THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
5
Fires of Incendiary Origin.
The following letter from the Indian
Office emphasizes the necessity of careful
watchfulness at all Indian schools to
guard against fires and outlines the
policv which will lv pursued in such
cases where the fires may be of incendiary
origin and traced to pupils. The warn
ing should be effective.
Office of Idinan Affaiks,
Washington. June 26, 190K.
The Superintendent, U.S. Indian School,
Chemawa, Oregon.
Sir: Despite the fact thatthn office has
emphasized the necessity for edequate fire
protection and watchfulness at the vill
ous Indian schools, fires still occur. Most
of these are due to incendiary origin and
in a number of cases have been traced to
pupil.-, so that stern measures became
imperative, and however distasteful such
action may have been it was found neces
sary to make an example of those con
cern! (I in these unlawful acts.
One of the most flagrant acts occurred
on the evening of January 17. 1905, in
the destruction by (ire of the boarding
school on the Menominee Reservation in
Wisconsin. After a thoiough investiga
tion of the cause of this fire had been
made, two Indian pupils of the school,
l.ouisa LaMotte and Lizzie Cm i-dish, were
charged with the crime, and Superinten
dent Freeman, in charge of the Green
B y Agency, was directed lo bring crimi
nal action against th.w girls. , in O 'to
ber, 1905, the U. S. Grand Jury o.- the
L S. District Court returned an indict
ment against Leui a LaMotte and Lizzie
Canlisn, charging them with arson of the
Government Boarding 8c ol iui Mings
at Menominee.
On motion of the attorneys for the de
fendants this indictment was quashed.
On January 25th, 1906, the U. S. Grand
Jury again indicted them and they were
arrested. Their trial came on at a ses
sion of the U. S. Court held at Oshkosh,
Wisconsin, in June, 190B, when Lizzie
Cardish changed her plea from "Not
Guilty" to "Guilty" and was sentenced to
life imprisonment in the penitentiary it
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Louisa La
Motte was discharged on motion of the
U S. District Attorney.
The punishment for the crime was very
severe, but should be a warning to all pu
pils in Indian schools throughout the
United States that this Office will not
tolerate crimes of this character.
You will publish these facts and this
warning in your Indian school paper, so
that all may be advised of the policv
which will be pursued hereafter. While
the financial loss in the destruction i f
the Menominee buildings was large for
tunately no lives were lost, but such
chance exemption from fatalities mav
not occur hereafter, and everv effort
must be put forth b th by Superintendents
and tl is Office to protect the lives of In
dian pupils committed to the care of the
Government.
Very respectfully,
C. F. Larrabee,
A cling Ccmmitisioner.
PROPOSALS for WOOD, FISH, plumbing and
ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES, ETC. Chemawa, Oregon,
June 23rd, 1906. Sealed Proposals, ilainly marked on
the outside of the envelope "Proposals for Wood, Fish
Etc.," and addressed to the undersigned at Chemawa,
Oregon, will be received at the Indian School until
two o'clock p. m. of Saturday July 14, 1906, for furnish
ing and delivering at the School when required during
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1907, about 2000 cords of
wood, 5 tons oil meal, 26000 pounds fish, besides a
quantity of packing, tees hubs, pipe tools, sewer pipe,
valves, elbows, electric lamps sockets, switches, etc.,
as per full list and specifications obtainable at the
School. Bidders are requested to state the price of
each article to be offered for delivery under contract.
All supplies so offered will be subject to rigid inspect
ion. The right is reserved to reject any or all bids or
any part of any bid if deemed for the best inteiests of
the Service. Each bid must be accompanied by a cer-.
titied check or draft upon some United States' deposi
tory or solve.it National bank, made payable to the
order of the Commission of Indian Affairs for at least
five per cent of the amount of the proposal, which
check or draft shall be forfeited to the United States
in case a bidder receiving an award shall fail to
execute promptly a satisfactory contract in accord
ance with his bid:" otherwise to be returned to the
bidder. Bids accompanied oy cash in lieu of certified
check will not be considered." For futher information
apply to E. L. CHALORAFT, Superintendent.