Madison County, Indiana - Chapter 2: Aboriginal Inhabitants, 1914

The Mound Builders - Theories Concerning Them - Districts in the United States - Their Distinguishing Characteristics - Moundstn Madison County - Distribution op Indian Tribes when America First Discovered - Indiana Tribes - The Delawares - Their His¬ tory and Tradition - A Delaware Prophet Inspires Pontiac - Noted Delaware Chieftains - A Legend.

Who were the first human beings to inhabit the continent of North America? The question is more easily asked than answered. When the first white men came they found here a peculiar race of copper colored people, to whom they gave the name of Indians, but after a time it became evident to the student of archaeology that the Indian had his predecessors. These predecessors have been named Mound Builders, on account of the great number of mounds or earthworks they erected, and which constitute the only data from which to write their history. For fully a century the character and fate of the Mound Builders have been discussed by antiquarians and archaeologists, but the problem appears to be no nearer a positive solution than when it first came up for consideration. The American Antiquarian Society was organized in 1812 and some investigations were made during the years immediately following, but the first work of note on American archaeology, entitled 44 Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley,'' compiled by E. G. Squier and E. H. Davis, did not make its appear¬ ance until 1847. In that work the authors presented the theory that the Mound Builders belonged to a very old race and that they were dis¬ tinct from and in no way related to the Indians found here when the continent was discovered by Columbus. Allen Lapham, who wrote on the "Antiquities of Wisconsin," in 1855, also held to the separate race and great age theory.

In fact, such was the hypothesis of most of the early writers on the subject, and some have arranged the period of man in the Mississippi valley into four epochs, viz.: 1. The Mound Builders; 2. The Villagers; 3. The Fishermen; 4. The Indians. This theory, which is somewhat fanciful, presupposes four distinct races or peoples and is not sus¬ tained by any existing or known facts. Baldwin, in his valuable work on 44 Ancient America" (p. 71), says: 44 They were unquestionably American aborigines and not immigrants from another continent. That appears to me the most reasonable suggestion which assumes that the Mound Builders came originally from Mexico and Central America.

It explains many facts connected with their remains. In the Great Valley their most populous settlements were at the south. Coming from Mexico and Central America, they would begin their settlements on the Gulf coast, and afterward advance gradually up the river to the Ohio valley. It seems evident that they came by this route, and their remains show that their only connection with the coast was at the south. Their settlements did not reach the coast at any other point/'

On the other hand, McLean says: ' 4 From time immemorial, there has been immigration into Mexico from the North. One type after another has followed. In some cases different branches of the same family have successively followed one another. Before the Christian era the Nahoa immigration from the North made its appearance. They were the founders of the stone works in northern Mexico. Certain eminent scientists have held that the Nahoas belonged to the race that made the mounds of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. Following this people came the Toltecs, and with them the light begins to dawn upon ancient Mexican migration. They were cultivated and constituted a branch of the Nahoa family. * * * In the light of modern dis¬ covery and scientific investigation, we are able to follow the Mound Builders. We first found them in Ohio, engaged in tilling the soil and developing a civilization peculiar to themselves. Driven from their homes, they sought an asylum in the South, and from there they wan¬ dered into Mexico, where we begin to learn something more definite concerning them."

Two more diverse theories than those advanced by Baldwin and McLean can hardly be imagined. Of course, it might be that the emi¬ gration from Ohio occurred at a very early period of time and that the descendants of the emigrants at a later date found their way back into the United States, as suggested by Baldwin, but such a theory is scarcely tenable. There is not, then, and never has been, a unity of opinion regarding the Mound Builders. While the early writers classed them as a hypothetical people, supposed to have antedated the Indian tribes as inhabitants of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, the Mound Builders of these valleys are now regarded 4 4 as the ancestors and repre¬ sentatives of the tribes found in the same region by the Spanish, French and English pioneers . 9 9 Says Brinton:

"The period when the Mound Builders flourished has been differ¬ ently estimated; but there is a growing tendency to reject the assumption of a very great antiquity. There is no good reason for assigning any of the remains in the Ohio valley an age antecedent to the Christian era, and the final destruction of their towns may well have been but a few generations before the discovery of the continent by Columbus. Faint traditions of this event were still retained by the tribes who occu¬ pied the region at the advent of the whites. Indeed, some plausible attempts have been made to identify their descendants with certain existing tribes/ '

The culture of the Mound Builders was distinctly Indian in char¬ acter. De Soto and the early French explorers in the southern part of what is now the United States found certain tribes who were mound builders in the early part of the sixteenth century, and the relics found in many of the mounds differ but slightly from those of known Indian origin. As these facts have been developed the theory that the Mound Builders were the ancestors of the Indians has in recent years come to be generally accepted by archaeologists.

