Carroll County, Indiana - Chapter 6: 0 R I a T E N O N.s ( W E a .s.), 1882

Chapter 6: 0 R I a T E N O N.s ( W E a .s.)

Lani) Ortained FitOM Them. f" I'^HE Weas, or Ouiateuons, as they were originally called by -L the French, are of the Algonquin family, and have a common origin with the Miamis. They were first separately known, after the settlement of their kinsmen iu the vicinity of Chicago, on the St. Joseph's or Miami of Lake Michigan, and on the head-waters of the Wabash, about the year 1669-7(1, at which time, probably, they were tu'st recognized as occupying a partially distinct territory, though not as a distinct tribe. In the earliest accounts of the settlement of the Miamis at the mouth of the St. Joseph's and at the head of the Maumee, the present site of Fort Wayne, they are spoken of as Ouiatenons, and yet Miamis. The subsequent relations between these thi-ee villages, especially, were those naturally subsisting between any three members of the same family, though residing in as many different localities. At nearly the same period, military posts were erected and garrisoned at Ke-ki-ong-a and Oui-a-te-non, and were under the common control of the same commandants, as will appear by reference to the official military correspondence of the latter part of the seventeenth and the first quarter of the eighteenth centuries, and, indeed, at later dates, for a like management continued, with reference to them, until the French ceased to have the control of them - nearly one hundred and twenty years ago.

Among the archives of France, at Paris, a document has been found, written in 1718, which gives the following account of the villages of the Weas and their inhabitants: " This river, Ouabache, is the one on which the Ougatenons (Weas) are settled. They consist of five villages, which are contiguous the one to the other. One is caJled Ouj-a-tenon, the other Peanquinehias, and another Petitscotias, and the fom-th Les Gros. The name of the last I do not recollect, but they are all Oujatenons, having the same language as the Miamis, whose brothers they are, and properly all Miamis, having the same customs and dress. The men are very numerous - fully a thousand or twelve hundred. They have a custom different from all other nations, which is to keep their fort extremel)' clean, not allowing a blade of grass to remain in it. The whole of the fort is sanded, like the Tuileries. Their village is situated on a high hill, and they have over two leagues of improvement, where they raise their Indian corn, pumpkins

The Weas continued to occupy the territory possessed by them without molestation, save tlie permitted occupancy by fragments of other tribes, temporarily or permanently, according to inclination, until commencing with the treaty at Greenville, Ohio, concluded on the 3d day of August, 1795, they ceded to the United States a tract of land at the Ouiatenon, or Old Wea Towns, six miles square. This session was small in size, and appears to have been the first made by them as a separate tribe, or jointly with other interested tribes, and embraced a portion of their most valuable possessions. By another treaty, made by the Weas, in conjunction with the Miamis, Eel Rivers, Delawai'es and Pottawatomies, at Grouseland, near Vincermes, on the 21st of August, 1805, it was declared that those tribes were " joint owners of all the counti-y on the Wabash and its waters, above the Vincermes tract," which had not been before ceded to the United States by that or any other ti-eaty. and as such they agreed thereafter to recognize a community of interest in the same. By the provisions of the same treaty, the joint interest of these tribes in certain lands south of the WTiite River was relinquished to the United States, in consideration of which the Weas were to receive an annuity of $250.

On the -tth day of June, 1810, the Weas and the Kickapoos entered into a treaty of peace with the United States, and confirmed the treaties before made by them, involving the title to the lands on the west side of the Wabash River. By a subsequent treaty, entered into on the 2d day of October, 1818, the Weas, for themselves, ceded to the United States all the lands owned by them in Indiana, Ohio and Illinois, except certain special reservations made in their interest, for which the United States stipulated to pay them, in addition to their former annuity of $1,150, the sum of $1,850, thus making the aggregate annuity $3,000, in silver. The Weas afterward, on the 11th of August, 1820, at Vincennes, made a final cession of all their lands reserved by the last preceding treaty, to the United States, in consideration of the sum of $5,000 in money and goods, the receipt of which was then and there acknowledged. Inasmuch, also, as it was contemplated, by the foregoing provisions, that the Weas should shortly remove fi-om the Wabash, their annuities were thereafter directed to be paid at Kaskaskia, in Illinois.

Kickapoo

KICKAPOO.S. Kindred of the Pott .\wato5iies - Invited by the Miamis into TiiEiR Country - Located on the Veujiillion nivKH - Expedition Against Them in 1791 - De.struction of theiu To\VNs on the Wabash - At the Treaty- ok Gueenville - Subsequent Tiie.\ties and Cessions of Territory - Their Alliance with Tecumseh - IntiieCocxcil on the Mississin- EWA River, etc.

