Wabash County, Indiana - Chapter 3, 1914

Ixdiaxs Of Tiih Cppkr Wapasii

FiiisT Historic Accoi'nt of the .Mia.mis - Ox the Down (jIhade - Oatiioi.k; .Mi^sioXAKV Skuvices - Tkadixu ix Furs axd Rim - La Salle Sa\i;s Till'; Miami Xa'itox - Wai: Ci sto.ms ok 'jmie Miamis - J)o(;s Sac-

THE I']x(iLisH - The .Mia.mis' Pixuerixc J)eath - Frexch axd Indian War - 1'eace ix the Wauash Wvllev - The ]\1ia.mis ix the JiE\"(jlu- TioXARV War - Agaix ox the Warfath - The Pottawato.mies - The (iREAT Chief Me-te-a - The AVeas (Ouiatexoxs i.

When the first l^'rciieh inissioiiaries and ('Xi)lorei's came in contact with the Miami nation of Jiulians, during the later period of the seventfciith century, the et-ntral districts of their hnid had shifted from Northei'ii -Miehitian on tlie liorder of the Chippewa country to the valleys of the Ohio and its tributaries. The nation \vas a strong branch of the gi'eat Algon(pHn family, consisting of such tribes as the Twightwees, AVeas, Piaidvshaws and Sliockeys, and had long since accepted the christening of the ])ioneer French as M'xVmis (my friends). It is not known for how many years they had l)een banded together against the incursions of the (.'onfederation of the Five Nations, which, with the coming of their French friends, was already pressing them toM'ard the west.

The first definite account we have of the Miamis is from the pen of Father Alloiiez, in th(! Jesuit "Relations," who visited a band of them at Green Pay in IbGl). Put, even then, the seat of their trembling empire was further south, and the warriors of the nation whieli once might be nund)ei'e(l by tlie thousands had tlieii been cut down to the hundreds

These onee poweid'ul, and still proud and detiaiit, trihes of the ]\Iianii nation dwelt in small villages on the hanks of the vai'ions rivei's in Indiana and Ohio, allhou-h they wetv scattered over ninidi of the jj:i-eal (-ountry which tlie\' dominated nniny yeai's hefoi'e. As im])i'essi\-e|y said hy Little Turtle, tlieii- ^ivat ehi(d'. moi-e than a eeiitui-\' afterwai'd, and when their I'anks had heeii fui'thei- thinned : " It is well known hy all my hi'others ])!-esi'nt (Americans at Oi'eeuville in ITD.")) that my forefather kindled the first tii'e at Detroit; thence he extended his lin(\s to the headwaters of the Scioto; thence to its mouth; thence down the Ohio to the mouth of the AVahash ; theinn- to ("liicago on Lake ^lichigan. These ai'e the houndaries within which the pi'ints of my aneestofs' houses are evei'y where seen. "

When tile French e\!)lorers, fui- traders and missionaries came to the Miamis more than a eentur\- hefore Little Turtle thus spoke hid'oi-e (Ji'Ueral Wayne at the treaty of <ireenville, the prini-ipal settlements of the ]\liamis were scattered aloii«i' the headwaters of the (Ireat ]\Iiami, the hanks of the INFaumee, the St. doseph of Lakt' Michioan, the Wahash and its trihutai'ies. The .Miamis had ali'eady heconie somewhat demoralized, and their villai^'es are said to have prest'iited a I'ather untidy appearance, although at the heio-ht of their pi'ospei-ity they were considered as among the most tiirifty of red men. I'lider such cdrcumstances the Freiudi were cordially ri'ceived hy the harassed Indians. The zealous desuit missionaries; the adventurous Fi-ench fur ti'adei's with their l)lue and red cloths, guiis, powdei', halls, knives, rihhons, heads, tohai-eo and lauu ; and the eai-eless i-angers, who conducted the canoes of the traders along the lakes and rivei's - all made their appearance among the Mianus of the Wahash Valley and i)lied their callings foi- a dozen yeai'S.