1. The Wisconsin district, which embraces the southern half of Wisconsin, the northern part of Illinois and the northeastern portion of Iowa. In this district the effigy mounds abound - that is, mounds bearing a resemblance in form to some beast or bird. They are sup¬ posed to have been copied from the bird or animal that served as a totem for the tribe that erected them, though they may have been objects of veneration or worship. Effigy mounds are also found in some of the other districts, one of the most noted of this class being the " Great Serpent ,' 9 of Adams county, Ohio. This mound, which is in the form of a serpent, if straightened out, would be 1,348 feet in length. It is located on a narrow ridge, almost surrounded by three streams of water. The opened jaws measure seventy-five feet across and immediately in front of the mouth is a circular or elliptical inclosure with a heap of stones in the center. The body of the serpent is from thirty to fifty feet wide and about eight feet in height in the highest part.

2. The Upper Mississippi or Illinois district, which includes north¬ ern and central Illinois, southeastern Iowa and northeastern Missouri. The mounds of this district are mostly conical tumuli, located on the ridges, uplands, etc.

3. The Ohio district, which embraces Ohio, eastern Indiana and the western portion of West Virginia. The distinguishing feature of this district is the large number of fortifications and altar mounds, though the conical tumuli are also plentiful. One of the largest known mounds of this class is the one at'Grave creek, West Virginia, which is 900 feet in circumference and seventy feet high. In the State of Ohio alone about 13,000 mounds have been noted.

4. The New York district, including the central lake region and the western portion of the state, where the enclosing walls or fortifications constitute the leading relics of the Mound Builders.

5. The Appalachian district, embracing western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia and southeastern Kentucky. In the mounds of this district have been found a large number of stone pipes, bracelets of copper, mica plates and other relics, many of which have not been seen elsewhere, and the district has also furnished a larger number of skeletons than any of the others. Some mounds of the fortifi¬ cation type have likewise been found in this district.

6. This district includes the middle portion of Mississippi, south¬ eastern Missouri, northern Arkansas, western Tennessee, western Ken¬ tucky, southern Illinois and the Wabash valley of Indiana. Here the truncated and terraced pyramid mounds are found in greater numbers, than in any of the preceding districts. There are also inclosures, ditches and canals, and pottery and stone coffins have been found in several of the mounds that have been explored. Near Cahokia, Illinois, is a truncated pyramid mound 500 by 700 feet at the base and 97 feet in height.

7. The Lower Mississippi district, which includes the southern half of Arkansas, the greater part of Louisiana and the southern part of Mississippi. The mounds of this district display no marked characteris¬ tics, being chiefly of the conical type.

8. The Gulf States district, which embraces the southern part of the country east of Mississippi. Here the large flat-topped pyramidal mounds and inclosures or fortifications abound. There are also a number of effigy mouhds, the great eagle mound of Georgia being one of the finest specimens of this class in the country.

Concerning the structure and purpose of the mounds, Brinton says: "The mounds or tumuli are of earth, or earth mingled with stones, and are of two general classes, the one with a circular base and conical in shape, the other with a rectangular base and a superstructure in the form of a truncated pyramid. The former are generally found to con¬ tain human remains and are therefore held to have been barrows or sepulchral monuments raised over the distinguished dead, or, in some instances serving as the communal place of internment for a gens or clan. The truncated pyramids, with their flat surfaces, were evidently the sites for buildings, such as temples or council houses, which being con¬ structed of perishable material have disappeared. 7 7

E. T. Cox, state geologist, in his report for 1878, says: "By far the most unique and well preserved earthworks in this state are on the banks of White river, in Madison county, about three miles from Ander¬ son, the county seat. The principal w r ork in a group of eight is a circular embankment with a- deep ditch on the inside. The central area is one hundred and thirty-eight feet in diameter, and contains a mound in the center four feet high and thirty feet in diameter. There is a slight depression between the mound and the ditch. The gateway is thirty feet wide. Carriages may enter at the gateway and drive around the mound, as the ditch terminates on each side of the gateway. The ditch is sixty feet wide and ten and a half feet deep; the embankment is sixty-three feet wide at the base and nine feet high, and the entire diameter of the circle is three hundred and eightv-four feet.