I Kickapoos, like the Pottawatomies. ai-e of the Algonquin -L family, and with them also occupied territory in common between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River, territory possessed by the Miamis. At a later period in their history, they were invited by the Miamis to unite with them in some of their expeditions against other Indian tribes. About the middle of the eighteenth centiuy, the Kickapoos were very numerous and powerful, and, as the result of a furious war between them and the Sacs on the one side, and the Kaskaskias, Cahokias, Peorians,

Michiganians and Teraorias on the other, these latter tribes were almost annihilated, though a short time previously they aggregated 4,()(.)0 warriors. The Sacs contimied to occupy the territoiy uoi-th, while the Kiekapoos made their principal village at Peoria, on the south bank of the Illinois.

During the war of the Kevolution," says Gen. Harrison, " the Miamis had invited the Kiekapoos into their countiy to assist them against the whites, and a considerable village was formed by that tribe on the Vermillion Biver, near its junction with the Wabash." At a later date, by virtue of the same permission, vil lages were established farther up the Wabash, in the vicinity of the Tippecanoe, a principal one on the Wabash opposite the Wea villages. Though not very numerous in that locality, they maintained their position among other tribes, though not especially warlike, and were, as a rule, peaceably disposed toward the whites.

Id the spring of 1791, an expedition was fitted out against the Wabash Indians, under the directions of Gen. Charles Scott. This oificer, on the 1st of June of that year, attacked and destroyed the villages of the AVeas, After the destruction of these villages, the Kickapoo town on the opposite side of the Wabash was attacked and destroyed. Subsequent to the destruction of those villages, the two or tlu'ee days succeeding were occupied in the disposition of prisoners, and in ascertaining, with as much definiteness as possible, the status of the numerous bands of Indians in the vicinity, on the question of peace or war. On the 4th of June, he addressed a written speech -' to the various tribes of the Piankeshaws, and all the nations of red people lying on the waters of Wabash River," dated at Ouiatenon, giving them some wholesome advice touching their conduct toward the white people, and the consequences likely to result to them in case they persistently continued to act in a depredatory way toward the pioneer settlers along the frontier. On the same day, he set out on his return march to Fort Washington. The chastisement administered by Gen. Scott had a good effect in cheeking,the frequency of their hostile expeditions.

At the treaty of Greenville, Ohio, concluded on the 3d of August, 1795, the Kiekapoos were jiresent and participated in the conferences held preliminary thereto, and. in the end, ceded their interest in certain lauds disjjosed of by that treaty to the United States, receiving in consideration therefor an annuity of 1500. By the provisions of Article VH of that instrument, they were allowed the " liberty to hunt within the territory and lands which they have now ceded to the United States, without hindi-auce or molestation, so long as they demean themselves peaceably, and offer no injuiy to the people of the United States." Another treaty was held at Fort Wayne on the 7th of June, 1803, in which they, with other triln- iiitcri'strd. made further cession of rights and privileges to tb'' rniiiil States,"as amai'kof their regai'd for and attachment tothc rnilcil Slates, whom they acknowledged as their friends and protectors."

By a subsequent treaty, held at Fort Harrison on the Ith day of June, IHK), they, with the Weas, acknowledged the cession by the to certain lands on the northwest side of the Wabash, on the Wabash and Vennilliim Eivers, and again entered into a league of friendship with the United States, having, by former treaties, on the 30th of September and 9th of Deeembor, 1809, made joint cession to the United States of the same territory embraced in the treaty just concluded. Finally, on the 30th of July, 1819, a treaty was helil at Edwardsville, in the State of Illinois, by which they ftirther ceded to the United States "all the land on the_ southeast side of the Wabash Biver, including their principal village, in which their ancestors formerly resided, consisting of a large tract, to which they have had from time immemorial, and now have, a just right; that they have never heretofore ceded or otherwise disposed of it in any manner whatever; " also, all other lands in the State of Indiana not before ceded by them, thereby confirming all other treaties before made by them, promising to continue under the protection of the United States, and no other nation. In consideration for this last treaty, they were fc) receive $3,000 worth of merchandise, in addition to an annuity of $2,000 in silver; and as a consideration for former cossiims made, in addition to which they were to receive certain lands in Missouri Territory; provided they never sell said lands without the consent of the United States.

Aside, fi'om the alliance of some members of the tribe with Tecumseh in his proposed scheme for an Indian confederacy, the Kiekapoos generally maintained the integrity of their treaty stipulations at Greenville, in 1795, by remaining at peace with the whites. The result of the alliance, for which the tribe was scarcely responsible, was the unprovoked attack on the camp of Gen. Harrison at Tippecanoe, in November, 1811, in which they lost eleven warriors killed, and others wounded or disabled.

