely have felt it well to speak to any one but Mr. Oberly about it. Mr. Oberly promises to visit me, here shortly. If he comes I will then take occasion to have a plain talk.

BLURRED ORIGINAL

VOL. 15

BLURRED ORIGINAL

Diated.

May 1, 1889.

J. W. Templeton,
Washington, D. C.

Dear Sir:

As I read you then here, I applied for authority to pay your bill. That authority has not yet reached me. If I had the authority of the Office I could pay you. About the testimonial; I do not feel called upon to go further than I have. You have Mr. Poorly's endorsement and that is worth mine a good many times over.

Very truly yours,

Capt. & Dept.

VOL. 15

Dictated.

May 1, 1889.

Sigu,

Laguna, N. M.,
my Dear Friend!

Your daughter Gertrude has been here only
Four years. Her time to return home will be at the end of
school, next year. There is no good reason why she should not
stay her time out. She has been living in an estimable family
and been going to school, and been making good progress. She
will return to Carlsbad about the first of June.

Your friend,

BLURRED ORIGINAL

VOL. 15

Dictated.

May 1, 1889.

Mrs Mary Paisano,
Laguna, N. M.,

Dear Mary:

Mason has established himself in Dubuque, Iowa, while Marion has gone out pretty near you. She lives in Denver, Colorado. She would be glad to hear from you. Her name is Mrs Guy LeRoy Stovick.

Mrs Pratt is still in poor health and will likely go to
Clifton Springs, New York, for several months, taking Nana and
Chenda with her. This will leave me all alone. All the
children who have been here five years are to return home ear-
ly in July. Give my love to your husband and all other good
returned Carlisle Students.

Your friend,

VOL. 15

Dictated.

57

May 1, 1889.

Henry J. Kendall,

Rutgers College, N. Brunswick, N.J.

Dear Henry:

Glad to hear of your safe arrival and the
report of your prospects. Consult with Dr. Gates about the
extras and he will know what to do. He or I, or both will
arrange it.

Ever your friend,

Dictated.

May 1, 1889.

W. D. Valentine,
Sec'y & Treas.,
No. 37, 18, St. Lansingburg, N.Y.

My Dear Sir:

The death of my school physician and the
marriage of my daughter has disturbed somewhat my correspon-
dence, and left unanswered yours with its enclosure of Post
Office order of $4.50, by gift of J. J. Hagan's Sabbath School
Class of the 1st. Presbyterian Church of your place.

Please thank the Class for their most acceptable remembrance
of us.

Very truly yours,

Capt. & Supt.

VOL. 15

Dictated.

Mrs H. H. Shiverick,
521 Grand Avenue,
St. Paul, Minn.

May 1, 1889.

Dear Friend:

I shall necessarily be compelled to make up my
full list of employees, beginning with July 1st. I should be
glad to have you here, at Carlisle. Whether I could give you
work that would suit you or not, depends. At the time that I
wrote you Miss Bender thought she would be about as well suit-
ed in the school room as where she is. Since then she seems
to prefer staying in the Printing Office; and as she is equia-
ly competent and useful there, and has been so faithful and
helpful I feel it right to give her the choice now, that since
your inability to come at once, and affairs having settled
down, I can do that.

When you can see your way ahead to a point that you may be
able to come to Carlisle advise me and if I have a vacancy
that suits you I shall be glad to offer it to you.

Your sister Mary left us last Thursday. We heard from her
enroute at Richmond, Indiana. She expects to go on a Railroad
expedition to Indian Territory and Texas with your brother
George.

Very cordially yours,

VOL. 15

Dictated.

May 1, 1889.

Miss Anna M. Dunlap,
Mount Joy, Pa.?

Dear Madam:

I return herewith Dr. Higbee's very warm en-
dorsement of you. The marriage of a daughter and the death
of my school physician have hindered my correspondence for
some days back. We do not happen to want a primary teacher
just now. Those I have are competent, and being acquainted
with the work I have no disposition to disturb them.

VOL. 15

Dictated.

May 1, 1889.

Miss Millie McIntosh,
Pine Bluff School,
Muscogee, I. O.

Dear Millie:

I thank you for your good long letter.

As you get the helper, you know all the Carlisle news. We
are very greatly grieved over the death of good Dr. Given. He
died on Friday morning last. Mrs. Given and the two boys are
very greatly afflicted.

We have fixed upon the 22, & 23, of May for our Commencement exercises. How I wish it were possible for you to be with us. I wish after you have read your essay "How to teach full bloods" you would send me a copy. You write a good letter and I see no reason why you may not write a good and interesting paper. I would be very glad to have all the proceedings of the meeting.

Yours sincerely,

61

VOL. 15

65

May 4, 1889.

