Student Deaths

The first page opened with a poem by Sarah E. Eastman reprinted from “Golden Days,” titled “If! If!” followed by the reprinted letter from a Carlisle Indian School student on Outing called “She Wants a Higher Education.” The last piece on the page continues on the fourth page called “A Modern Pueblo” about the process by which a progressive…

The first page opened with the poem “Be True” followed by an article titled “A Carlisle Teacher on the Big Ocean,” about a trip aboard the Steamer Aurania dated July 6th, 1888 written for the Man-on-the-band-stand by “A Carlisle,” aka Miss Lowe. The article concluded on the fourth page. Page two featured a variety of small newsy paragraphs that…

The first page opened with the death notice for Katie Kinshone, one of the Apache babies. It was followed by a poem by Henry Sargent Blake called “Why Come They?” The next item was an article, “No Tobacco in Other Schools,” about the evils of tobacco use and the last piece on the page was an excerpt from an Oneida boy’s outing letter called “…

The first page opened with a poem, “The Golden Keys,” followed by a letter from Richard Davis (Cheyenne) who lived in West Grove, PA and ran a dairy farm there. There was an article called “No Wonder Indians Get Along Slowly,” and news from Joseph Schweigman (Sioux) at the Rosebud Agency titled “Willard Married.” The second page featured “The…

The first page opened with a poem, “Judge Wright’s Farewell: Read By Him Before Our Students Last Saturday Night,” followed by “A Boy Who Could Be Trusted,” about an unnamed boy who revealed news of Lee’s troops marching to Gettysburg. Next came a reprint of a letter that told of the good work of returned Indian students titled “Up Hill Work…

The first page opened with a poem "March" by Bessie Chandler followed by an article titled "Feasted By the Blind" which was an account of visiting students from the Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind who got a tour of the Indian school and gave an entertainment that featured singing, marching, calisthenics, and musical…

The first page opened with a poem "Think," followed by a story called "Are Indians Kind to Animals? about a Carlisle girl on Outing who threw a blanket over a horse during icy weather. The next piece was about the value of labor titled "Successful Men." Page two began with an article titled "Squeezed Into Shape" that compared processing iron to…

An excerpt from the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to the Secretary of the Interior for the fiscal year ending 1889, containing the Tenth Annual Report of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. The report, submitted by Superintendent Richard Henry Pratt, includes a school population table as well as discussions of the…

An excerpt from the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to the Secretary of the Interior for the fiscal year ending 1893, containing the Fourteenth Annual Report of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. The report, submitted by Superintendent Richard Henry Pratt, includes a table of the school's population, as well as…

An excerpt from the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to the Secretary of the Interior for the fiscal year ending 1899, containing the Twentieth Annual Report of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. The report, submitted by Superintendent Richard Henry Pratt, includes a school population table and discussions of the school's…

An excerpt from the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to the Secretary of the Interior for the fiscal year ending 1906, containing the Twenty-Seventh Annual Report of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. The report, submitted by Superintendent William A. Mercer, includes discussions of health, building projects, agriculture…

Two duplicate copies of the monthly school report for January 1880, submitted by the Carlisle Indian Training School to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The report includes a list of employees, a count of students by Nation/Tribe, descriptions of the educational program, and Superintendent Richard Henry Pratt's remarks about developments and…

Dr. J. S. Bender notifies Richard Henry Pratt of the death of Henry Jones, a member of the Iowa Nation, due to advanced endocarditis. Dr. Bender notes that a post-mortem examination was performed alongside local physician Dr. J. R. Bixler. Pratt forwards this notice to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs.

Richard Henry Pratt requests Commissioner of Indian Affairs R. E. Trowbridge's approval for purchases made during the first quarter of 1880 amounting to $1,163.59. The purchases were not covered on the quarter's estimate of funds but were "indispensable" to the Carlisle Indian School, so Pratt purchased them with money on hand.

Note:…

George Kellogg of the Medical Division of the Bureau of Indian Affairs provides a sanitary report on the buildings, appliances, and children at the Carlisle Indian School. He recommends replacing some old brick drains with terra cotta pipes. He finds the buildings to be of a satisfactory condition, particularly commending the hospital - though…

J. S. Bender reports the death of Sioux student John Renville from typhus. Richard Henry Pratt forwards Bender's letter to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs.

Note: This item was copied from U.S. National Archives microfilm reels (M234), which were filmed from the original documents found in Record Group 75, Entry 79, "Letters Received…

Richard Henry Pratt informs the Commissioner of Indian Affairs that Sisseton Sioux Chief Gabriel Renville has arrived at the Carlisle Indian School to return the body of his son, John, who died of typhus, home to be buried. Pratt is granting Renville's request to bring his daughter Nancy home with the plan of her returning to the school with…

Richard Henry Pratt informs the Commissioner of Indian Affairs that he is sending Pine Ridge Sioux students Henry Thigh, Nathan, and Andrew home, escorted by Reverend Robinson, immediately because their health is so poor that they may die at the school before the Commissioner approves their transfer. Pratt adds that the Carlisle Indian School…

Richard Henry Pratt informs school physician Dr. J. S. Bender that he will be fired at the end of the month unless he quits sooner. Pratt provides multiple reasons for his decision, including that almost every student sent to the school hospital dies or is sent home and that Bender did not provide Pratt with the proper medicine when he was sick…

Richard Henry Pratt informs the Commissioner of Indian Affairs that Chief White Thunder's son, Ernest, is very sick and may die. Pratt believes that it's "entirely his fault" and that he "wants to die."

Note: This item was copied from U.S. National Archives microfilm reels (M234), which were filmed from the original documents found in…

Richard Henry Pratt writes to Chief White Thunder telling him of the death of his son, Ernest. 

Physician Charles H. Hepburn provides a report on the deaths of two Rosebud Sioux students: Maud and Ernest. Maud died of multiple lung issues on December 13, 1880 with Ernest dying of diphtheria on December 14, 1880. Richard Henry Pratt forwards Hepburn's report to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs.

Note: This item was copied from U.S…

Richard Henry Pratt writes to Chief White Thunder about the funeral ceremony and burial of his son, Ernest. Pratt expresses his sorrow and sympathy at White Thunder's loss, but also argues that White Thunder was right to send Ernest to the school. 

Pratt notes that Maud (Little Girl) died the same night as Ernest, so they were…