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[[underlined]] Bright Eyes' Letter to Mr. Tibbles [[/underlined]]
the bodies of our dead. For three months we were without anything to eat. Most of our horses were either stolen from us by white men or destroyed by disease, which attacked both man and beast. We sold our few remaining ponies to keep us from starving."
My cousin told me of much more which I have not the time to repeat. My father & I found the whole tribe on the point of breaking away. We saw wagons at the Agency which had not been delivered to the Inds. because the agent was afraid to give them out for fear they would run away as soon as they received them. There were numbers who would have broken away, in spite of all efforts. My father told them of what Mr. T. and other were trying to do for them and used all his powers of persuasion to induce them to stay in Ind. Territ till the suit which was to be brought against the Govt. with regard to their land was decided. He made White Eagle, the head chief, Uncle Frank, and others promise to keep their tribe on the reserve until they could hear from the lawyers, who were to conduct the suit, that they had been set free. And they are now waiting with beating hearts for that message.
While we were down there, two of the leading chiefs were arrested and confined in Fort Reno, on the ground that they did not want to stay there, & help the tribe, in a state of dissatisfaction; and just as we were coming away, soldiers were expected who were to stay & watch this tribe to keep them from running away. This Ponca case is only a single
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p. 8 - aching homeless hearts have turned to you for help in Christ's name, that Christ who wandered over the face of the Earth he had made, without a spot on which to lay his head, and as you would have helped your Savior, so help these helpless ones.