Miss Mary E. Shaffer,
Wissahicken Avenue,
Chestnut Hill, Phila., Pa.,

Dear friend:

The Navajoes are bright Indians, but not specially wonderful in any way. They do make different ornaments of silver; some of them, considering the rudeness of their methods, are ingenious and interesting.

Your best way to secure some such articles would be to place yourself in communication with the Indian Agent and ask him if he would have his traders correspond with you and let you know what they have. Address U. S. Indian Agent, Navajoe Agency, Fort Defiance, New Mexico.

VOL. 15

66

May 4, 1889.

Rev. Mr. J. Cleveland,

Madison, Dakota,

My Dear Cleveland:

I enclose to you letter and envelope
which explain themselves. The editorial in the Pioneer Press
was, like others from the same source, most excellent. So far
as I know, our Sioux Commission was not considered, either
collectively or individually in arranging for the new one.
I spoke to Mr. Belt about you and wrote him also, but nothing
came of it.

We had visit from the new Superintendent of Indian Schools.
He is a Methodist Minister 60 years of age, and never had
any dealings with Indians.

We are still driving and thriving at Carlisle, and should
be glad to see you any time and anywhere. Mrs Pratt is a good
deal of an invalid yet. Our good Dr. Given died a week ago
yesterday and was buried on Monday. His death is a sad blow
to all of us. He was a good man; thoroughly interested in
the cause of the Indian.

With respectful remembrance to Mrs Cleveland,

Yours., Faithfully,

VOL. 15

VOL.
15

I could send him out. We have hundreds of places offered--
many more than we can fill. We trust him with our money af-
fairs in the Printing Office and have never found him to fail
us. Please answer me promptly about this. He wants to get
away before the party starts from here because he says it will
make him feel bad to have them go off and leave him here at
the School. I want to hold on to him for two years more so
that he can graduate.

All well at home now. Richenda had been in bed for
several days with a billious attack, but is out today. Laura's
health improves. The news from the West is all good. Mason
has loomed up in Dubuque, and Guy in Denver. Both have formed
the best of relations with the leading people of those cities.
We all join in love to Eunice, Lucy, Fred, John, Carrie and all
our Jamestown relations.

Hope to make you a little visit when the Chautauqua seas-
on is at its height. Am not entirely certain of it, as we have
unusual press to get in pupils this year. Mr. Standing goes to
Michigan to get 100 pupils.

Very cordially,

215

June 22d, 1889.

Dear Friends:

When I get my pay for this month week after next I will send you $15 to help with your church. This is the best I can do.

I cannot go before the Church as I thought of doing when I made the promise for the reason that the Church is not meeting near all the claims of this kind which come to it directly.

Am glad you stand by the little community and wish I could do more to help you. My heart certainly is with you all in your efforts to build up in the dark corners.

Mrs. A. B. Dalrymple.

VOL. 15

218

June 22d, 1889.

Rev. Dr. J. M. Cundall,

220 22d Street, Milwaukee, Wis.

Dear Doctor:

If it should happen that you go to Washington I should be greatly pleased to have you go by Carlsbad. I advise as a measure of policy that your correspondence be entirely with the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for the reason that Congress gave the Commissioner for the ensuing fiscal year supreme control over all School appointments and even the Superintendent of Schools is to be under his direction. Your going directly to the Secretary might rather militate against success than otherwise.

VOL. 15

219

June 22d, 1889.

James F. Cross,

Rosebud Agency, Dakota.

My Dear Mr. Cross:

The Red Man I hope will reach you regularly, and I have
also ordered our little weekly Indian Helper to you.

I follow the Commissioners with considerable interest,
and am obliged to you for the special information you give.
They seem to have met with quite full success at Rosebud;
however it may have been obtained. I have very little doubt
of their ultimate success of obtaining by hook or by Crook the
three-fourth vote. Our Commission of last summer felt very
sure that we could have used boodle money and over-balanced
most of the opposition which we realized was secured by the
use of money. However our record is clean, though we did fail,
and I see little difference in the methods of procedure. You
lament what you see on this line because it would have a bad
influence on your work for the moral progress of those people
for sometime. Do you realize that the large sums of money
contemplated to be given and the release of the Indian people
from the obligation to work which the giving of money and an-

VOL. 15

220

2 James F. Cross:

nuities assures is by far the greatest enemy to your work! If
you do not now you will in the future. We have practically
ruined the Indians from one end of the country to the other by
this system.

I am glad you are interested in our Carlisle pupils. I
return any with the greatest reluctance, because I can keep
them so easily in employ in manly lines here; while there,
there is little or no employment and almost everything pulls
down.

