Charles 'Charlie' Brown

Charlie was a Ho-Chunk man (Wisconsin Winnebago Tribe)

Until 1993, the Ho-Chunk Nation was formerly known as the Wisconsin Winnebago Tribe, but the term Winnebago is a misnomer derived from the Algonquian language family and refers to the marshlands of the region.

The Ho-Chunk Nation is not located on a reservation or a single continuous land base in Wisconsin. The Ho-Chunk Nation owns land in 14 counties in Wisconsin, including Adams, Clark, Crawford, Dane, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Marathon, Monroe, Sauk, Shawano, Vernon, and Wood Counties, ... There is a Ho-Chunk reservation in Nebraska for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.

The Ho-Chunk Nation is comprised of twelve clans, or family groups, in two distinct moieties (complementary tribal subdivisions)— Those-who-are above (Thunder, Warrior, Eagle, and Pigeon), and Those-who-are-on-earth (Bear, Buffalo, Deer, Wolf, Elk, Fish, Water Spirit, and Snake) — each with distinct responsibilities...

Biography:
Also referred to as Charles, Charlie was born c. 1844 to...

Charlie was committed to the Canton Asylum by the Wittenberg School, aka Bethany Indian Mission, of Wittenberg, Wisconsin, which was established in 1886 by the Norwegian Evangelical Church of America. It was transferred to government oversight in 1895 and continued to operate under their supervision until 1 October 1917, when its students were transferred to Oneida. In 1899, Wittenberg had 140 students and 4 staff.

Excerpt follows...
"Back in Canton, however, tensions between Gifford and Turner likely ran a little high after Perry's investigation...

(Oscar) Gifford obviously had no medical background, but he seemed to feel (as in the case of Shanahan) that he was competent to determine a patient's mental or medical status. Additionally, attendants frequently disregarded Turner's instructions regarding patients, and Turner felt that a few had died as a result. Gifford apparently did little or nothing in the way of disciplining the attendants or backing Turner, either out of animosity toward Turner, friendliness toward Canton employees, or a feeling that few things were as serious as Turner made them out to be.

With this background, the situation was ripe for a really serious incident. Gifford had once disagreed with Turner over an epileptic girl, sending her home over the doctor's objections. Now he prepared to overrule Turner again. In October 1907, Charles Brown, a sixty-three-year-old Winnebago Indian, fell ill with intestinal problems (biliary calculi).

Turner treated him but believed that the real problem was an obstruction. He told Gifford that surgery was the only answer. Turner brought in two doctors from town (Drs. Corrigan and Rogers) for a consultation, and they agreed that there appeared to be an obstruction in the common bile duct.

Turner couldn't operate without Gifford's permission, and it must have been galling to ask for it. He and Dr. Corrigan went to Gifford's office, but Gifford wouldn't entertain the notion of an operation and abruptly asked Corrigan into his private room.

"Are you really positive about the condition?" Gifford asked Corrigan once the door was shut.

"Everything points to it being an obstruction (of the bile duct), but of course, it's possible to be wrong," Corrigan replied. Then he added, "Whether that's wrong or right, it's a surgical condition - an operation is positively indicated."

Gifford hesitated. "He's too weak."

"Dr. Turner and I think he's in fair shape,' said Corrigan. "I've operated on a number of such subjects."

"I'm afraid he might die from the operation," said Gifford. "And the revenue of this institution is in live Indians, not dead ones." Opposing the opinions of all three doctors, Gifford refused permission for the operation.

Turner took his consultants back to Canton. He knew money might be an issue for Gifford and asked Corrigan his fee.

"I'll do it for the love (of) it," Corrigan replied.

"If I can get permission from the superintendent, I'll telephone you on Sunday, and we can operate Monday morning at 9:00," Turner said, evidently hoping he could prevail against whatever other objections Gifford might have.

He gamely went back to see Gifford, but the superintendent countered every suggestion.