The i)riests of the church wei-e undo\d)te(lly faithful to their calling and labored with characteristic zeal to nud^e the -Mianns hoth Catholics and good subjects of the king of France. Hut the unprincipled traders, with their tii'cwater, prevailed ovei- the hettei- influences, and put the liinshing touch to the detei'ioration of a once nuiidy race.

"^lissionary stations wei-e estahlished at an early day in all the principal villafivs. and the work of instruetinj,' and converting- tin- savages was begun in earnest. The oi'dei- <d' I'eligious exercises at the missions e.stablislied among the .Miamis was nearly the same as that among other Indians. i*]ai'ly in the moi'iiing the missionai'ies would asseiid)le the Indians at the ehurch, oi- the hut used for that purpo.se, and, after l)ra\'ei-s, the savages were taught concerning the <'atholie I'cligion. 'I'liesic.Kerciscs were always followed hy singing, at the conclusion of which the congregation was dismissed, the (.'hi'istians only remaining to take part at nuiss. This service was geiierall\- followed hy prayers. iJui'ing the foi-eiioon the pi-iests were genei'ally engaged in visiting the sick and consoling those who were laboring under any afiliction. After jiooji anothei- sei-\ice was held in the church, at which all the Indians were ])ci'mitted to apiiear in their finery and where each, witliout regard to rank or age, answei-ed the questions put hy the missionary. This exercise was concluded hy singing hymns, the words of which had heen set to airs familiar to the savage ear. In the evening all assembled again at the church for instruction, to hear prayers and to sing tlieir favorite hymns. The Miamis ahvays highly pleased with the latter exei'cise.

".\side from thi' character of the religious services which constituted a chief atti'action in the ]Miami villages of Indiana ^vhile the early Ih'ench missionai'ies wei'e among them, the traveler's attention would hrst he engaged with the peculiai'ities of the fur trade, which, during the tii'st (piarter of the seventeenth century, was monopolized hy the hh'ench. 'i'his ti-ade was carried on ])y means of tlu' carriers, oi- rangers, who were ciigagetl to conduct canoes on the lakes and rivei's, and to carry burdens of mercluindise from Detroit to the principal ]\Iiauu villages, wliere the traders exchanged their wares for valuable furs, which they transi)orted to tlie nearest trading post affording tlii-ni the most available market. Tlds trat'tir was not, however, confined to those whose M'ealth enabled them to engage vessels, canoes and carriers, for there were hundi-eds scattered through the various villages of Jndiaiui, at almost any time during the first half of the eighteenth century, who eari'ied their packs of niei-chandise and fui-s hy uK-ans of leather straps susi)en(!ed from their shoulders, or with the sli'aps I'csting against their foreheails.

" Jium and brandy were fi'eely introduced by these traders and always found a ivady sale among the ]\liami Indians. A Frenehnum, writing of the evils which resulted from the inti'oduction of spirituous liquors among these savages renuirked: 'TIk.' distribution of it is nuuhi in the usual way; that is to say, a certain lunuber of persons have delivered to each of them a (puintity sufficient to get drunk with, so that the whole have been druidc over eight days. They begin to drink in the villages as soon as the sun is down and every night the tields echo with the most hideous howling.' "

In tliose early days the ]\Iiami villages of the Maumee, those of the AVeas al)0ut Ouiatenon on the AVabash, and those of the Piankeshaws around \'iiicennes, were the (;enti'al i)oints of the fur trade in Indiana. Trading posts were establislu'tl at these i)laces and at Fort Wayne in 1711), although for twenty years ])revious the French traders and missionaries had freciueiitly visited them. A ])ermanent mission oi- clnireh was established at the I'iankeshaw village near Vincennes in 1741) by Father Meurin, and in the following year a siiudl fort was ei'ected near the mouth of the Wabash Kivei-. These posts soon drew a large number of French traders around tluMu, and in 175G they had become quite important settlements, with a mixed population of French and Indian.

* The discovei-y and exploi-ation of the ^lississippi by La Salle, in 1(582, sti'engthened the policy of the French Government to connect its possessions in North Anu'i-ica by a chain of forts, trading ])Osts and missions extending from the mouth of the mighty stream to the City of (Quebec. It also drew the attention of the allietl English and Iroquois to this gr^'ater Interior America which threatened to be monopolized by the French and the Indian tribes which had joined their fortunes.