I accept with perfect cordiality any differences of opinion we may have in regard to the methods in work for the Indian, and shall at any time you care to express your differences to me personally, or your views through our Red Man, give to your views the very careful attention and consideration my high regard for you personally demands.

We are sending to Rosebud and Pine Ridge early in July
quite a little party of boys and girls; but as the transporta-
tion fund is small this year in proportion to the work to
be done I am trying to reduce the number by securing some who
are entitled to go home to remain over, so that I am not able
to write you just who will go home. Will do so later when I
am certain.

Very cordially your friend,

VOL. 15

221

June 22d, 1889.

Lone Wolf,

Pine Ridge, Dakota.

My friend:

Your daughter Hattie came here with your consent in October 1879. She went home in June '82. She returned to Carlsbad with your consent November 30th, '82. She went home again in June '87. She came back to School with your fullest consent August 12th, '87. I enclose to you a note Miss Irvine who brought her in writes me in regard to the matter. Of course I would not let her go home last Spring nor this Spring either. I am quite surprised that Hattie should write you as you say she did, and will look after her case.

Now my friend when you write to me again you get some decent man who will write for you a polite letter, and do not use the pen of a man who will write me such words as your letter which this is a reply to contained.

Three times you have sent your daughter to this School yourself. When her first two periods expired she returned home at the end of them. When the third period expires she will also return and I hope will be a good influence though if she has written you as you say she is a little off the track now.

Your friend,

VOL. 15

222

June 22d, 1889.

Mrs. Martha S. Alvord,

College Station, Md.

Dear Mrs. Alvord:

Many thanks for your good letter. I so entirely trust
you about the girls that I am sorry that there should be a
break in your care over them. However I realize the situation
and if you can find a good place or places for them for July
and August near you or where it will not cost too much for
transportation I would rather you did so than to have them
come home and go to some new place or places where we would
have to look up the quality of the people. We are placing a
great many students and have been as busy as possible and are
yet. Do not let the girls cumber you, --send them here first.

I do hope you will drop in on us. After the first week
in July we shall be more free. Mrs. Pratt's health has im-
proved so much that she has about concluded to take her sum-
mer's outing at Carlisle Barracks. We have an Army surgeon
here looking up the health of the Chiricahua Apaches. Some
move is to be made to better the condition of the party in
Florida. Regards to the Major.

Yours cordially,

VOL. 15

223

June 24th, 1888.

Mr. Thomas B. Kennedy,

President C. V. R. R.
Chambersburg, Pa.

My Dear Sir:

Since the telephone has been taken out of Mr. Beitzel's
Office at the Junction we have felt quite a loss here at the
School in carrying on our multiplicity of business through
him, and it would be a very great favor to us and no little
convenience to him if he could be allowed a telephone connec-
tion.

I write this entirely upon my own instance without any
consultation or remark with Mr. Beitzel about it. During this
season of the year we need to talk to Mr. Beitzel a half dozen
times a day on an average about transportation of students and
supplies.

I should be very glad personally if the telephone that
was removed could be replaced.

VOL. 15

BLURRED ORIGINAL

VOL. 15

June 25th, 1880.

Thomas W. Porter,
Cantonment, I.T.

Dear Sir:

Thank you for the letter to the Agent enclosing yours of
the 18th. I have taken no little interest in your management
at Cantonment, and have been confident that if you had time
you could win success. I do not know all the circumstances
that have led to your removal, but like so many others in the
Indian service, I am sure it is not on the grounds of true pro-
gress.

I have had a pleasing letter from the officials of the
Society within a few days. They write like men. I wish I
could see my way to help you; but I do not know Agent Ashley,
and feel that it would be out of place to appeal to him.

233

June 25th, 1888.

Big Tree,

K. C. and Wichita Agency,

Anadarke, I.T.

My Dear Friends:

I thank you for writing to me. It has been a long time
since I heard from you, and I am very glad to know that you
still cherish friendly feelings for me. I need not assure you
that I am as much as ever interested in my old friends the
Kiowas and Comanches. They do not get along toward civiliza-
tion as I have hoped for many years they would, but they have
moved forward a great deal. Twenty-two years since I first
went among your people they have made great changes. The
country is opening up rapidly, railroads and whitemen, with
all their improvements, their surroundings, and entering into
that Wichita mountain region, where we used to kill the buffa-
to, and the deer. I am sorry to realize that the Kiowas and
Comanches hardly improve as fast as the country does.

I am careful of our Kiowa and Comanche children because
of my friendship for their people. I intend, if any do get
sick, to send them home, and shall do all I can to push their
education forward. Tell all my old friends that they do wrong
to hold back in any way when the Government wants them to push

VOL. 15

234

2 Big Tree:

forward in farming, cattle raising, in taking their land and be-
coming individuals, and citizens, and in educating their child-
ren, and in learning the whiteman's laws and being governed by
them, and urging them to move in every way, it is very wrong
and to their own hurt that they hold back.