4 4 When I first visited these works, which go by the name of the 4 Mounds,' there were growing upon the embankment a great many large forest trees, from' one foot to four feet in diameter. Several large walnut trees have since been cut off; with that exception the work still remains covered with a growth in no respect differing from the adjoin¬ ing forest, and the embankment and ditch are in as good a state of preservation as when abandoned by the builders."

In the immediate vicinity of this large work are seven smaller ones, four of which are circular in form ^nd two are in the form of links, slightly bent together in the center, while one consists of two embank¬ ments about two and a half feet high, with a gateway at each end. The largest of these subordinate works is one of the link-shaped forma¬ tions, situated* 325 feet northwest of the main embankment. It is 181 feet in length, 122 feet across the widest part, and 57 feet across the constricted part. The wall is from one foot to six feet high, with a ditch on the inside, and in the end nearest the large mound is a narrow gateway.

Directly south of this and 475 feet from the large mound is a circle 126 feet in diameter, with a bank about three feet in height and a slight ditch on the inside. Still further south, in the public road, is another circle, the greater part of which has been obliterated by passing vehicles. The second link mound almost touches the large work on the west side. Its greatest length is 106 feet, the bank is only about two feet high and it has no gateway.

A debt of gratitude is due Frederick Bronnenberg, late owner of the grounds upon which these mounds are situate. During the many years he owned the property he kept the ancient earthworks from being obliterated by the plowman's share and guarded with jealous eye the handsome woodlands surrounding them. To have stuck an ax into one of the stately elms or sturdy oaks would have been sacrilege in his estimation. As long as he was the. owner of these grounds, they were open to visitors and he took pride in the ownership of this mysterious and interesting place. Many people censured Mr. Bronnenberg because he would not part with the grounds and convey them to persons who wished to purchase the place and convert it into a resort. But it seems that Providence has worked out a better w r ay for their preservation and has given to the people a place for rest, amusement and pleasure that will be more lasting than by private ownership. Since the death of Mr. Bronnenberg. his heirs have transferred the property to the Indiana Union Traction Company, wilich now conducts the grove as a pleasure resort, but in such a way that the mounds shall be preserved and perpetuated. Around the large work is a strong wire fence, with notices posted at frequent intervals forbidding visitors to walk upon the slope or crest of the embankment. This policy, if continued, will preserve this interesting relic of a bygone race for future generations to admire and study. At the foot of the bluff is the mineral spring mentioned at the close of the preceding chapter. This spring may have had some influence upon the aborigines in the selection of a location for their earthwork, though Professor Cox, in the same report, notes that

4 4 On the same section of land, but half a mile farther up the river, and on the same side of the stream, there is another cluster of earth¬ works that are of nearly equal interest $ in fact, the principal work is, in some respects, more remarkable than the large circle (previously described). The outline is of irregular shape - constricted on one end and at the sides; at the other end there is a gateway nine feet wide, protected by two small mounds, now about four feet high. The wall is thirty to thirty-five feet wide at the base and about four feet high; ditch eight feet wide. A central line through the longer way is N. 67° E. and 296 feet long; it is 160 feet across at the widest and 150 feet across at the narrowest part - near the middle. With the exception of the two mounds at the gateway, which lie on the cultivated side of a section fence, and have been cut down by the plow, the remainder of this antiquity is in as good state of preservation as when deserted by its original occupants. Large trees are growing over it, and the under¬ brush is so thick that it was difficult to obtain accurate measurements; in fact, there is hardly a stick of timber amiss over the ruins.''

Near this work is a plain circle, 150 feet in diameter, which lies in a cultivated field and is fast being obliterated. Southeast of this circle is an oblong work, similar to the one above described by the state geologist. Its longest diameter is 106 feet and the distance across the other way is forty-eight feet at each end, but somewhat less in the center, or constricted part. The wall is about two feet high and the ditch on the inside is fifteen feet in width. At the southeastern end is a gateway fifteen feet wide. This portion is well preserved, but the western part lies in the open field and the plow has almost leveled the walls. In these works the Mound Builders, whoever they were, or at whatever time they inhabited the land, have left their indelible impress upon Madison county. The architects have gone, but the building remains. Who built it, or for what purpose it was erected, will doubt¬ less remain for generations to come largely a matter of speculation and conjecture.