It was during that year (1682) that the Iroquois declared war against the ]\liamis, as they had, two years previous, against the Illinois. In view of his growing influence among the Western Indians, this was La Salle's opportunity, and he took advantage of it 1)y organizing the Mitiinis, Weas, Piankeshaws, Sliawnees and Illinois into a confederation whose

Aftei- theii- ivturn in 17T2 the .Aliamis lived ehietiy in the Wa1)asli and -Mauiiice valleys until the\- tiiudly yielded their lands to the whites. Aliout tell years after theii' honie-eoniin^' the noted ("hai'h'voix in his journal of -"Ti'avels through Xoidii America, " thus speaks of their war customs: "'.Vfter a soleiini feast they placed on a kind of altar some pagodas made witii hear skins, the heads of which wei'e ])ainted green. -Ml the savages jiassed this altai- howing their knees, and the jugglers led the van. holding in their hands a sack which contained all the tilings which they use in theii- conjurations. Tlu'y all strive to e.xcel eai-h other in their contortions, and if any one distinguished himself in this wa>' they would applaud him with great shouts. When they had thus paid theii' first homage to the Idol all the people danced in much confusion to tlu' sound of a drum and a Chichicoue; ami during this time the jugglers nuide a show of hewitching some of the savaues who seemed ready to expire ; then, ])utting a cei'tain |)owder upon theii' lips they made them recover. When this fai'ce had lasted some time he who i)resid(>d at the feast had t\\-o men and two women run thi'ough all the cahins to give the savages notice that the sacrifices were going to begin. When he met any one in his way he i)ut hotli his hands on his head anil the person met embraced his knees.

"The victims were to l)e dogs, and one heard on every side the cries of these animals whose thi-oats tiiey cut ; and the savages who howled with all their strength seemed to imitate tlieii' cries. As soon as the tiesli was dressed they offered it to the itlols; and they ate it and burned the bones. All this, while the juggli-rs never ceased raising the i)i-etended dead, and the whole ended by the distribution that was nuide to these ({uaeks of whatever was found most to their liking in all the village.

(.lays an- ])as.st'(,l in making })i\'i)arati()iis. They ili'i)iit(' some warriors to yo to sing tlic war songs amongst their iieighliors anil allies whom they engage Ix-forehand to secret iifgoliations. IT they ai'e to go by water they huilij or I'epair thi-ii' eanoes. It' it is wintei' they furnish theinse'lves with snowshoes aixl sle<lges. 'J'he raipiettes which they must have to walk u])on the snow are about three feet hjiig and about (ifteeii or eighteen inches ill their greatt'st bi-eadth. Their shajx' is oval, excH'pting the end liehind, which terminates in a point; little slit'ks placed across at ti\-e or six int'hes fi'om each end serve to strengthen them; and the })ie(;e which is before in the shai)e of a bow (where the foot is fixed) i.s tied with leather thongs.

"To walk well with these raiiuetles they must turn their knees inwai'd and keej) their legs wide asun(h-r. Jt is some troul)le to accustom one's self to it, but when one is used to it, one \valks with as much ease and as little fatigue as if one had nothing on one's feet. It is not j)ossible to use the I'acpiettes with oui- common shoes; we must take those of the savages, which are a kind of socks nuule of skins dried in the smoke, foldt'd over at the end of the foot and tied with strings.

"Tlie sledges which serve to earry the baggage and, in case of Jieed, the sick and wounded, are two little boards, very thin, eacdi board about half a foot broad and six or seven feet long. The forepart is a little bent iijiwai'd, and the sides are bordered by little bands to which they fasten straps to bind what is on the sledge. Ilowevt-r loaded these cai'riages may be, a savage can draw them with ease l)y the lu'lp of a long band of leather, which he puts over his breast and wliicli tlu'y call collars. They draw burdens this way, and the mothers use them to carry children with their cradles, but then it is over their forehead that the band is fixed.