I am glad to know that you have an excellent Agent, and
that if you and the other leading men stand by him your people
may be lead rapidly forward. You have only one thing to do,
my old friend, and that is to listen to the voice of the gov-
ernment and to follow it with all the might, mind and strength
you have.

A number of your Iowa and Comanche students will go home
next week. They can help you, and I trust that you old lead-
ers will be wise enough to listen to them.

Your true friend,

VOL. 15

236

June 28th, 1889.

Dr. H. Caruthers,

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

My Dear Doctor:

I am greatly pleased to hear from you and Mrs. Caruthers again, but sorry that you are driven to chase after health so much. Mason and Marion are both happily married, Mason living in Dubuque Iowa, engaged in his business as engineer; Marion in Denver, Col., where her husband is a lawyer with good prospects.

We are very hopeful of the present Administration. The Secretary himself was here at our Commencement and delivered our diplomas. The treatment of us so far has been quite to our liking.

It was environment in Tsartkopetu's case, pure and simple. You couldn't understand it, and I couldn't understand it. It is not in nature. When will people abandon the idea of re-landing back to savagery, young, unintelligent and poorly educated Indians?

Kind regards to Mrs. Caruthers.

VOL. 15

237

July 1st, 1889.

Charles S. Hood,
Seneca, Mo.

My Dear Charles:

I got your letter asking me to aid you in securing an ap-
pointment at the Agency. I have made it a point for years not
to meddle in the appointments of Agents. I would not like to
have them meddling with my appointments here, and so I do not
interfer with theirs. If I am asked anything in regard to
students as to their qualifications and so on, I give them the
best name I can. If General Morgan asks about you or the A-
gent asks about you you can depend upon it I will do the best
I can for you.

I congratulate you on your marriage, and trust that your
life may be entirely happy and prosperous in every way.

Sincerely your friend,

VOL. 15

238

July 1st, 1889.

Jemima Wheelock,
Oneida, Wis.

Dear Jemima:

I wrote to Peter today telling him that he might increase his party to 25 and telling him about Lucy Jordan's brother. You had better write to him too. If he comes he must join Peter's party. He could come over to Oneida and do that. I hope you will be able to come back with the party, and so look out for the girls. I wrote this much to Peter. I am especially anxious Jemima that you should graduate from Carlisle and that you should take something of a Normal course for a teacher. You have qualities for teaching that ought to be cultivated.

We expect to start home tomorrow or the next day about 120 of our pupils. Belinda Archiquette goes home but she ought to return to Carlisle. I hope she may be one of Peter's party. There is nothing like sticking to it until one gets through. Miss Irvine and Miss Burgess go to New Mexico to bring back as many of the Pueblos as we can and get a party or two. Mr. Standing goes into Michigan to work among the Chippewas. We are all in much better health than for some time past. Mrs. Pratt is quite improved in health.

Your friend,

VOL. 15

239

July 1st, 1889.

J. R. Wood,

Genl. Pass. Agent, P.R.R.
Philadelphia.

My Dear Friend:

Your second letter did not reach me until my return from
Philadelphia. I want to thank you for your prompt response
to my appeal in the matter of rates over your own road, and
to personally thank you for the kind expressions in your let-
ter. The present emergency is purely the product of an over-
sight in the Department. Congress has not denied the funds,
but instead the Department failed to ask Congress for the
funds. I was, as I explained to you, transferred from the use
of my own School appropriation for transportation to the gen-
eral appropriation fund for transportation, and Congress was
not asked to increase that fund. I have already taken steps
to have estimates for the ensuing year corrected and to place
me back where I was before, and give me more money, and I have
no doubt that the coming session of Congress will make this
matter straight.

I am glad to get your letter which I can use in this con-
nection.

VOL. 15

2 Rev. I. N. Cundall.

It has been in my mind that I might like to have you here
in charge of my School room work. Miss Semple who was my
principal for seven years lost her health and had to give up
the work. I am leaving it vacant until I find the right per-
son. If you feel at all inclined to join me why not come here
and talk it over. We average over 600 pupils and have thir-
teen teachers. There are as many and as broad opportunities
for doing good to the Indian race perhaps more than in any oth-
er School in the service. Forty tribes are represented.

The salary is $1200, with furnished rooms, light and heat
Board costs $3 per week; washing $2 a month.

VOL. 15

July 1st, 1889.

Levant L. Mason,
Jamestown, Pa.

