This transcription was created by the Harvard-Diggins Library
from original document held by MHS (#SC 1274)

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St. Xavier, Montana
July 20, 1897

My own true loving little wife,

Yours received and glad to hear from you. Enclosed send you a letter I received from Gi-Aume, the Kiowa squaw at Ft. Sill. Wish you would return it my dear. I have got 11 pictures finished I now wish you could see the large one finish today of Chief Medicine Crow. He fixed up fine for me, painted him standing with his arms folded. He has two feathers stuck up straight on his head (2) and his whole face mouth and lips are painted a bright yellow with three strips of red run across each cheek. He has a black horse tail fastened behind with red feathers fasten on it. He has on a yellow red jacket with long fringes on the bottom of sleeves. His legs are painted reddish yellow and stripes of red on his legs and arms indicating the Indians (Sioux) and (Nez Perces) he has killed on each arm is fastened a coyote tail and in one hand he holds a long scalp from a Comanche. On his leg below his knee he has greenish hair wound around (3) the leg like a bracelet and at his ankle he has fur wounded round and has on fine moccasins. He is to sit tomorrow for the war costume. He is awfully proud of his picture. He looks at it for a long while and says, "I have heap medicine". Yesterday I went to a tipi and went inside and sat down. It was a regular Indian tipi like you read about. No white man’s bed inside like the Indians have at Ft Sill and the war bonnet and dress costume they had was fine. You needn’t worry (4) about me here among in the Indians, I couldn’t bee in a safer place. In Chicago wouldn’t blame you for worrying. The Indians are the most harmless people and they like me and will do anything for me. When there is any trouble with the Indians it is the fool white man to blame. The Cheyenne’s are having trouble now on account of the cussed swindling xxxx beating them out of their money as the white man does. A white man would raise up in arms if they were treated one third as bad as the Indians (5) are. If you knew half what these poor Crow Indians have to stand for you would feel sorry for them. They are robbed right and left and the Indians don’t have one third enough to eat where as if the government agents would be fair with the Indians they would get along fine. I only hope Mr. Campbell gets to be an agent then the Indians will be treated right. He is such a square man. There isn’t a day but what the Indians eat at his table. He lets then come in and eat what is left (6) and if there isn’t enough he will cook more for them. I sent for my wheel today it was at Crow Agency Uncle Ed has gone east but probably has returned now. You had better write him and ask him to send you $50.00 and tell him I wrote him too some time ago. Don’t send me anything for birthday, my dear, as I have so much to carry around. You hadn’t better buy me any ties as I have enough and I don’t wear any here anyway. I just have a small satchel with me and I can’t (7) carry much. In the Tipi I was in yesterday they had two kittens they struck attitudes and were singing as loud as they could. Yesterday I saw a squaw with a blanket wrapped around her and pretty soon I saw a little bit of a kitten stick his head out. He was singing away a little Crow song. Every day a lot of Indians come to see the pictures. They bother me a good bit. They will say, "it sic", which means "good". Well my dear I must close and go to bed good

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