* "All things being ready and the day of dci)arture being come, they take their leave with great demonstrations of real tenderness. Everybody desires something that has been used by the warriors, and in return give them soiiie i)ledges of their friendship and assurances of perpetual renienibrance. They scarcidy enter an\' cabin, ])ut they take away their robe to give them a bettt'r - at least one as good, l^astly, they all meet at the cabin of the chief; they find him arnu'd as he was the first day he spoke to them, and as he always api^eared in public fi'om that day. They then paint their faces, every one' according to his own fancy, and all of them in a very frightful mainier. The chief makes them a short speech; then he coines out of his cabin singing his song of death. They all follow him in a line, kee])ing pi'ofound silence, and they do the same thing every moriiiiig wlu'ii Wn-y i\-ur\v their march. Here the woiiu'ii go before with provisions, aiul when the warriors eoiue up with them tliey give them their elothes and remain ahuost naked - at least as the season will permit.

'"Formerly the arms of this i)i'oi)h' were l)ows and arrows and a kind of javeliji, which, as well as their ari'ows, AVere armed with a i)oint of hone wrought in ditferent shapes. TJesides this they had Avhat the\- call the head-hi'eaker. This is u little clul) of very \\i\rd wood, the head of which is round and has on one side an edge to cut. The greater part have no <lefensive arms, hut when they attack an intrenchment they cover their whole hody witli light hoards. Some have a sort of cuirass made of ruslu'S, or snudl, pliaMe sticks, pretty well wi'ought. They also had d.d'i'uces for their arms and thighs of the same matter. Hut as this armor was not found to he i^roof against firearms they have left it off, and use nothing in its stead. The Western savages always nuide use of hucklei-s of hull hides, which are very light and which a musket liall will not pierce. It is something surprising that other nations do not use them.

they nudce use of our swords, which is vei-y seldom, they use; them like s])OJdoons; but when they get guns and powder and l)all, tliey lay aside their bows and arrows and shoot very well. AVe have often had I'eason to repent of letting them have firearms; but it was not we who first did it. The Iroquois, having got some of the Dutch, theji in possession of New York, we were under the necessity of giving them to our allies.

"These savages have a kind of ensign to know one another and to I'ally by. These are little ])ieces of bark, cut round, which tlie_\- ])ut on tlu.' top of a i)ole and on which they have traced the nuirk of their nation and 0^ their village. If the party is numerous, each family or tribe has its ensign with its distinguishing mark. Their arms are also distinguished with different figures, and sometimes with a i)articular mark of the chief."

As some civilized nations have their public or official executioners, so had the ]Miamis. In this regard they also followed the custom prevalent in several countries of both the Orient and the Occident, in that it was an ot'tiee that was inherited from genei-ation to generation. With these common featui-es named, the pai'alld divei-ges - and to the dire disadvantage of the .Miands.

'JMifsc liiiliaiis had tlicif pulilic cxccutioiit'i's, diosiMi tlii'(ju^li tln' gciicratioiis from oik- fainil.w l)Ut tlicii' liloody fuiirlidii was not to kill criiiiinals, hilt to cat such ca])tivcs as had hccii coiidciiiiicd to death hy trihal voti'. 'Idle hist victim known to have heeii killed and eaten was a youii^' Kentuckiaii. who was thus disposed of at the Miami \'illafz'e located lu-ar tin- present site of Fort Wayne. The hest description of this feai'ful (K'cd is found ill a speech delivered hy (ieneral Cass .July 4, 1S4;!, at h'ort Wayne, on the opeiiinjr of the Wahash and Frie Canal, lie said: ' - \'\jr many \ears during' the frontici- histor\- of this i)laee and region, the line of your canal was a hloody warpath, which has seen many a deed of horror. And this peaceful town has had its .Aloloch. and the i'ec(jrds of human depi-avitN' furnish no more teriihle examples of cruelty tliaii were ollei'ed at his shrine. 'Idle Miami Indians, (tur |iredeecssors in tiie occupation of this distrii-t. had a terrihle institution, the oriLiiii and ol)ject of whi(di lia\-e been lost in the darkness of ahoriyinal history, hut wliiidi was continued to a late period, and the orj.i'ics of which were held upon the very spot wliei'e we iiow are. It Was calU-d the Man lOating- Society, and it Mas the duty of its a.ssociates to eat such prisoners as ^vere preserved and didivcred to tlieiii for that purposi-. The iiiemhei's of this society helonged to a ])articular famil\', and the dreadful inheritance descended to all the children, male and female. The duties it imposed could not he avoided, and the sanction of religion was added to the oMigations of immemorial usage.