My Dear Levant:

Since writing to you I am telegraphed from New Mexico
that every student belonging to the Pueblos must be returned.
They will admit of no exceptions. Three-fourths of the stu-
dents would stay. I shall therefore let Yassie go home with
the party and expect him to return to Carlisle. Miss Burgess
and Miss Irvine are going out to secure the return of as many
as possible.

I am obliged to you and Fred for the offer to meet my
wishes in the matter.

Sincerely yours,

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242

July 1st, 1889.

Spotted Horse,

Cantonment, Ind. Ter.

My Dear Friend:

Any one that has written you and told you that Ledante
has done anything wrong has told you lies. Ledante has be-
haved herself well since she came to Carlisle. She had the
chicken box and her face was badly scared for a time but that
is all gone now and she is looking remarkably well. I am
proud of her and you will be proud of her too. But my friend
you must let me keep her a while longer. She herself is hap-
py and contented and it is far better for her. She under-
stands that herself. She needs plenty of education. She is
smart and able to take it. I remember when you gave her to
me. I think ever of your feelings in regard to her, and I
know I stand in your place; and I have especial care over her
on that account. I could not send her home this year if it
were right and best to send her home for the amount of money
to pay railroad expenses for children is so small that I must
not send any except those that it is absolutely necessary I
should send. My kindest regards to you and to all my friends
at Cantonment, I am

VOL. 15

July 1st, 1888.

Rev. Isaac N. Cundall,

229 22d Street, Milwaukee.

My Dear Doctor:

I would not attempt to rectify the mistake. Let the papers reach the Indian Office through what channel they will. Secretary Noble will transmit them as there is where they belong, and things are so chaotic in the Indian Office just now consequent upon the changes of Heads that there will likely be no feeling about it. I am told that it is not probable that General Morgan will go in as Commissioner. For some reason dating back to the war he is opposed by some army officers; and as the Indian Department and the War Department are necessarily closely related his position would be unpleasant if there was much army feeling against him. Mr. Belt, the Assistant Commissioner, is one of the best executive officers and by far the best posted man on Indian matters in Washington. He was at the head of the Indian Division in the Secretary's Office for many years and occupied close advisory relations to all of the Secretaries since Mr. Kirkwood, and every one of them urged his appointment to the Assistant Commissioner. I have written him about you and am hopeful that he will take care of you.

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247

July 1st, 1888.

White Bird,

Cantonment, I.T.

Dear Friend:

Your sister May has a serocious swelled neck, but my physician says he can sure her; and as she is in good heart, and is not down sick I think she had better stay here. If she gets very bad, or we fear that she will get very bad, I will send her to you. She has here good food, good clothing, good house to live in and herself seems contented to stay. You know her father and I were good friends, and I am especially interested in her on that account.

Sincerely your friend,

Capt.

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250

July 6th, 1888.

Howard M. Jenkins,

921 Arch Street, Philadelphia.

My dear Sir:

The extraordinary press of preparing 112 of our people to
return home has compelled me to lay aside your letter for the
moment. Your notion of writing about the return of the Indians
and the peculiar character of our outing system, as we call it,
is most important, and I am obliged to you beforehand for tak-
ing it up.

In answer to your first question—"When I first began to
send out from Carlisle," I sent out 16 the first year; that
was in '80; but I had established General Armstrong's Indian
branch and got him into the notion in '78 and '79. And this
peculiar feature of our Carlisle work began with me while in
charge of the prisoners in Florida, '75 to '78, and was one
of the notions for which I contended in serving with my regi-
ment in the Indian country from '67 to '75, as we Officers
discussed the Indian Question. I had a good proportion of
these prisoners in Florida out at work; some of them at times
living away from the Fort. And I went to Massachusetts for
General Armstrong when he accepted the idea and secured the

VOL. 15

3 H.M.Jenkins.

first places for his pupils in Berkshire County, Mass., in the
Summer of '78. He has kept up that feature of the work ever
since, increasing the numbers from year to year. Last year I
knew understood, he had out as many as fifty. I believe that
the Educational Home in Philadelphia sends out in the City and
its suburbs a few, with what success or how many I do not know.
This answer covers both your first and second questions.

Your third question—"To what territory they have gone,"
I reply, that the great mass have gone into Bucks County, Pa.;
but we have sent considerable numbers into Chester County, Lan-
caster, Delaware, Schuylkill, Columbia, Luzerne, Juniata, Cum-
berland, and other counties in Pennsylvania. We have gone
with a few as far away as Ohio, Mass., New Jersey and Maryland.

