From Fort Marion to Fort Sill: A Documentary History of the Chiricahua Apache Prisoners of War, 1886-1913

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216 P Palatchay (Godfrey) c. 1873–1890 ch Palutchy; Godfrey Balatchu. He was enrolled in Carlisle on November 4, 1886, as “Godfrey Palatchay , father and mother living, age 13, height 4'11½", weight 96, Indian name Pa-lat-chay, home address ‘Pe-tee-san.’” He was assigned to J. H. Satterchwaite of Oxford Valley, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, May 3– September 15, 1888. Although terminally ill by the fall of 1888, he was assigned to M. Vanartsdalen of Richboro, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, September 22, 1888–July 15, 1890. Godfrey died of tuberculosis on July 31, 1890, and is buried at Carlisle.1 Patterson, Bruce c. 1882–1898 nd fig. 19, no. 32; fig. 37, no. 23 Mike; Little Mike. His Apache name was Yonlthgazhejingee. He was a full sibling of Hunlona and Katie Dionta. Dubbed “Mike” and “Little Mike” in Alabama , he was enrolled in Carlisle on July 8, 1888, as “Bruce Patterson.” He may have been named for Miss Ella Patterson, who prior to her teaching position at Carlisle had been superintendent of the Fort Apache Indian School, a position to which she returned in the fall of 1898. One of the youngest students at Carlisle, and a favorite of classmates and teachers, Bruce gave the welcome address at the Children’s Day exercises in 1896. He was the “pet” of the younger boys’ dormitory and so dear to teachers that they composed a poem about him: Talk about Apaches, And their being wild! Why, we have a little fellow, A merry little child. Patterson, Bruce | 217 He’s seven years old about, You would not heedless pass him by As he marches in and out, Our little orderly! How bright his buttons are, How winning is his smile, How willing are his feet To run a rod, or a mile. He lifts his cap with grace, And carries note day after day; He ornaments the place Our Apache orderly! For his kindly offices We are all beholden; And we love him just as well As if his hair were golden. And when the world looks on, And doesn’t dare to try, What if to them alarmed We introduce our orderly? When rubber boots were issued to all students, to be worn only in rain or snow, Bruce amused his teachers with his fascination with the apparel. One morning he spotted a solitary snow flake and ran in “high glee” for boots. Bruce was assigned to J. Rich of Woodbourne, Pennsylvania, March 31–September 15, 1894; G. Hilton of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, April 28– September 1, 1896; and Reed of New Britain, Pennsylvania, April 30– August 2, 1897. Bruce worked in the campus print shop, distinguishing himself as a printer and as a photographer, using a Kodak camera. Once, when the usual printers, the upperclassmen, were participating in an off-campus outing, the “pride of the printers to bring the paper out on time though the ‘heavens fall’” fell to the younger students, wrote the Carlisle superintendent. “Our ‘little men’ have taken on the same spirit and out came the helper with its 25,000 impressions, as usual.” Bruce was diagnosed with pneumonia in April 1897 but was assigned to work off campus until August 2. In August 1898 he was transferred to the Albuquerque Indian School in New Mexico for the “recupera- 218 | Patton (Miriam) tive benefit the dry climate would have on the tuberculosis that afflicted him.” He died in September. From Albuquerque, Superintendent Allen wrote to Carlisle with news of Bruce’s death: “About eight o’clock last night he began to bleed from the lungs and we were utterly unable to check it. He failed rapidly, and by half past nine was dead. We held funeral services today and he was laid to rest with those of our school who have died before. He has been a good boy while with us, and made many friends who sincerely mourn his death.”2 Patton (Miriam) c. 1873–1896 ws Her Apache name was Dahnasaat. She was described as an orphan when she was enrolled in Carlisle on November 4, 1886, as “Miriam Patton, age 13, height 4'9", weight 81.” She was assigned to J. Mulligan of Zion, Maryland, March 18, 1889–September 12, 1890; Mrs. C. Parson in Willowgrove, Pennsylvania, April 8, 1891–September 10, 1892; and Mrs. C. Cooley of Rowlandsville, Maryland, August 15, 1893–September 14, 1894. She also worked in Olney...