Effingham County, Illinois - Biographical sketches, 1883 (part 13 of 13)

conspicuous part. Mrs. lleald was an excellent equestrian and an expert in the use of the rifle. She fought the savages bravely, receiving several severe wounds. Though faint from the loss of blood, she managed to keep her saddle. A savage raised his tomahawk to kill her, when she looked him full in the face, and with a sweet smile and in a gentle voice said, in Lis own language, "Surely you will not kill a squaw !" The arm of the savage fell, and the life of the heroic woman was saved.

Mrs. Helm, the step-daughter of Mr. Kinzie, had an encounter with a stout Indian, who attempted to tomahawk her. Springing to one side, she received the glancing blow on her shoulder, and at the same instant seized the savage round the neck with her arras and endeavored to get hold of his scalping knife, which hung in a sheath at his breast. Wiiile she was thus strucf2'lino' she was drao-eed from her antacjonist by another powerful Indian, who bore her, in spite of lier struggles, to the mai-gin of the lake and plunged her in. To her astonishment she was held by him so that she would (not drown, and she soon perceived that she was in the hands of the friendly Black Partridge, who had saved her life.

The wife of Sergeant Holt, a large and powerful woman, behaved as bravely as an Amazon. She rode a fine, high-spirited horse, which the Indians coveted, and several of them attacked her with the butts of their guns, for the purpose of dismounting her; but she used the sword which she had snatched from her disabled husband so skillfully that she foiled them; and, suddenly wheeling her horse, she dashed over the prairie, followed by the savages shouting, " The brave woman ! the brave woman ! Don't hurt her!" They finally overtook her, and while she was fighting them in front, a jjowerful savage came up behind hei", seized her by the neck and dragged her to the ground. Horse and woman were made captive. Mrs. Holt was a long time a captive among the Indians, but was afterward ransomed.

In this sharp conflict two thirds of the white people were slain and wounded, and all their horses, baggage and provision wei'e lost. Only twenty-eight straggling men now remained to light five hundred Indians rendered furious by the siglit of blood. They succeeded in breaking through the ranks of the murderers and gaining a slight eminence on the prairie near the Oak Woods. The Indians did not pursue, but gathered on their flanks, while the chiefs held a consultation on the sand-hills, and showed signs of willingness to parley. It would have been madness on the part of the whites to>enew the fight; and so Capt. Heald went forward and met Blackbird on the open prairie, where terms of surrender were agreed upon. It was arra^iged that the white people should give up their arms to Blackbird, and that the survivors should become prisoners of war, to be exchanged for ransoms as soon as practicable. With this understanding captives and captors started for the Indian camp near the foi't, to which Mrs. Helm had been taken bleeding and suflering by Black Partridge, and had met her step-father and learned that her husband was safe.

A new scene of horror was now opened at the Indian camp. The wounded, not being included in tlie surrender, as it was interpreted by the Indians, and tiie British general, Proctor, having offered a liberal bounty for American scalps, delivered at Maiden, nearly all the wounded men were killed and scalped, and price of the trophies was afterward paid by the British government.

Tliis celebrated Indian chief, Shabbona, deserves more than a passing notice. Although he was not so conspicuous as Tecumseh or Black Hawk, yet in point of merit he was superior to either of them.

Shabbona was born at an Indiau village on the Kankakee River, now in Will County about the year 1775. While youug he was made chief of the band, and went to Shabbona Grove, now De Kalb County, where they were found in the early settlement of the county.

In the war of 1812, Sliabbona, with his warriors, joined Tecumseh, was aid to that great chief, and stood by his side when he fell at the battle of the Tiiames. At the time of the Winnebago war, in 1827, he visited almost every village among the Pottawatomies, and by his persuasive arguments prevented them from taking part in tlie war. By request of the citizens of Chicago, Shabbona, accompanied by Billy Caldwell (Sauganash), visited Big Foot's village at Geneva Lake, in order to pacify the warriors, as fears were entertained that they were about to raise the tomahawk against the whites. Here Shabbona was taken prisoner by Big Foot, and his life threatened, but on the following day was set at liberty. From that time the Indians (through reproach) styled him " the white man's friend," and many times his life was endangered.

by his influence prevented his people from taking part with the Sacs and Foxes. After the deatli of Black Partridge and Senachwine, no chief among tlie Pottawatomies exerted so much influence as Shabbona. Black Hawk, aware of this influence, visited him at two different times, in order to enlist him in his cause, but was unsuccessful. While Black Hawk was a prisoner at Jefferson Barracks, he said, had It not been for Shabbona the whole Pottawatomie nation would have joined his standard, and he could have continued the war for j'ears.

To Shabbona many of the early settlers of Illinois owe the preservation of their lives, for it is a well-known fact, had he not notified the people of their danger, a large portion of them would have fallen victims to the tomahawk of savages. By savin'' the lives of whites he endangered his own, for the Sacs and Foxes threatened to kill him, and made two attempts to execute their threats. They killed Pypeogee, his son, and Pyps, his nephew, and hunted him down as though he was a wild beast.

Shabbona had a reservation of two sections of land at his Grove, but by leaving it and going West for a short time, the Government declared tlie reservation forfeited, and sold it the same as other vacant land. On Shabbona's return, and finding his possessions gone, he was very sad and broken down in spirit, and left the Grove forever. The citizens of Ottawa raised money and bought him a tract of land on the Illinois Eiver, above Seneca, in Grundy County, on which tliey built a house, and sup]ilied him with means to live on. He lived here until his death, which occurred on tlie 17th of July, 185!>, in the eighty- fourth year of his age, and was buried with great pomp in the cemetery at Morris. His squaw, Pokanoka, was drowned in Mazon Creek, Grundy Count}', on tlie 30th of November, 1804, and was buried by his side.

many of the river towns, to erect a monument over tlie remains of Shabbona, but the war breaking out, the enterprise was abandoned. Only a plain marble slab marks the resting-place of this friend of the white man.