In answer to number four, as to the "Aggregate number of
each sex, and what average each year," I have to say that since
the organization of the School, October 5th, '79, we have had
about 1200 boys and 500 girls. But many students have been out
two, three and even four times in that period. This summer
we have out for vacation 245 boys and 107 girls. The number
has steadily increased from 16 the first year up to this time,
so that an average is difficult to arrive at. Last year we
had out during vacation 225 boys and 101 girls.

In answer to question number five—of the whole number

251

VOL. 15

252

J. H. M. Jenkins.

out last year, only four failed to give satisfaction and not one case of criminal conduct was reported.

Question number six, as to the "Feeling of the Indians."
In regard to it, those put out are all in favor of it. We
never send out a pupils against their own will. During the
latter part of Winter, and all through Spring and summer until
we get them out I am daily besought by the pupils to give
them a chance to go out this year. The chance to earn their
own way is popular. In regard to the feelings of those on the
Reservations at home it is not so easy to speak with certainty
Not many understand it. Those who do, generally approve of it;
some do not, and write me about it. I can easily explain a
way their opposition. There are white influences at work ar-
mong the Indians on the Reservation, of which I would not care
to speak openly and publicly, that use to some extent our out-
ing system as an argument against us.

Question number seven--"The effect upon the Indians at
home," is undoubtedly most excellent and valuable in every
way. The true notions of civilized life these young people
obtain from this outing experience will practically keep them
through life. It is a most important way, and so far as I
know, the best way, in use at present to secure a friendly stand-
ing between the races. It is, as you understand, practical,

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253

4. H.M.Jenkins:

not theoretical. Were it in my power I would place every In-
dian, young and old, under just such circumstances. Three year
of our out-system bearing upon every one of the 250,000 In-
dians in America at the same time would totally remove the so
called Indian Question from public notice. The Indians would
feel at home anywhere in the land, and the White people would
feel content to have them about.

In reply to your question number eight, there is a grow-
ing tendency of the young Indians to quit tribal life; and
were some means inaugurated to give them their inheritance a-
way from the tribe that disposition would grow very rapidly.
If you care to run over to West Grove, or to write to William
B. Harvey there and inquire about a young married couple who
have lived with him the last 18 months—the one a Pawnee, the
other a Cheyenne,you will get the quintessence of my idea on
this head.

Kiasei Hakum, whom you speak of, belongs to a tribe not
nomadic. They are agriculturalists and stock raisers, running
back to the Spanish occupancy of old and new Mexico. They are
to all intents and purposes Indians; but they live in adobe
houses and their villages are permanent, which makes a material
difference in the quality and character of the people. Kiasei
is not extraordinary. Jennie Black, whom you mention, belongs

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254

5. R. M. Jenkins.

to be purely a nomadic tribe as we have. Having had the two
you can form a reasonable notion of the two different kinds of
Indians. What you state as having heard in regard to her in-
tention to marry and return to Bucks county is true. These
two cases, Jennie's and the case I speak of at West Grove,
Chester County, of which you have heard are the only ones yet
taking shape. I have found the carrying out of my ideas
fraught with so much danger as to require the most delicate
management. Jennie and her intended husband would not go home
at all today if they were permitted to marry and go down to
Bucks County; but the father insists that they must come home
and marry there; and as I am only acting in his place here I
find it absolutely imperative that I carry out his wishes.

There are people everywhere ready to blame and find fault
and the Government is the most perfect coward in its manage-
ment of the Indian. We need for the Indians compulsory educa-
tion, not in Indian Schools but in our own schools; and we
need to break the force of tribal massing and establish per-
sonal freedom. With these and a good taste of life among civ-
ilized folks, the disintegration of the tribes will surely
be forward rapidly.

I take the liberty of sending you a copy of the Report of
our Sioux Commission which I commend to your reading, espec-

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260

July 9th, 1889.

Dr. Edward C. Mann,

128 Park Place, Brooklyn.

Dear doctor:

Lilly writes me of the return of your nurse and of her subsequent displacement. I shall be glad to have her remain with you for the present under the arrangement she writes me of. In the meantime we will try to work up a place for her in one of the Nurse Schools. If we fail in that, towards Fall after school begins it may be well for her to return here and make what gain she can in our own School Hospital.

Is it practicable, and would it not be possible for you to obtain a place for her in one of the New York Hospitals or Schools for Nurses, where she may gain the nurse training both we and she so much desires for herself. I would be glad to have your opinion about this.

VOL. 15

261

July 9th, 1889.

Lilly Wind,

128 Park Place, Brooklyn.

Dear Lilly:

I think it just as well for you to remain with Dr. Mann for the present, if you yourself care to and he continues willing. I wrote him today and asked him to intercede for you in one of the New York Hospitals. It may be he can get you in there, if not, he may be able to tell me how I can get you in elsewhere. Should you not find a place in New York I hope do that in the Fall we may be able to something for you in Philadelphia. They have made us a sort of a promise.