About the middle of May, 1812, a great council was held at an Indian village on the Mississinewa Biver, in which all, or nearly all, the Wabash tribes participated, Tecumseh being the moving spirit. During the progi-ess of that coiincil, the pacific disposition of the Kiekapoos was strikingly manifested. In reply to a hai'angue by Tecumseh on his favorite theme, they declared that, having made peace with Gov. Harrison, "we have not two faces, and we despise those who have. The peace we have made with Gov. Harrison we strictly adhere to, and trouble no person, and hope none will trouble us." With this unequivocal declaration of the Kiekapoos. the council ended, and Tecumseh left, chagrined and disajipointed.

The Shawanoes

Them - TiiEiii Intercodisse with Other TuiiiE.s - CHAEi,EvoLX Mentions Them - Mr. Gallatin - Their Position in the Wars Bktween THE Erexcii and Enolish - Located ixrtEOHoiA, .Afterward in Ohio - .Vmono the Mia.mi.s, etc

THIS tribe, one of the early types of the Algon(iuin family. was called Satanas by the Iroqnois, and Shawanau by the Delawares, meaning Southern. By the French they were called Chouanons- occasionally, Massawomoes. They were en'atic, and, in consequence, their location was little kno^vn prior to 1(508. Mr. Jefferson, in Iiis " Notes on Virginia," says that, in 1()()8. when Capt. John Smith had been in Amei'ica about one year, a fierce war was raging against the allied Mohicans residing on Long Isl aiid, and the Shawanoes on the Susquehanna and to the westwanl of that river, by the Iroquois. Capt Smith landed in April. 1007. In the following- year, 1008, he penetrated down the Sii;, quehnnna to the mouth of it, where he met with six or seven of their canoes filled with wm-riors, about to attack their enemies In the rear.

under the name of Chaouanons, as neighbors to the Audastes, an Iroquois tribe, south of the Senecas, and were perhaps represented at the treaty of Kensington, Penn., in IOS'2. They were parties to the treaty at Philadelphia in 1701, which was signed by their chiefs. Wa-]3a-tha. Lemoytungh and Pemoyajagh.*

Meantime, in 16S4, the Iroquois, when complained of for having attacked the Miamis. justified their conduct on the ground that the Miami had invited the Satanas (Shawanous) into the country for the purpose of making war upon them (Ii'oquoisj.f

The Sacs and Foxes, originally on the St. Lawi-ence, claim the Shawanoes as of their stock, retaining traditional accounts of their emigration South. "Their manners, customs and language indicate a Northern origin, and, upward of two centuries ago, they held the country south of Lake Erie. They were the first tribe which felt the force and yielded to the superiority of the Iroquois. Conquered by these, they migrated to the South, and, from fear or favor, were allowed to take possession of a region upon the Savannah River; but what part of that stream, whether in Georgia or Florida, is not known; it is presumed the former."J

Mr. Gallatin fixes the date of their defeat by the Five Nations as having taken place in 1673. He also places them as belonging to the Lenapi tribe of the North - originally to the Algonquin Lenapi nation. Prior to 1672, they were in Eastern Pennsylvania, on the St. Lawrence, and on the southern shore of Lake Erie; generally, it was with some neighboring tribe. Subsequently, they were found South, on the Ohio River below the mouth of the Wabash, in Kentucky, Georgia and the Carolinas.

In 1708, they were removing from the Mississippi to one of the rivers of South Carolina. Says Mi'. Gallatin: " There was a settlement of them on the head- waters of the Catawba or Santee, probably the Yadkin.''

John Johnston, in the "Transactions of the -American Antiquarian Society," says that a large body of them, who originally lived north of the Ohio River, for some cause, emigi-ated to the Suwanee River. From there they retiu-ned under Black Hoof, about 1750, to Ohio. They probably gave the name to the Suwanee (Shawanoe) River.

