The January 1881 issue of the Hallaquah announced two new members of the staff: Lucy Grey and Bertie Walker. Lucy Grey (ca. 1864–1881) was born in Kansas, lived with her uncle’s family in Oklahoma, and was adopted by the Senecas. She entered the Seneca Indian School in March 1880.
Bertrand N. O. Walker (ca. 1870–1927), or Bertie as he was known in school, was born in Kansas, the youngest of eight children. When he was a child he moved with his family from Kansas to Indian Territory. He attended the Seneca Indian School and a public school in Missouri. He later taught for ten years in federal boarding schools in California and Arizona and at the Seneca Indian School.
Walker’s literary ambition stirred in him at an early age. When he was just eleven years old he became an editor of the Hallaquah. He later aspired to be a poet and published the majority of his poetry under his Wyandot name Hen-toh in the Chilocco Indian School’s Indian School Journal. Several of his poems have been reprinted in Robert Dale Parker’s collection of American Indian poetry, Changing Is Not Vanishing (2011). Besides poetry, Walker published animal stories in Tales of the Bark Lodges in 1919. He also published a collection of poetry, Yon-Doo-Shah-We-Ah (Nubbins), in 1924. (Hallaquah, August–November 1881; Littlefield and Parins, Biobibliography: Supplement, 298–99; Littlefield and Parins, “Introduction,” vii–xvi; Walker, “A Personal Sketch,” 89–93)
In this issue we do not propose to offer any apologies, nor make any promises; and we do not want any statement of facts which we may make, regarded in the light of either. We are late again this month: everybody is, under similar circumstances. It’s the way to be, when you can’t help it. Any fears that may have been entertained by our patrons that the amount of their subscription was likely to prove, at least an unprofitable investment, if not an entire loss, have cast their shadows in our minds nearly a month ago, but we are giving you a fair dividend in the Jan. number, and dare to expect not only a renewal but at least one “new name” with each. A vacancy on the “Staff” caused by the absence and resignation of one of our number, is filled, you will notice by “One of the Boys.”1 In this connection we are free to announce, that we are indulging in “Great Expectations” and venture to hope you will not be disappointed.
Much of the time that would have been employed in printing this No. of the paper, has been occupied in attending the meetings which have been held at the Mission during the past two weeks. We are glad to be able to offer our subscribers as good an excuse as this is, for the delay this month.
We commenced setting up the type for this month’s paper, much sooner than we ever did before, and we expect to get it out in better time, and with less hurry, and trouble, than usual. We have had a much larger number of contributions to select from than heretofore. We are encouraged by the 15 new names on our subscription list, handed in by our friends in this Agency. And we are yet hopeful of the 400 we have asked for in our letters to friends in the States, but one of which has been heard from yet.
While we were at home on a visit the last of March, some one very kindly cleaned up our office and rearranged all of the furniture: adding one entirely new large case of type and eight small ones, in a serviceable if not beautiful cabinet; veneer and varnish is all that is needed to make it elegant. And therefore for all of this we return our thanks to them for their kindness. We confess to some curiosity as to how we are going to appear in our new dress; of course we don’t expect that we shall use our new type to the best advantage the first time, but we shall profit by experience.
Every attempt to write the few lines for this particular part of the paper seems more difficult than the last one, and we don’t know why; wonder if it is this way with every one who tries to write Editorials. We are thankful to the several friends who have sent us lists of new subscribers this month. We shall print nearly 400 copies of this number. One more paper will close our labor for this session, after which the little Star will have to be kept shining by other hands and brains than ours.
During the temporary suspension of our paper we have had considerable malarial sickness in the school, and November will long be remembered for its epidemic of pneumonia which prostrated 13 of our number and took from us our beloved colleague, schoolmate, and sister, Lucy Grey.2 She was sprightly, lovable. She was dignified, earnest. She was an Indian school-girl, editor, [and] a lover of the Lord Jesus. We miss dear Lucy, and our loss in her death is immeasurable. Silence is more fitting than our words. See a just tribute to her worth by our matron in another part of the paper.3