At the time the Western Hemisphere was first visited by Europeans, the continent of North America was inhabited by several groups or families of Indians, each of which was distinguished by certain charac¬ teristics and occupied a well defined territory. In the north were the Eskimo, a people who has never played any conspicuous part in history. South of them and west of the Hudson bay were the Athapascans, scattered over a w r ide expanse of territory. The Algonquian group occupied a great triangle, roughly bounded by the Atlantic coast on the east, a line drawn from the most northern point of Labrador in a southwesterly direction to the Rocky mountains, and a second line from there to the Pamlico sound, on the coast of North Carolina. South of the Algonquian and east of the Mississippi river was the Muskhogean family, including the Creeks, Choctaws, etc. Directly west of this group, across the Mississippi, were the Caddoan tribes. The hardy, restless

Siouan tribes occupied the Missouri valley, and in the southwestern part of what is now the United States was the Shoshonean group. Along the St. Lawrence river and the shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, in the very heart of the Algonquian country, were the brave, warlike Iroquoian tribes, who were probably the most intel¬ lectual of all the North American Indians.

Of all these families, the Algonquian was the most numerous, inhab¬ ited the largest scope of country, and has been the most important in the history of the nation. This group consisted of several hundred tribes, the most prominent of which were the Miami, Pottawatomi, Delaware, Shawnee, Ojibwa and Ottawa. Among the Iroquois the principal tribes were the Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, Mohawk and Cayuga. The Algonquian invasion of Iroquois territory led to a con¬ federacy being formed by these tribes, which became known as the 44 Five Nations,'' and which was a powerful factor in most of the early treaties made between the Indians and whites. Subsequently the Tusearoras, another Iroquoian tribe, were taken into the arrangement and the confederacy then took the name of the "Six Nations."

When the first white settlements were made in Indiana, the region now comprising the state was inhabited by at least seven different tribes of Indians. The Pottawatomies occupied the entire northern part of the state; the Miamis, or Twightwees, as they were sometimes called, dwelt along the St. Joseph and St. Mary's rivers; along the Wabash were the Weas, their principal village being near the present city of Lafayette; east of the Wabash and north of the Ohio lay the country of the Piankeshaws, extending eastward to what is now Lawrence county and northward to Vigo; the Wyandots occupied the present counties of Harrison, Crawford, Spencer, Perry, Dubois and Orange; east of them were the Shawnees, their country extending eastward into Ohio and northward to Rush and Fayette counties, while between the districts inhabited by the Shawnees and the Miamis were the Delawares, who occupied the present county of Madison.

plete control. They had been moving eastward, when they were met and driven back by the Iroquois, after which they settled in Ohio. One of their leading chiefs, Little Turtle, once said: 4 'My forefather kindled the first fire at Detroit; thence he extended his lines to the headwaters of the Scioto; thence to its mouth; thence down the Ohio river to the mouth of the Wabash, and from there to Chicago over Lake Michigan. These are the boundaries within which the prints of my ancestors' houses are everywhere to be seen."

At some time in the distant past - the exact date is not certain - the Miamis, with their kindred tribes, because of their great power and influence, the wide extent of their domain and their aggressiveness, were known as the " Miami Confederacy. '' About the middle of the eighteenth century this confederacy numbered about 1,200 warriors, though, according to tribal traditions, it was able to muster at an earlier period a much more formidable force.