In the wars that took place between the French and English, commencing in 1755 and ending with the declaration of peace on the 10th of February, 1703, the Shawanoes were the allies of and assisted the French in the contest, rendering essential service. Notwithstanding peace had been declai-ed between these two belligerent powers by the ratification of the treaty to that end, the Indians, being dissatisfied with some of the provisions of that instrument, refused to abide by its terms, and continued their depredations against the settlers on the border. The peculiai-ly objectionable feafui'e appears to have been that whereby the Canadian provinces were ceded to Great Britain. This objection was greatly enlarged by the acts of the British Government in building so many forts on the Susquehanna and elsewhere, because they were thus gradually§ " surroimded on two sides by a cordon of forts, and were threatened with an extension of them into the very heart of their coimtry. They had now to choose whether they would remove to the North and West, negotiate with the British Government for the possession of their own land, or take up ai-ms for its defense. They chose the last alternative, and a wai' of extermination against the English in the Western country, and even those on the Susquehanna, was agreed upon and speedily comgDrako'8 Teciiinseh, ] menced. * * * * The contest was continued with resolute and daring spirit, and with much destruction of life and property, until December, 1764, when the war was brought to a close by a treaty at the German Flats, made between Sir William Johnston and the hostile Indians. Soon after the conclusion of this peace, the Shawanoes became involved in a war with the Cherokees, which continued until 170S, when, pressed hard by the united forces of the former tribe and the Delawares, the Southern Indians solicited and obtained a peace. For the ensuing six years, the Shawanoes remained quiet, living on amicable terms with the whites on the frontiers^ in April, 1774, however, hostilities between the parties were renewed."

From that time until the close of Wayne's campaign, in 1794, and the subsequent treaty of Greenville in August, 1795. there was a series of eonfiicts involving the sacrifice of many valuable lives, not of the white people only, but of the Indians, and not the least among the latter, Cornstalk, the celebrated Shawanoe chief, and his son, Elenipsico, two genuine specimens of Indian nobility. Having united in the ti'eaty of Greenville, with the exception of those who fought at Tippecanoe, the Shawanoe* remained at peace with the Government of the United States until the period of the war with Great Britain, in 1812, in which a considerable body of them became the allies of the English. Subsequently, we hear little of them in the attitude of warriors. Afterward, having disposed of their interest in the lands in this vicinity by satisfactory treaty, they removed westward and settled upon " a tract of country twenty-five rniles north and south, and one hundred east and west, bounded on the east by the State of Missoui-i and on the north by the Kansas River, which, in point of soil, timber and water, is equaled by but few tracts of the same size in any coimtry; though there is, however, hardly a sufficient proportion of timber for the prairie. The Shawanoes have become an agricultm-al people, their buildings and farms being similar to those of the whites in a new settled country; inclosed by rail fences, and most of them in good form, each string of fence being straight, sufficiently high to secure their crops, and many of them staked and ridered. They all live in comfortable cabins, perhaps half or more being built of good hewn logs, and neatly raised, with outhouses, stables and barns."*

Among the numerous Shawanoe chiefs and warriors whose history is especially identified with the history of the Maumee Valley, especial attention is directed to the following:

- .SlPERIOIUTY RliCOGNIZED - His SCIIEMK KOK THE CONFEDERATION OF Tribes, and Pehsi.stence in Disseminating his Plans - His Location at Tippecanoe - His Diplomacy and .ViiDREss - Killed at The Thames.

TECUMSEH, whose name, with that of his brother, the Prophet, figured quite extensively in the history of this immediate locality many years anterior to its settlement by the white people, was of the Shawanoe tribe, which, for a time just after the treaty of Greenville, in August, 1795, with the consent of the Delawares, who then occupied the territory on White River, abode with them at their principal town, Out-ain-iuk, now better know as Old Town, to distinguish it from the present city of Muncie, the seat of justice of Delaware County. He was the son of Pucke sbin-wa and Me-tho-a-las-ke, the former of the Kiscopoke and the latter of the Tiu-tle division of the Shawanoes, and hence of the pure blood, notwithstanding the declaration that his paternal gi'andfather was of the Anglo-Saxon race, as has been claimed, and his grandmother a Creek.

He was the fom-th in a family of seven children - six sons and a daughter - and his name was said to signify a shooting star, foreshadowing his futui'e career. According to the best aiathorities, he was born in the year 1768, on Mad River, in what is now Clark County, Ohio. His father. Puc-ke-shin-wa, was a brave of great merit, and won for him the confidence of his people, by whom he was promoted to a chieftaincy - a rank to be acquired only by the exhibition of qualities foimd only in persons of the highest recognized distinction He was one of the leading spirits in the battle of the Kan-aw-ha in 1774.