Dr. Brown, Miss Burgess, Miss Irvine and Mrs. Lutkins left for the West yesterday in company with 118 of our students; but you will read that in the Indian Helper.

Sincerely your friend,

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262

July 8th, 1889.

Dollie J. Gould,

Fort Lapawai, Idaho.

Dear Dollie:

I want you to get well acquainted with Miss Fletcher. She will be a good friend to you and all the returned Carlisle students. You will remember seeing her at the School. I hope your people will accept kindly her good offices. She is one of the very best friends the Indians have. I wish you would write me all about what they think of "Lands and Severalty," and how she received Miss Fletcher.

I am so glad to hear of your success in the school and do hope you may continue, and grow, as you will, if you try to become a great power for good to your people.

If you see Charley and the others who were at Carlisle, remember me to them and tell them I would be glad to have them write me. The Helper gives so much news that I do not find anything new to write you.

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266

July 11th, 1889.

Aaron L. Force,

Yardley, Pa.

Dear Sir:

I had not the slightest desire to interfere with the law
taking its full course and giving the young man all the pun-
ishment possible. Indeed I should have been very glad to have
had that done. As the case was referred back to me I had our
older and better students sit as a court on the young man, and
their sentence was to cut off a piece of the fore skin of his
penis, which I had the doctor do, and then he is to remain
without any privileges of going out or away from the School
for one year. The punishment of cutting was a very severe op-
eration and I enforced it to the full.

I fully agree with your views in regard to our out stu-
dents. Our rules are strict, and our students should not be
allowed to loaf about in the woods or elsewhere, and certainly
under no circumstances to do anything wrong to any one. You
must admit however that when we have as many as three hundred
out this way, and this is the very first instance of the kind
that has come to my notice, that they have commended themselves
for good conduct. I shall be greatly obliged always to know

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

VOL. 15

2 Aaron L. Force.

at once of any bad conduct on the part of our students; and
will not allow any of them to remain out or in any way dis-
turb the peace of the community by their conduct.

I am sending out one of my best men to look after this
matter, and I give him your letter. The same one you saw.
He will call upon you and I shall be glad to have you give
him any facts you may have in reference to any of our students
running about, night or day, and by their conduct in any way
disturbing the people.

While I am exceedingly sorry the affair happened, I have
done and shall do all I can to see that nothing of the kind
happens again.

July 11th, 1889.

E. Conklin,

153 Broadway, New York.

My Dear Sir:

Thank you for the photographs, which are indeed quite
good especially the groups.

267

VOL. 15

274

July 17th, 1880.

Solomon Chandler,

Anadarko, I.T.

Dear Solomon:

It did take you a long time to write me a letter; and I
had begun to feel that you are a good deal like an Injun, that
you forget your friends and how to say "Thank you Sir." It is
a little discouraging when one works and plans for a boy or
a girl for several years, pushing them forward so that they
have some intelligence and can write a letter and have them
go off and forget to write back and give thanks for what has
been done for them, but I hardly expected it of you. However
I am glad to get your letter, Solomon, late as it is, and I am
pleased to know that you are in the stock business and that
you work. Every man must "work out his own salvation." Dili-
gent is business is the key note of success.

Do you get the Indian Helper? If not you had better send
ten cents to the Man-on-the-Band-Stand for it and then you
will get a letter from Carlisle every week for a year.

If the wolves trouble your dogs why don't you kill the
wolves. We used to kill a great many when I was out there.
I see the railroads are coming down into your country.

VOL. 15

275

2 Solomon Chandler.

White men are invading the land and the reservation must go
too, and end, and the Indians will have to join in with the rest
of us or they will be swallowed up---drowned. It is too bad
that those beautiful valleys in the Wichita mountains and the
grand land along the Washita and other streamson your reserva-
tion have not been turned into fine farms and good homes long
ago!

I am sorry that our Comanche and Kiowa boys who have re-
turned are not doing better; but we shall keep at it, and one
of these days some who go back from here will take the lead
and put these weak ones to shame.

Cordially your friend,

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277

July 18th, 1889.

Chief Big Tree,

Anadarko, I.T.

My Dear Friend:

What you get from the Government must be asked for and issued to you by your good Agent. It would not be right for me to ask the Department to give you one of our wagons. The Agent is the man who knows whether you ought to have a wagon. If the Commissioner ordered me to send a wagon to the Agent for you I would be glad to do it.

I feel grateful for your confidence that I will do the best I can for the children from your tribe. I have strong hope that they may be a great help to the tribe when they return. They will need to be encouraged to make wagons, shoes and harness, etc., for you all. It will be your part to have plenty of money to pay them for their work. You must not expect them to work for nothing.