Of the Indian tribes above mentioned, the Pottawatomies were prob¬ ably the strongest at the time the white man began coming into the state, the Shawnees were unquestionably the fiercest and most warlike, and the Delawares claimed to be the oldest. According to their tradi¬ tions they once possessed all the western portion of North America, when they were known as the Lenni Lenape, which in their language means "men." As they traveled eastward they were met by the Iroquois, with whom they formed an alliance. The combination of these two powerful tribes enabled them to overcome all the smaller and weaker tribes east of the Mississippi, and in time they laid claim to all the territory between the Great River and the Atlantic coast. This vast region they divided, the Delawares taking the country lying between the Hudson and Potomac rivers and the Iroquois assuming dominion over the remainder. It was from the Delawares that William Penn purchased the province of Pennsylvania. A recent writer on this sub¬ ject says: "In the early days of their known history, especially after their loss of power and caste, the oft-repeated remembrance of their former high position among the numerous tribes occupying the lake region, was a source of proud satisfaction. The relation connecting them with the period of their prosperity was regarded as a golden epoch in their tribal history. It was then that the bravery of their warriors, the wisdom of their counsellors and the brilliancy of their warlike exploits gave them a prestige worthy to be recounted, in after years, among the traditions of their fathers. Then they were allied with the Iroquois, and retained their ancient character for prowess and enter¬ prise. To recall these was pleasant. When, however, the Five Nations confederated at Onondaga, and were no longer engaged in petty quar¬ rels among themselves, the former pleasant relations ceased, and the over-confident Delawares were made to feel the effect of the concentrated power and consequent arrogance of their ancient allies. The concen¬ trated energies of the Five Nations, thirsting for prominence among the North American tribes, soon set them about acquiring and maintaining the supremacy. To do this, aggressions were the order and ultimate conquest the end of the movements thus directed. So the Delawares lost their native independence in the rise of Iroquois power and became

A Delaware tradition says that the Iroquois 44 made them women" through deceit by inducing them to accept a subordinate position in order to keep peace w'ith the whites. The event was brought about by what is known in history as the 4 'walking purchase," whereby they were ousted from a half a million acres of their lands in the forks of the Delaware, above Easton, Pennsylvania. The Delawares protested and the Iroquois compelled them to retire to the Susquehanna river. This was the beginning of their downfall. The Delawares were always at peace with the whites until the French and Indian war, when some of them took up arms against the English settlers. At the conclusion of that contest some of the tribe went to Ohio, where they found a refuge among the Shawnees. The white men continued to encroach upon the Indian lands and in 1768 the Delaw f ares w r ere given permission to settle among the Miamis and Piankeshaw r s, between the White and Ohio rivers, in.Indiana. The main body of the tribe established themselves on the Whitewater river, where they tried to rekindle the national council fire under the head chief, Tedpachxit, but in vain. The glory of the once proud tribe had departed.

The Delawares were divided into three subtribes or clans - the Unami, or Turtle; the Unalachto, or Turkey; and the Minsi, or Wolf, the ani¬ mals having been the emblematic totems of the separate divisions bear¬ ing their names. The Minsi became corrupted into Munsee, sometimes called the "Christian Indians." After the treaty of 1768, they founded the village of Gnadenhutten, on the Muskingum river.

There is one incident in connection with the history of the Delaware Indians that has never been sufficiently emphasized by historians, and that is the fact that the celebrated Pontiac received his inspiration for his great conspiracy through the preaching of a Delaware prophet. Heckewelder, who was a missionary among the Delawares for fifty years, says: "In the year 1762 there was a famous preacher of the Delaware nation, who resided at Cayahaga, near Lake Erie, and traveled about the country among the Indians endeavoring to persuade them that he had been appointed by the Great Spirit to instruct them in those things that were agreeable to him, and point out them the offenses by which they had drawn his displeasure on themselves, and the means by which they might recover his favour for the future. He had drawn, as he pretended, by the direction of the Great Spirit, a kind of map on a piece of deerskin, somewhat dressed like parchment, which he called 'The Great Book or Writing.' This, he said, he had been ordered to show to the Indians, that they might see the situation in which the Mannitto had originally placed them, the misery which they had brought upon themselves by neglecting their duty, and the only way that w r as now r left to regain w r hat they had lost. This map he held up before him while preaching, frequently pointing to particular marks and spots upon it, and giving explanations as he went along."

The map or chart was about fifteen inches square, in the center of which was drawn a square about eight inches on each side, representing the 4 4 heavenly regions, '' or place designed by the Great Spirit for Indian habitation in a future life. At the lower right hand corner of this square was an opening or avenue, which he declared to be in possession of the white men, through the shortcomings of the Indians, while another opening, at the upper corner was for the Indians, but was beset by many dangers and obstacles, an evil spirit guarding the entrance, etc. Outside of the square represented a country given to the tribe, in which they had the privilege to hunt, fish and dwell during this life. The inner square, he declared, had been lost through neglect and disobedience; by not making sufficient sacrifices to the Great Spirit; by looking with favor upon a people of a different color and allowing them to occupy part of the hunting grounds, etc. In order to regain that which had been lost, he advised that the tribe must desist from drunkenness, wars among people of their own color and polygamy; give up the medicine song and the customs they had adopted since the coming of the white people.