At an early age. Tecumseh was placed under the tutelage of his elder brother. Chec-see-kan, who is represented to have taken great pains in preparing him for what he seems destined to become - a distinguished warrior - instilling into his youthful mind a love for the truth and contempt for the wrong. His earliest instincts seem to have been for war, and his first impulses directed him forward in the development of mind and muscle, according to the most approved methods of the age, excelling in all the de partments of Indian military life, assnming the leadership among his companions as if by inherent right in all their trainings and all their pastimes, distinguishing himself always, by superior strength, activity and skill. In the use of the bow and arrow, his dexterity surpassed all the other youth of his tribe, over whom he possessed an inft^nce only begotten of unbounded confidence and respect This confidence is said never to have been betrayed by him. The first important warlike expedition in which he took part, was an attack upon some flat-boatmen descending the Ohio River near Limestone, about the year 1783, when he was in his seventeenth year. The boats were all captured and the crews killed, except one man who was taken prisoner and afterward burned. This was the first case of burning ever witnessed by him, and the experience was a terrible one. exerting an influence upon him which ever after induced an abhorrence that he could not overcome. It has been said by those best acquainted with him that never, in any instance, was he known to have violated this resolution to obey the promptings of an inherent humanity.

About the year 17S7, he, with his brother, Chec-see-kan, and a small party of Kiscopokes, started on a himting expedition in the Cherokee country, stopping for a few months in the Mississinewa country, then crossing over to the Mississippi, encamped at the mouth of Apple Creek, where they remained about one year; from there to the ]ilace of their destination, remaining in the South some two years. Subsequently, he retiirned to Mad River, and afterward to the Auglaize, in 171)0. after the defeat of Gen. HaiTuar.

In the decisive engagement between the combined Indian forces and the army of Gen. Wayne, on the 2()th of August, 1794, near the Maumee Rapids, ho was a participant; but, from some yet unexplained cause, it appears he took no part in the council of the preceding evening, when the engagement was determined ujiim, hence in the details of that engagement we find no other evidence of his presence or method among the Indians in their movements than his personal management of the small band of

Shawanoes, who fought with a desperation seldom paralleled. It was in this action that he and Lieut, (afterward Governor) W. H. Harrison met for the fu-st time on the battle-field as opposing combatants. They were then both young, nearly the same age, and both displayed a coiu-age and gallantry indicative of the brilliant and eventful futm-e in wait for them. He refused to attend the treaty of Greenville, which was concluded on the 3d of August, 1795, and continued, fi-om that time forward, unyielding in his opposition to a recognition of its provisions.

Having removed from his former habitations, near Urbana and Piqua, Ohio, to the head-waters of the White River, in the spring of 1797, the following year, the Delawares, then residing in part on White River, in the State of Indiana, invited Tecumseh to remove to that locality. This invitation he and his followers ac- cepted, and for a number of year's afterward made that his headquarters. The principal town of the Delawares, to which Tecmnseh and his band were invited, and where he etablished his headquarters, was Out-ain-ink, on the north side of the 'VMiite River, opposite to the Munsey-town.

In 1805, some of the Shawanoes living at the Tawa Towns, on the head- waters of the Auglaize River, desiring to bring together the scattered bands of their people, sent a deputation to Teciunseh, at Out-ain-ink, inviting him and his followers to join them at these towns. The proposition, though mutually accepted, was never fully can-ied out, in consequence of the movements of the embryo prophet, Tens-kwa-ta-wa, who subsequently figured with conspicuous notoriety in Indian history along th- Wabash. Under the influence of Tecumseh and his brother, some four himdred Indians assembled at Greenville in April, 1807, and held a council, ostensibly for the pm'pose of affording an opportunity to these warriors to exhibit their mutual dissatisfaction with the provisions of the treaty at that place in 1795. The result indicates no other pm-pose, otherwise it had as well never been held.

The year following, the Kickapoos and Pottawatomies granted to Tecumseh and his Prophet brother, a tract of land on the Tippecanoe River, a tributary of the Wabash, upon which the latter established a town, afterward known as the " Prophet's Town," because of its being the headquarters of the ti'ibe. and under the personal control of the Prophet himself. From this point, also, Tecumseh radiated among the circumjacent tribes in the interest of his favorite project of establishing an Indian confederacy, as a means of offering combined opposition to the provisions between the United States and the Indian tribes of the Northwest. With this purpose in view, in the spring of 1809, he attended a coimcil of various Indian tribes at Sandusky, Ohio, and attempted to prt^ vail upon the Wyandots and Senecas to join his settlement on the Tippecanoe. His operations in this direction appear to have been premature, for some of the wily old AVyandot chiefs distrasted his pm-pose, and .so informed l;im. However, with Capt. Lewis, another Shawanoe chief, a mission to the Creeks and Cherokees was planned and subsequently HCCom])lished, all in the interest of Tecimiseh's scheme.

During the latter part of the vein- ISO'.I and the spring of IMO. the movements of Tecumseh and Teus-qaa-ta-wa, his brother^ be gan more certainly than ever before to develop their ultimate pur pose to make war upon the frontier settlements on the Wabash and elsewhere. Their followers continued to increase, and there were numerous instances of secret diplomacy between them anil the head-men of other tribes supposed to be favorable to an alliance for the purpose of combined operations against the white people. The visit of Tecumseh to the Wyandots. and the success attending it. with conciu-reut circumstances, elicited greater vigilance on the part of Gov. Harrison, aiad induced a determined purpose, on his pai-t, to prepare for an active defense of his territory.