'"The feast was a solemn ceremony, at which the whole tribe was collected as actors or spectators. The miserahle victim was hound to a stak' and huriied at a slow lire with all the reliiiemeiits of cruelty which savage ingenuity could invent. There was a traditional ritual which I'egulated with revolting precision the whole course of procedui'c at those ceremonies. Latterly the authority and obligations of the institution had dccliiifd, and I presume it has now wholly disai)peared. P>ut I have seen anri convi-i'sed with the head of the family, the chief of the society, whose name was White-Skin - with what feeling of disgust [ lu-ed not attempt to describe. I \\\'\[ knew an intelligent Canailian who \Vas present at one of the last sacrilices made at this horrible institution. Tin- victim was a young American captured in Kentucky near the close of tin- lievolutionary war. Here, where we are now assembled in peace and security celebrating the triumph of art and industry, within the memory of the present generation our countrymen have been tortured, murdered and devoured. l>ut, thank (lod, that council lire- is extinguished. The impious feast is over; the war dance is ended; the war song is unsung; the war <lrum is sih-nt, and the Indian has <l(-parted."

Lilcc otliiT savaj^c triljes, tlic Miamis Iji'licvt-d in o\ir. supi'i'ine God, or (ii'cat i\Iaiiit()ii, and in a more liapp.N' than their earth, to whieli they went aftei- death, carrying witli them their l)odily apiJt'tites and (-ai)aeity for physical enjoyments. They also believed that eaeli tribe was protected by a .special manitou, which entered a partieular form of animal life on this earth. One tribe worshi])ed the manitou of the butf alo ; another, the deer; anotlier, the rattlesnake. Th(! Twightwee ti-ibe, of the .Miami nation, lield that reptili- in such great veneration that they would iievt-i' l<ill dui' tlieiiiselves, thougli iu latter years tliey wei'e in nowise averse lo having the \vhite man (h'stroy them. Oll'erings of tobacco were made to pro])itiate these venomous reptiles, and up to within fort.y years ago thei'c were many ohl settlers still living who could j-emendjer having seen large (pnuitities of it scattei'etl about near tlieir dens. The ]\Iiami\s })lan was to notch a sappling, bend it over and insert the tobacco in the split.

It was the general practice of the ^liamis to bury their dead, each little \illage ha\-iiig its sacred gi'ounds for the de])arted, but there were e\idcntly individual i(h'as as to i)roper entomlnuent, or there were special customs bclitting cei-tain individuals. In ]S]2 (Jeneral Ilai-i'ison "s troo])S found Ileal- one of the ^Miami's deserted villages on the Uppei' AVabash the body of a chief entondietl in an t*nclosure of rough logs daubed with clay. Its silent occupant lay wrapix'd in his blanket, his gun and pipe b>- his si(h-, and a small tin pan on ins breast containing a wooden spoon and vai'ious trinkets, all designed to add to his i)leasure and comfort in the haj)])}- hunting grounds. At another village was discovered the body of a woman in a sitting posture facing the east, with a basket by her side containing such charms used by the Indian sorceress as bones, owl bills and roots. Similar tombs were found, at a much later day, by some of the i)ioneers of AVal)ash County near what was afterward Stockdalo Postoflice in the western i)art of Paw Paw Township.

