Wisconsin School for the Deaf - Tattler Yearbook (Delavan, WI)

Page 17 text:

Upon their arrival at Washington they went directly to nee the president, who asked Keokuk nmny questions as to the reason why Black Hawk went to war attainst the whiten. After Keokuk Rave President Jackson all the information he could, he was ordered by the president to have Black Hawk placed at Fortress Monroe ns o prisoner. During their stay in the city many people visited Black Hawk and his party. On the way to Fortress Monroe they visited several training camps which mode him realize how insignificant hlit men would he in comparison with these well-trained soldiers. While stopping nt New York, they met Mr. Graham, one of the most prominent men of New York at that time. Several present were given tn Black Howk by Mr. Graham, nnd this fine example of brotherly love marie Black Hawk realise what peace really meant. Mr. Graham advised him to bury the hutchet. to make bright tin- chain of friendship, to love the white men and to live in peace with them ns long as water ran und the sun would rise and set. It was published by several papers many years ago that Black Hnwk murderer! white women nnd children. This assertion he most emphatically tlenied. claiming also that no one in his tribe had ever killed a white woman or child to his knowledge. As soon us arrangements had been made with the president to give Black Hawk complete release from prison, he left with his wife und family nnd n smull portion of his tribe for his old hunting grounds near the Mississippi River. Hero he had a comfortable dwelling erected and • o o o • , A JEST A utory of Scotch honesty comes from Dundee. A small bov had tuken the prize for an exceptionally well druwn map. After the examination the teacher, a little doubtful asked the lad: “Who helped you with this map. James?” Nobody, sir.” Come now. tell me the truth. Didn't your brother help you?” No. sir; he did it all.” hr settled down with the expectation of making it his permanent home. Some years Inter Black Hawk moved his family and little bund still farther west to the De Moines River. It was here that he was taken ill and died on Octoher 3. 183ft at the uge of seventy-one years. When Black Hawk wan buried, he wus dressed in u military uniform presented to him by a member of President Jackson’s cabinet. On his left side won u sword, given to him by General Jackson; on his right side a cane, which wun u gift from Henry Clay. Three medals from Pres. Jackson, Kx-presidcnt John Quincy Adams, and the city of Boston respectively, hung around his neck. There is near Byron, Illinois, u statue of Black Hawk, the work of I.orado Taft. It overlooks the Kock River, the scene of his birth und can be seen for many miles. Not long after his death it was erected, and many a traveler today pauses to look upon it. Several of the boys of W. S. D. who have taken part in the tournament at Jacksonville, Illinois, have had the privilege of seeing it. In closing this narrative of the life of the admirable chief. Black Hnwk. it seems fitting to speak briefly of his personal character. He wo an Indian possessing a noble nature. In all the nociul relations of his life he was kind and affable. In hi home he was an affectionate husband. He w e. free from the many vices that othciV of his race had contracted from the white people, never using intoxicating bever-ugc to excess. As u wurrior he knew no fear, and his persona! prowess stamped him as the bravest of the brave . • o o o • OR TWO Why bother to write jokes when one can get dialogues like the following, overheurd nt the bureau of naturalization? “Where is Washington?” Oh. he has passed on. ”1 mean the capital of the United States. “Oh, they loaned it all to Kurope. Do you promise to support the Constitution?” Me? How can 1? I've u wife und six children to support.” —Brooklyn Eagle

Page 16 text:

MAKATAIMESHEKIAKIAK By Raymond Ste er .Mnkntaimcshekinkiuk or Black Hawk. U he was known to his people, in fact to everyone in this country, was horn nt the Sac village on the Bock River in I7fi7. Black Hawk's early life was like any other hoy’s. His father, Pyosa. was then the chief of the Sacs, but he did not permit his son to wear feathers or paint his face until he was fifteen. It was when Bluck Hawk was fifteen also that he engnged in his first battle with the enemy, After the battle he took part In his first sculp dance. When Bluck Hawk was nineteen years of age. his father died, leaving him in charge of several hundred warriors; but it was not until he was twenty-four that he became the chief. During the early part of his life he showed a fondness for the whites, never harming any of them. In fact several time he tried his best to overcome the troubles existing between his men und the white people. At various times when the whites threatened to dispose of the Sacs, Black Hawk look no opposing action but remained silent, knowing that this would be the best thing, not only for himself, but for his beloved people. One day his adopted son, who was very dear to him. was found slain. Upon discovering that he had been shot in the back by one of these strangers whom he had befriended, Black Hawk could not refrain from showing revenge by the same hostile act. Black Hawk and his band traveled all over the country. On the Mississippi River hi people owned seven hundred miles of land extending from Wisconsin to Missouri. It wn the custom of the men of his tribe to go hunting every fall and return with provisions the following spring. Black Hawk had for some time believed that the whites were untruthful, and an experience which he had one day proved to him beyond the shadow of a doubt that this was true. It was that they influenced him to sign a document by which he gave away his village not knowing it contents. When he was afterwards told to get off the land he owned, he refused point blank saying it belonged to his people. Finally soldier were called nnd Bluck Hawk, not wanting to start war, bade his people move off peacefully. After Black Hawk and his people departed from their village, they roamed from place to place, a resentful forlorn tribe. Many of them died from cold und starvation that winter. In the spring they returned to the vicinity of their village io find it in utter ruins. The white continued to be bothersome until finally Black Hawk sent out four warriors on u mission of pence. Three of these were murdered by the enemy, but the other managed to escape and tell the tale to his chlof. Black Hawk, long friendly with the whites, now set out with his warriors, five hundred strong, to punish them for this ruthless deed. In a battle, known ns the battle of Bad Axe. Black Hawk’s army had little chance ugainst the three thousand on the opposing side. Hl« own horse was shot under him. Black Hawk, not wanting to lose all his men, retreated and returned to his people. At that time the Sioux Indians wore generally known to be the most murderous tribe of Indians in existence. They were a menace to Black Hawk's tribe attacknig them frequently, causing great loss of life, thus diminishing Black Hawk's tribe. By 18 10 most of his tribe bad died or had been killed. The very few that remained were hi faithful followers. In the fall of that year Bluck Hawk gave him e|f up to the war chief of Fort Crawford at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, He, who was once a noble chief, was now a prisoner of war all of his own free will. He had given himself up for the sake of the peace-loving Sac nation. On his journey to the JelTerson Barracks, he surveyed the land whoso inhabitants had caused him so much trouble. He beheld the fine houses of these intruders, built on the ground that had belonged to the Indiuns. who hud not received h dollar for it. Throughout that winter Black Hawk remained at the Jefferson Barracks a prisoner. There he was treated with the utmost kindness, but was ohliged to wear the ball and chain like any other prisoner. This he resented greatly. Keokuk, an Indian interpreter, nnd some of his men petitioned the president to release Black Hawk. They were ordered to come to Washington nnd to bring Bluck Hawk with them, which they did.

Page 18 text:

THOMAS ALVA EDISON By M rjr Sklenar Thomas Alva Edison, tho famous inventor. VU born in Milan, Ohio, February 11. 1847. There were throe children in Edison's family, all of different ability. Edison's ability wu mechanical. He was not at ull strong while youiik and of fragile appearnne with u large but well-shaped head. Edison's ancestors coming from Holland In 1730 first settled in New Jersey. They later moved to Passaic River into the same neighborhood where Edison now lives at Orange Mountain. One Thomas Edison hud a son named John, who had different view from his father in regard to American Independence. After the Revolutionary War, John left the country to settle in Novia Scotia. A son wus born to him named Samuel, father of Thoma Alva Edison, the inventor. Under Canadian low. John Edison, ns a Loyalist, became entitled to some western Land near Luke Huron where Thomas Edison often visited his grandfather who died at the age of one hundred and two. Little la known of Samuel Edison, father of Thomas A. Edison, until we find him living nt Vienna keeping a hotel and marrying Nancy Elliott, who was u high school teacher there. Ir. 1837 when the Canadian Rebellion broke out, Samuel with his family departed from Canada secretly for Milan, Ohio where he grew prosperous. It was here thnt the inventor was born. On account of Edison's delicacy, he was not allowed to go to school at an early age. He could not got along very well when he did so hi mother decided to teach him herself. She was not only loving, observing and wise but at the same time well informed und ambitious. He was a good reader and could remember every thing that he read. He asked so many question that It tired hih parents out to answer them. To this day Mr. Edison b not inclined to accept n statement unless he can prove it himself by experiment. Once, when he was about six years old, ho watched a goose sitting on her eggs and saw them hatch. Soon after he was missing, latter hi father found him sitting In t nest on eggs trying to hatch them. He had a remarkable memory while a small child and hud many other interesting adventures in his boyhood days. In 1854 the family moved to Port Huron, Michigan. He had no use for mathematics but his father encouraged his literary taste . He became interested in chemistry and bought ele-men try books on Physics und tried out every experiment in them. Hr used the cellar of tho house for experiments and hud about two hundred bottle of various chemicals. Most of hb spare time was spent here und he did not care to share in the sport of the bovs In the neighborhood. As hi pocket money disappeared rapidly for chemicals he became a train newsboy. He sold papers on the Grand Trunk Railway between Port Huron and Detroit. By selling vegetable and other farm produce he earned enough money to keep on with hb experiments. Edison hnd many adventures, too numerous to mention, while a newsboy. It was about the time he was sixteen years of age that one day a stick of phosphorus burst into Hume while the train was in motion. This caused the car to catch on fire and Edison was kicked off by the conductor. Besides, he had his ears boxed which made him deuf which was a great advantage to him In some wove. After his newsboy days were over, he tried telegraphy. He became a regulur operator in 1868 on the Grand Trunk Railway in Canada, lie spent nearly five years as a telegraph operator in various cities of the Central Western State always studying and experimenting to improve the telegraph apparatus. In 1868 he started work at the Western Union in Boston a- operator. Lator he resigned and went into private telegraph lino business. In 1868 he made his first patented invention of an Electrical Vote recorder. In 186l», Innding in New York poor and in debt, he found work nt Gold and Stock Telegraph Co. When part of the apparatus broke no one but Edison could fix it so he wa given a