Your people must go to work and make a community where these boys and girls can be useful. If you will open up farms and raise plenty of corn, wheat, etc., or will raise cattle and so get money, then you may buy what these boys and girls can make, and in your interchange of labor and money may be-

VOL. 15

2 Chief Big Tree.

some a prosperous people. I hope that may be the case, and
that you leaders will set a good strong example for all the
people. It is getting along towards the time when you ought
not to ask the Government to give you beef. It is time you
ought to be ashamed to do that. You have good strong arms to
work, and good heads to think and they ought to be put to use;
for if you do not use your arms and your heads they die, and
your bodies die, and your tribes die.

I am something like an Indian myself; for I remember the
buffalo hunts, the deer and the antelope, and sometimes feel
very hungry for a dash across the plains on a good horse with
a good gun or pistol; but I guess that is never to be again.
So I give it all up and go to work on another line.

Please remember me to all my old friends, and believe me
always,

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279

July 20th, 1889.

W. H. Pratt,

Academy of Natural Science,
Davenport, Iowa.

My Dear Sir:

When yours of September 21st arrived I was in Dakota as
Chairman of a Commission negotiating with the Sioux Indians
for session of a part of their reservation to the Government,
and I did not return and get at my work at the School until
December. Mrs. Pratt who received the letter put it away so
safely that it was overlooked and forgotten until two days
ago.

I know very little about my father's family beyond my
grand father. My father Richard Smalley Pratt went to Cali-
fornia in '48 and was murdered. My grandfather Benjamin Pratt
I saw much of until I was 13 years of age when he returned to
Pennsylvania and spent the closing years of his life someplace
near Philadelphia with a brother, of whom I have not been able
to find any record since I came here. As I remember there were
three brothers in my grandfather's family but no sisters. One
brother became Governor of Maryland; the other lived Phila-
delphia. My father had a half brother who went to Mexico

VOL. 15

2 W.H.Pratt.

during the war and died there. He also had two half sisters,
one married Joseph Smith, living in Northern part of Indiana.
She died without issue. The other married Daniel Hoover and
is still living a few miles north of Logansville, Indiana.

There were three brothers and one sister of my fathers
children. The sister died at two years of age. The brothers
are all living. One a lawyer in New Orleans, La., the other
engaged in Real Estate business in Marion, Ind.

My mother's maiden name was Mary Herrick. I always had
a notion from my grandfather, vague and indistinct, that he
came from New England stock; but it all rests in my mind so
indefinitely from the 36 years intervening since I was with
him that I am unable to give you date of any value.

I have never placed any particular emphasis where I came
from having had more interest as to where I was to go to. If
anything is printed in regard to the Pratt family and the ped-
igree can be traced with any definiteness I shall be glad to
have a partnership in it in any way that may be desired.

280

VOL. 15

281

July 20th, 1880.

Guerney H. Miles,

Osage Agency, Ind. Ter.

Dear Guerney:

Glad to hear that you are home all right and trust you
are having a good time; that you have taken hold of work and
are pushing on that line. Whatever you do be careful not to
spend your time idling around.

We are very busy here with our crops and coal supply and
other work. The old stable is torn down and we are just be-
ginning a new one.

My regards to Agent Miles, please.

Your friend,

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282

July 20th, 1889.

William B. Harvey,

Sect. Guernsey Breeders Association,
West Grove, Penna.

My Dear Sir:

I hope to be with you on the date of your next meeting,
Friday the 26th inst.

Thanking you for the invitation, I am,

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284

July 22d, 1889.

Prof. J. E. Nourse, U. S. Navy,

2827 0 Street, Washington, D.C.

Dear Sir,

Among the nine applicants for the place of physician at this School I have not been able to see just the man I wanted. In view of the suggestion of the Honorable Commissioner of Indian Affairs I propose to take some account of the applicants there. The physician for this School should have qualities outside of his profession and be able and willing to render us other assistance in school management.

I expect to go to Washington Wednesday or Thursday of this week to see the Commissioner.

VOL. 15

July 29th, 1889.

Mrs. Mary Russell,
Winnebago Agency, Neb.

Dear Mrs. Russell:

I enclose herein my check for $12.63, the proceeds of the sale of some little articles that belonged to John, including a suit somewhat worn. I told Mr. Campbell to have an auction among the boys and sell the things. Hope that you receive this and will be satisfactory to you.

Cecelia will go to the Millersville Normal School in September and take a course of training as teacher. I am most hopeful of the success of this plan. If she turns out a first class teacher she will be in demand and never lack for a place. It is only the indifferent teachers who are compensation to solicit employment.

VOL. 15