The ]Miamis and the English foi'med their first treaty of alliance in 1748 at Lancastei-, Peinisylvania, and three representatives of the nation from th(; coinitry along the River "Oubache" were parties to it. The pi-incipal of those whose luimes are attaclied to that instrument was A(pie-nack-([ue, head chief of the IMianiis and father of the luore famous

.Me-clie-qui,i-i,o-qua, or Little Turtle. At that tinie, and for inunv vears previously, he was a resident of the Turtle Villa-e on Eel Kiver, a few niilos to the northwest of Fort Wayne, where, about one year before the signature of the father was attached to this treaty of amity betwt'eii his people and the English, his greater son was born.

At that time the French inHuence among the lAIiamis was on the wane, largely from the fart that although New Franee had virtually continued to monopolize the Indian trade for a century the (iovernment had become more and more lax in supplying the increasing wants of the .Miamis, .-specially those on the borders of the Ohio and its tributaries. They therefore turned to the English, whose traders' had secured during the later years a limited trade among the dissatisfied Indians. The treaty made at Lancaster July 23, 1748, recognized them as "good friends and allies of the English nation, subjects of the king of Great Ik-itain and entitled to the privilege and protection of the English laws. ' ' Soon afterward some English traders conuuenced to appear in the Ohio and Wabasli valleys in larger nundjcrs than heretofore, and there was trouble at once with the French and the Indian allies who remained faithful to them.

We know of no more concise and interesting narrative of these threescore years of struggles, which preceded the fatal blow to the I\Iiamis and their lingering death, than the account given in Paul's "Atlas of Wabash County," from which the conclusion of this chapter is adapted.

The territory at that time (1748) being under the protection of the Freneh Goverinnent, this incursion of the British was regarded by that power, or by its local representatives at Quebec, as a trespass upon their rights. Between the years 1749 and 1754 the French forces and their Lidian allies captured a number of English traders on the borders of the Ohio Kiver, seized and confiscated their goods and peltries and held them jn'isoners. In return, the :\liamis captured three French traders and handed them over to the authorities in Pennsylvania. Whereupon the French captured a British trading post and killed fourteen :Miamis. In this way the Indian nation became involved in the quarrels between the whites who coveted their land. '

During the French and Indian war of 1754-60 the I\Iiamis were actively engaged against the English and aided materially in the prolongation of the struggle. In combat they were brave, in defeat they were dexterous, in victory tiiey were eruel. Neither sex, age nor tlie prisoner were exempt from their tomahawk or scalping knife. All along the frontier they waged a bloody and merciless warfare,' which rendered agricultural pursuits luizardous and tlie life of the backwoodsman and his family a thing of great uncertainty. Concealing themselves in the woods or among weeds and bushes, behind trees, waylaying the path to water or the road to the field, they would fire the gun or let fly the arrow at the approaching victim. Tliey would retreat, if necessary, or, if they dared, advance upon their adversary and take him m-isoner ; if mortally wounded, tliey would scalp him. ^ifO'StZQ^O

When besieging a fort they seldom showed themselves in force in any ({uartcr, hut dispersed and acted individually or in small parties. They aimed to cut off the garrison's supplies by killing the cattle, and they watclietl tlie watering places for those who went for that article of necessity, thus cutting off one by one in detail and with Init little risk to themselves. When their stock of provisions became exhausted they would I'etire to tlie woods, supply themselves by hunting and then again return to the siege.

'^IMiey were among the first to make peace with the English when the tide of fortune turned against the French (17GU), though three years after that ti;n" they wei'e equally ready to join with Pontiac in his bloody war against them. Dui-ing the ensuing year they followed the fortunes of that vindictive chief of the north country until some time in the winter of 17(J4, when, deceived by the French, deserted by his allies and overpowered by the British, he retired to the Illinois country, where he was a.ssassinated 1)\- a Kaskaskia Indian in 1767.