"I don't know whether or not the Indian Office would allow a fee as they do for veterinary or dental services," he first told Turner.

"Dr. Corrigan won't charge a fee," Turner reassured him.

"I don't think Charles can stand the operation. He may die later even if he can get through it."

Gifford flatly refused to allow the operation, and three weeks later Charles Brown died. Turner incised the tumor in the presence of the night watchman and an attendant and removed a calculus, which he kept.

"Somebody wrote to the Indian Office, whether promptly after this incident or after a period of reflection and growing concern, or about another matter entirely. That somebody had enough clout to raise real concerns..."

• Joinson, Carla. Vanished in Hiawatha: The Story of the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians. University of Nebraska Press, 2016, pgs 80-83 (part).

There was a second investigation in April 1908, after the Canton residents who served on the asylum staff complained to Washington about the problems they were having with Superintendent Gifford. A few months later, Dr. Turner filed another complaint when an autopsy showed that an inmate died because Gifford had refused to allow Turner to operate and remove the inmate’s gallstones. Senators and representatives from South Dakota tried to protect Gifford in Washington D.C. However, by the summer of 1908, Francis Leupp, the federal commissioner of Indian Affairs, had the support of Secretary of the Interior James Garfield, and he forced Gifford to resign.

• Dilenschneider, Anne. “An Invitation to Restorative Justice: The Canton Asylum for Insane Indians .” Northern Plains Ethics Journal, 2013, pp. 103–128.

Charlie died on November 2, 1907, according to Carla Joinson in her book "Vansihed in Hiawatha". Charlie is buried in the Canton Hiawatha cemetery, tier 4 plot 48, the 15th death at the asylum, according to the February 17, 1934 letter by Dr. L.L. Culp following the closing of the asylum in December 1933.

His profile is part of the The Canton Asylum One Place Study.

Research Notes:
-Died after Oscar Gifford withheld treatment for biliary calculi, commonly called Gallstones (are small stones made from cholesterol that reside in the bile ducts and often cause blockages or become cancerous tumors), against the advice of Dr. Turner, who later incised the tumor in the presence of witnesses. The death of Charlie Brown ultimately led to the removal of Oscar Gifford as superintendent of the Canton Asylum, only to be replaced by Dr. Harry Hummer. See Joinson, Carla. Vanished in Hiawatha: The Story of the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians. University of Nebraska Press, 2016, pgs 80-83 (part).

Recommended Reading:
1. Ho-Chunk History: By the banks of the Lemonweir River in what for ages had been Ho-Chunk territory, Andy Thundercloud shares the oral tradition of his people, at PBS Wisconsin @ https://pbswisconsin.org/watch/tribal-histories/wpt-documentaries-h...
2. Richter, Daniel K. Facing East from Indian Country: A Native History of Early America. Harvard University Press, 2003.

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Sources:

1907 Nov 3 - "South Dakota, Grave Registration Records, 1940-1941", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CYRJ-SLW2 : Fri Dec 15 03:43:39 UTC 2023), Entry for Charlie Brown, pg.
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1910 - Camp Verde School: 1910-27; Canton Insane Asylum: 1910-22, Series: Superintendents' Annual Narrative and Statistical Reports, Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 7th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20408 @ https://catalog.archives.gov/id/155854182?objectPage=674

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14493782/charlie-brown: accessed 30 December 2023), memorial page for Charlie Brown (unknown–unknown), Find a Grave Memorial ID 14493782, citing Hiawatha Asylum Cemetery, Canton, Lincoln County, South Dakota, USA; Maintained by Theresa/Thunderbird (contributor 47100429).

Hilton, M. (Ed.). (2023, July 10). Hiawatha Asylum for Insane Indians Historical Marker. Historical Marker. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=183486 Photo by Ruth VanSteenwyk, July 10, 2023, courtesy of HMdb.org

Drag Toes 2-24-32 · Charlie Brown · Jacob Hayes 10-4-07