44 Then,'' he would exclaim with great fervor and enthusiasm, ' 4 will the Great Spirit give success to our arms; then he will give us strength to conquer our enemies, to drive them from our hunting grounds, and to recover the passage to the heavenly regions which they have taken from us. ' '

In order to impress his teaching upon his tribesmen, and to refresh the memory, he advised every family to have a copy of the map or Great Book, which he offered to make for them for one buckskin or two doeskins. "In some of those maps," says Heckewelder, "the figure of a deer or turkey, or both, was placed in the heavenly regions, and also in the dreary region of the evil spirit. The former, however, appeared fat and plump, while the latter seemed to have nothing but skin and bones.' '

The sermons and exhortations of the prophet produced a religious ferment, which soon spread to other tribes, but without concrete effect until the master mind of Pontiac, the celebrated Ottawa chief, who had commanded some of his people at the defeat of General Braddock in 1755, conceived the idea of taking advantage of the spirit of unrest and forming a confederation of all the tribes. The story of Pontiac's war is familiar to every reader of American history, but it may not be generally known that the preaching of the Delaware prophet prepared the minds of the red men to receive his suggestions, if not to furnish Pontiac himself with the idea of a general uprising for the expulsion of the hated palefaces.

Among the great men of the Delawares at various periods in their history, the names of Tamenend, Tedpachxit, Koguethagechton, Hopocan, Buckongahelas, Captain Killbuck, Kikthawenund and James Nanticoke deserve more than passing mention.

Tamenend, one of the chieftains while the tribe occupied the country in the vicinity of Philadelphia, is considered by many as the foremost man of the Delaware nation at any period. He was a statesman as well as a warrior, distinguished in public life for his talents and patriot¬ ism, and in private life for his virtues. His tribesmen claimed that he was favored by the Great Spirit. Many of his contemporary white friends held him in high esteem and the first day of May was marked in their calendars as "The Festival of Tamenend." That day was

Tedpafchxit has already been mentioned as the head chief who in 1768 endeavored to rehabilitate his tribe with some of its former great¬ ness. Little has been written concerning him, but what has been written shows that he was 4 ' wise in counsel, brave in battle, and always alert to promote the welfare of his people.''

Koguethagechton, whose English name was Captain White Eyes, was the head chief of the Turtle branch of the Delawares at the begin¬ ning of the Revolution and resided in Ohio. Upon the death of Netawatwees, in 1776, he became the chief sachem of the .Delaware nation. In this capacity he favored the maintenance of missions among his people and a neutral policy while the colonists were engaged in their struggle for independence. This policy was opposed by some of the younger chiefs and warriors, but the old sachem maintained his position and in the council at Pittsburgh boldly defied some of the Seneca chiefs who were anxious to bring about an alliance between the British and the Delawares. White Eyes died at Philadelphia in 1780, and is said to have been over 100 years of age.

Hopocan, which, according to Heckewelder, means "a tobacco pipe," was generally called Captain Pipe. In his younger days he was one of those who opposed the peace policy of Captain White Eyes and was inclined to favor the British cause during the Revolution. When the commandant of the British post at Detroit ordered the expulsion of the Moravian missionaries, Captain Pipe and his followers joined the Half- King to aid in enforcing the order. In a grand council at Detroit the missionaries established their innocence and Pipe was man enough to acknowledge his error in persecuting them. After this he took very little part in public affairs. His death occurred about 1818.

Buckongahelas rose from the ranks, so to speak, to be the head war chief of the Delawares. Heckewelder mentions him as having been at Tuscarawas as early as 1762, and nineteen years after that he visited the Christian Indians in Ohio. He is described as "fearless, frank and magnanimous," and refused to obey the orders of Captain Pipe when the latter directed that none of the Indians who had been under the instruction of the Moravian missionaries should be permitted to leave the territory. He was a friend to the British when they treated him to his liking, but after General Wayne's great victory in 1794 he renounced all allegiance to the English and became the steadfast friend of the United States. He died in 1804 and Dawson says that wh. en on his deathbed he advised his people to desert the cause of the British and rely on the friendship of the United States government.