In August of that yeai-, Tecumseh, under promise of a visit to the Governor at Vincennes, projiosed to go there accompanied by no more than thirty of his principal warriors. Instead of complying witli the promise, on the l'2th of the month he descended the Wabash, attended by some fom- hundred wai-riors, fully armed with tomahawks and war clubs, for the pm-pose of holding a conference with the Governor at his headquarters. The council took place in a gi-ove near the Governor's residence, on the morning of August 15. IS 10, Tecumseh opened the conference with a speech, in which he avowed his fixed purpose to resist all cessions of land unless agreed to by all the tribes in common, as one nation. He had threatened to kill the chiefs who signed the treaty at Fort Wayne, and was still determined not to permit village chiefs, in futiu-e, to manage their affairs, but to place that power in the hands of the war chiefs. While he disclaimed any intention to make war against the United States, he declared his resolution to oppose all fiu'ther intrusion of the whites on Indian lands, except on the teiTus indicated.

Gov. Harrison, in reply, reviewed Tecumseh's objections to the treaty at Fort Wayne, and stated that the Indians were not one nation, having a common property in the lands; that the Miarais were the real owners of the l&nds on the Wabash ceded by that treaty, and that the Shawanoes had no right to interfere in tho case except by sufferance, because, from time immemorial, the Miamis had been in undisputed possession. As an answer to the assertion of Tecumseh that the red people constituted but one nation, he said that if such had been the piu'pose of the Great Spirit, He would have taught them to speak but one tongue; instead, as the facts were, every tribe was wout to speak a different language. This stoug point in the Governor's argiament greatly exasperated the chief, who, springing to feet, flom'ished his tomahawk and disputed the correctness of the statement. The Indians, his warriors, springing to their feet also, assumed a warlike attitude. A collision seemed imminent, but, by the coolness of the Governor, and his manifest pm-pose to meet force with force, if need be, the calamity was averted. Rebuking Tecumseh for his fastness, he told him he was a bad man, and that no fmiher communication would be then held with him, and that he must at once leave the place.

On the following mtirning. having recalled his hasty temper, Tecumseh sought and obtained another interview with the Governor, in which the subjects of conference were more pacifically ^canvassed, not materialjy changing the issues. In this latter interview, the Wyandots. Kickapoos, Pottawatomies, Ottawas and Winnebagoes signified their pm-pose to abide by the principles of their compact with the Shawanoes.

Subsequently, while manifesting an indisposition to commence hostilities against the whites, Tecumseh occupied his time in visiting other tribes, and sought, by every means in his power, to fm-ther the objects of his contemplated confederacy. In tho meantime, however, the battle of Tippecanoe was brought about through the instrumentality of the Prophet, contrary to the wishes and purposes of Tecumseh, who, at the time, was on a mission to the Southern Indians, soliciting their co-operation with his plans. This untoward movement of Tens-qua-ta-wa, in closing the issues involved in the partially matui-ed purposes of Tecumseh, prematurely thwarted those purposes and changed his course of policy.

Upon the declai-ation of war by the United States against Great Britain, on the 18th of June, 1812, he declai-ed himself the ally of the latter, and united his destinies with the British Army. He was given command of the Indians in alliance with him. In the engagement at Brownstown, which took place soon after the declaratiimof war, he received a slight woimd. Subsequently, in the action before Detroit, on the l()th of August, 1812, the courage and tact exhibited by him induced his appointment as a Brigadier General in the British Army. Diu-ing the siege of Fort Meigs, in May, 1813, Tecumseh again commanded the Indian allies, distinguishing himself as on former occasions. It is related of him, in this eonneooion, that, after the defeat of Col. Dudley, through his agency, many of the Americans taken prisoners were saved from the tomahawk and scalj>iug-kuife, the usages of civilized warfare being more in consonance with his convictions of duty; thus, in his conduct, exliibiting qualities of heroism to which tha British General, Proctor, seemed to be a stranger. On that occasion, seeiag the indisposition of Proctor to stay the effusion of blood. Teciunseh said to him: "You are unfit to command; go and put on petticoats." Another of his declarations at that time is especially characteristic, addi-essing Gen. Pi-octor: "I conquer to save, and you to murder."

In October following, the battle of the Thames was fought, between the army of Gen. Hai-rison on the one hand, and the combined forces of Proctor and Tecumseh on the other. The result of this engagement was most disastrous to the latter, who suffered an inglorious defeat. Tecumseh, the brave and magnanimous, fell in the midst of the fight - a greater hero than his superior in command. In his fall, he was a willing sacrifice at the post of duty, disgusted with the perfidy of his commanding General.

The Prophet

THE PROPHET. His CiExhalogy - Na.mk and its Significance - His Ciiakai ter AND Pretensions - How Derived - His Teachings - .\mong THE Delawares- His Town - Defeat at Tippecanoe.

I name by which this individual was known anterior to -L the date of his endowment with the spirit of prophecy, was Law-le-wa-si-ka, signifying a loud voice - a name, no doubt, from his noisy propensities in early life. He was born about the year 1771, in the vicinity of Piqua, Ohio. He does not appear to have created any gi-eat sensation in eai-ly life because of his sagacity, but rather the i-everse. It was not until the earlj' part of the year 1805 that he assumed to have been clothed upon with oracular power. The circumstances of this acquisition are thus related: "About this time, Pen a-ga-she-ga (the changed feathers), who, for some years, had been the reputed prophet of the Shawanoes, died, and his mantle was appropriated by Law-Ie-wa-si-ka. From this time forward, he refused to answer to the name of the Loud Voice, but gave himself the name of Tens-qua-ta-wa, or, as some have it, Pens-qua-ta-wa, meaning the Open Door, because he then claimed to be the medium through which his people were to enter into the ne^^ ways of life proclaimed and exemplified bv him.

In November of that year, he called tosether at Wa-pa-conneta, on the Kiver Auglaize, a large number of his own tribe, and many Wyandots, Senecas and Ottawas, and, imfolding, displayed the formulai-ies of the new chai-acter assumed by him, with the evidences of his divine commission. Among other things, he declared, with a show of eai'nestness, against the sin of drunkenness, of which he had been a victim; against the custom of Indian women intermaiTying with white men, formerly prevalent among his people. Another of his peculiar doctrines advocated under the new departure was that all propert}' should be owned in common, each and every individual having an exact equality of right in the use and disposition of it under the sanction of the community. He advocated, also, the observance of a precept which might be safely indorsed by the white race - the duty, especially of young people, at all times and under all circumstances, to respect age, support and cherish the weak and infirm. A.s a means of preserving the identity of the Shawanoe nation as the superior of other divisions of the Indian family, he taught that the observance of the original habits and dress was especially necessary. The chief of the new lights which, through his agency, were made to da^n upon hi.s peculiar people, was that, having received from the Great Spirit supernatural powers, " he was able to ciu'e all manner of diseases.' to confound his enemies, and stay the ai-m of death in sickness or on the battle-field."

Because of the superstitious credulity of the Indians, the Prophet was capable of and did exercise an uncommon control over the opinions and actions of a large number of his own as well as of kindred nations. The power assumed to be exercised by him he claimed to be supreme, and would not admit of interference or opposition from others; hence, numerous instances are recorded of his dealing out to siich summary punishment for their temerity. "If an individual, and especially a chief, was supposed to be hostile to his plans, or doubted the validity of his claim to the character of a prophet, he was denounced as a witch, and the loss of reputation, if not of life, speedily followed. Among the first of his victims were several Delawares - Tat e-poc-o-she Patterson, his nephew Coltos. an old woman, and an aged man called Joshua. These were successively marked by the Prophet, and doomed to be burnt alive. The tragedy was commenced with the old woman," who was roasted slowly over a fire for four days,, when she yielded up the ghost. The next victim sTas~.Tat-e-poco-she, a venerable chief of the Delawares, who had incurred the displeasure of this self -constituted Prophet, and was hence condemned to suffer death. He was deliberately tomahawked by the Prophet's order; his body was consumed by fire. Other victims were similarly disposed of, when the wife of Tat-e-poc-o-she was selested for immolation, after the manner of her husband. While preparations were in progress, her brother, a youth of twenty summers, suddenly stepped forivard, and, taking her by the hand, to the astonishment of all the council sitting in judgment, led her from the house. On his return, alluding to the Prophet and the consequences of his presumption, he exclaimed : " The devil has come among us, and we are killing each other." Having thus spoken, he re-seated himself in the crowd. This bold and unexpected act, it is said, checked the superstitious frenzy of the Indians b}' causing them to appreciate the inhumanity of the deeds committed by the emissaries of the Prophet, whose influence, in consequence, was essentially impaired.