Captain Killbuck, whose Indian name was Kelelamand, or the Big Cat, was the son of a chief of the same name. He accepted the office of chief during the minority of the regular heir to the position. Through the intrigues of Captain Pipe he was forced to abandon the council house and place himself under the protection of the white men near Pittsburgh. Subsequently he proved to be a faithful friend to those who shielded him and rendered them every service in his power. This so incensed his Indian enemies that they ordered him to be shot on sight. The latter years of his life were passed under the protection of the Christian Indians, and it is said he never wandered far fr6m home for fear his enemies would meet and kill him. He died in January, 1811. A creek in Madison county still bears his name.

Kikthawenund (Captain Anderson) was one of the best known and most influential chiefs of the Delawares in Indiana. His village stood where the city of Anderson is now located, and which bears the old chieftain's English name. His home was at the foot of the hill, not far from where Norton's brewery now stands. One account says his resi¬ dence was a two-story, double cabin, one side of which was occupied by him and his family and the other by his son. Chief Anderson was always friendly to the whites. When Tecumseh visited him for the purpose of securing him and his tribe as allies of the British in the War of 1812, the old Delaware firmly refused to take any part against his white friends and continued the. stanch friend of the Americans. Doubtless one reason for his attitude in this regard was the marriage of his daughter, Oneahye, or Dancing Feather, to Charles Stanley, one of the pioneer settlers. When the Delawares departed in the fall of 1821, for their new home beyond the Mississippi, Oneahye remained behind with her white husband. There are various accounts concerning the death of Kikthawenund. One tradition says he died before the exodus of 1821 and was buried in the burial ground of his tribe. An¬ other says he met his death when the pony he was riding plunged over a high bluff on the White river, a short distance above Anderson. Still another is to the effect that he, with a few followers, removed to Ohio and died there. There is also a legend that twenty years after his departure for the far West he returned to visit his daughter, was stricken with fever and died on the third day after his arrival in the town of Anderson. The same story states that fifty years later, when excavating for the Anderson hotel, on North Meridian street, the bones of the old chief were unearthed, but were reburied under the founda¬ tions of the building. He was active in the negotiations that led to the treaty of St. Mary's in 1818 and was one of its signers.

James Nanticoke was also one of the signers of the treaty of St. Mary's. His village was situated not far from Anderson and bore the name of "Our town," which was conferred upon it by Nanticoke's squaw, who is said to have been "a very beautiful woman and at one time maintained the relation of 'chiefess' to her tribe."

Peekeetelemund (Thomas Adams) was a chief of some prominence among the Delawares and had a village at some point on the White river, but its exact location is now uncertain.

Another Delaware chief and warrior was Captain John Green, who was part French. He is described as a man of superior intelligence, tall and weighing about 240 pounds. He was fond of wearing his war emblems and displaying them on every occasion. His wigwam stood near what is now the west end of Tenth street, in the city of Anderson, and Green's branch, which winds through the western part of the city, bears his name. When the first white men came to Madison county they could discern near Green's wigwam traces of the pathway where prisoners, brought before him for trial, were made to run the gauntlet.

There is a fairly well authenticated account to the effect that Captain Green was an idolater. He had a large slab of wood fashioned to repre¬ sent a human face, which was elevated to a height of some twelve or fifteen feet above the ground upon a tree, and to this image he paid his devotions. Judge John Davis managed to secure possession of this idol and for a time kept it in one of the rooms of the old courthouse. Some one, probably proceeding upon the theory that the "last thief is the best owner,' ' extracted it from its hiding place and its ultimate fate is not known. Some suppose that this image was destroyed by fire among other relics kept in the old courthouse, which was burned Dec. 10, 1880.

Miss Nellie Lovett, daughter of John W. Lovett, of Anderson, now Mrs. Earle Reeves, of Chicago, some years ago wrote a beautiful story, or legend, of Chief Anderson, in which she told of the finding of his skeleton under th$ Anderson Hotel. The legend closes with the follow¬ ing, which is certainly pretty, if it is not true:

"It is said that on the night of the 21st day of September, 1891, the seventieth anniversary of the exodus of the Delaware, just as the clock in the tower of the courthouse struck the hour of midnight, the ghostly form of an Indian, clad in the full habiliments of a Delaware chieftain, might have been seen standing erect on the highest crest of the unfinished building (the Anderson Hotel), with folded arms, looking towards the east, just as the chieftain had stood on the morning of his departure, seventy years before. It remained thus for a moment and faded out in a cloud of mist."