Many of these proceedings took place during the temporary residence of Tecumsnh, the Pi'ophet, and some of their immediate followers, -among the Munsees of the Delawares, upon the banks of the White River, with headquarters at Out-ain-ink, where, tradition has it, these numerous burnings, or many of them, were enacted. Indeed, the statement has been made, without contradiction, in many of the historical works of the day, that not only did these sacrifices on the altar of superstition oecui- within the limits of this old Indian town on the north bank of White River, but the desecrated spot was long marked by the evidences remaining within the past half-century of the post to which victims, white and red, have been tied during the progress of the fiery ordeal which reduced thieir bodies to ashes.

In the latter part of the year 1807, he extended the influence of his newly acquired powers among the Ojibways, and for some time there was much interest excited touching the observances proposed as tests of their sincerity. The effect of these spasmodic efforts to keep themselves in good repute with the Prophet's chosen ministers was of short diu-ation: then the proffered influence was cast aside as impotent. From other quarters, however, proselytes came in large numbers, and remained in the sacred presence until their means of subsistance were exhausted and their superstitious frenzy had abated.

During the following year, the Prophet's town was established on the banks of the Tippecanoe. This town, in the subsequent history of pioneer movements on the Wabash, figured quite extensively. Indeed, in its real character, it became the hot-bed of treachery and corruption, where raids upon the frontier settlements were hatched and sent out, and plans laid for the construction of the great Indian confederacy. Here the prime purpose of the Prophet's zeal for reform among his people was nurtm-ed into maturity and brought forth its legitimate fruit - the defeat of his enterprise and the ultimate breaking of his magic spell.

The frequent and large accessions to his band from various tribes made the number so formidable as to become a source of uneasiness and apprehension to Gov. Harrison and the Territorial authorities. As a consequence of the distm'bances that unif oi'mly had their origin at this point, -attention was directed towai-d the pacification of the elements of discord concentrated there, either by diplomacy or the force of arms. So well were the motives of the Prophet concealed under his plausible statements that it was long before the full measure of his deceptive villainy was fully ascertained. The development came, however, and with it the knowledge that it was the purpose of the Prophet and those acknowledging his leadership to massacre the entire pojjulation of Vinoennes. To meet this exigency, prompt measm-es were adopted. In the course of time, however, affairs came to a crisis. The battle of Tippecanoe was fought on the 7th of November, 1811, and with it the destruction of his hopes of renown, his magic power was dispelled by the death-dealing bullets of the frontiersmen, and his assumed supremacy among the chieftains of the Wabash tribes vanished with the return of day, when his unguarded ambition induced him to ignite the slumbering volcano, whose consequent explosion cost him his reputation and the lives of many of his deluded followers. Obscurity followed him to his death.

Black Hoof was a Shvwanoe, entitled to thr highest rank among the great chiefs of that tribe. He was born in Florida during the sojourn of his people in that country, and with them returned to and settled in Ohio and Pennsylvania. He. with other members of his tribe, was present at the defeat of Gen. Braddock, neai- Pittsburgh, in 1755, and, subsequently, in all the wars in Ohio from that time until the treaty of Greenville, in 1795. His sagacious conduct in planning the militai'y operations of his people won for him their confidence and appreciation, and he was never at a loss in finding braves to fight luider his leadership. " He was known far and wide as the great Shawanoe warrior, whose cunning, sagacity and experience were only equaled by the. fierce and desperate bravery with which he carried into operation his miJitary plans. * * * * He was the orator of his tribe during the greater part of his long life, and was an excellent speaker. The venerable Col. Johnston, of Piqua, * * * describes him as the most graceful Indian he had ever seen, and as possessing the most uatiu'al and happy faculty of expressing his ideas. He was well versed in the traditions of his people; no one understood better their peculiar relations to the whites, whose settlements were gradually encroaching on them, or could detail with more minuteness the wrongs .with which his nation was afflicted. But, although a stern and uncompromising opposition to the whites had marked his policy through a series of forty years, and nerved his ai'm in a hundi-ed battles, he became at length convinced of the madness of an ineffectual struggle against a vastly superior and hourly increasing foe. No sooner had he satisfied himself of this truth than he acted upon it with a decision which formed a prominent trait in his character."*

He was the principal chief of the Shawanoe nation, possessing all the influences and authority that usually attached to the office, when Tecumseh and his brother commenced their hostile career. In this, Tecumseh solicited his co-operation, but the sagacious chieftain refused to be allied with such an enterprise.

There was much of the hiimanitarian, also, in his composition, opposing polygamy and the practice of biu-ning prisoners, and he is reported to have lived forty yeai's with one wife, and to have reared a numerous family of children, who both loved and esteemed him. He was small in stature - not more than five feet eight inches in height - was cheerful and long-lived, dying in Wapakouneta at the advanced age of one hundred and ten years.