Colonel Croghan, a British officer, visited tli(.' .Miami villages on the Iv'l \lWrv in dune, 1765, ])assing through what is Jiow Wabash County as a prisoiii'r in the hands of the Kickapoos and ]\Iussaquatannis. At this time the total effective force of Miami warriors was estimated as follows: The Twiglitwees (the eastern wing of the confederation), at the head of the .Maumee River, 250: the Ouiatenons, near the Post Ouiatenon on the Wabash, 'MM; the Piankeshaws on the Vermillion River (the western wing), 300, and the Shockeys, occupying the territory betwec'u \"incennes and Post Ouiatenon (La Fayette), 200. A thousand and lift}' warriors were all that remained of the once ])roud nation, whose power had been so long felt in savage warfare.

about Vincenni'S and along the Miami villages of the Wabash Valley dwelt peaceably and in the enjoyment of the most unrestrained freedom. Living in the heart of the wilderness without taxes and in f riendsliip with the Indians, they passed their lives in hunting, fishing, trading in furs and raising a few potatoes and a little corn for their families. Many of them intermarried with the Miamis, whose amity was thus more securely bound.

A race of half-])reeds thus grew up whose luitures wei-e more Indian than French, and the intermingling of the two people and their languages is still to be seen in the names of personages and places. Tlie morals of the French traders, never any too sti-ict, did not improve by this intereoui'se. They soon learned to excel even the Indians in habits of indolence and improvidence. They made no eft'ort to become educated, skilful in agriculture or ingenious in mechanical nuitters. Dancing, running, jumping, wrestling and target shooting were among their favorite amusements. Tlieir manners and customs carried them above bar))arism, but left them far below true civilization. The savage natures of the Indians were in some degree softened by this intercourse; but tiieir ready adoption of all the corrupting vices which such a state of society engendered rendered them decidedly the worse for such contact.

At the close of the French and Indian war many of the French had taken the oath of allegiance to the British Government, and at the outbreak of the Revolutionary war they were very instrumental in inciting the various tribes with whom they had had such intimate intercourse to wage a border warfare against the unprotected frontier of the American colonies. The Miamis were among the last to take up the tomahawk in the cause of the British, whom they had never loved any too well, but during the later part of tlie eight years' struggle, and for some time afterward during General Washington's administration they were exceedingly hostile. At successive periods they defeated exiu-ditions sent against them under Ilarmer and St. Clair, and only yielded iiiuUly to the superior intrepidity and perseverance of Gen. Anthony Wayne. In 1895 a treaty of peace was concluded between them and the United States authorities at Greenville, Ohio, the home of Tecumseh, the great Shawnee chief. That peace was maintained until after the breaking out of the War of 1812.

Following the example of many of the surrounding tribes at that time, a portion of the Miamis again started on the warpath, and, as the follow- iiig cliai)ter will reveal, were severely punished for so doing. j\Iany of them remained friendly to the Ihiited States, l)ut a large portion became hostile, in union with the warlike Shawnees under Teeumseh, and tlic Kickapoos and I'ottawatoniies. Rut the Harrison campaign against the Miami rebels is icserved for a separate nari-ative which has close connection with the history of Wabash County.

The ^liamis were the Indians who held the land and were always in strong evidence in ])oth the lower and upper valleys of the Wabash. Tilt' Pottawatomics were migratory and shadow}^ and seemed to come to tin- foreground oidy upon special occasions. For over a century, lasting well into tlu' niiieteenth, the seat of what influence was left to them was along the soutiiern shores of Lake ]\Iicliigan.

The Potta\vatomies, like the .Miamis, were of the Algonquin family, and during the earlier period of their trilutl life appear to have been associated with the Ottawas. Anciently they were called Poux, and, with the Ottawas and Chippewas, are claimed to be a great offshoot of the parent Algoiuiuin stock.

''It is rej)resented as a part of the family history that the separation of these into distinct I)an(Is took' place in the vicinity of iMichiliniackiiuick (P])per .Michigan), not far from the middle of the st'venteenth century - as eai-ly proliaI)ly as l(i41. At the time of the se])aration, oi- immediately after, the Poux liaving located on the southern shore of Lake ^Michigan, the Ottawas went to live witli them. After a time the Ottawas, becoming dissatisfied with the situation, detei'niined t(j withdraw from their foi'iner allies and seek a home elsewhere. The Pou.x, being informed of this determination, told tht' Ottawas they might go back to tlu.- North if they did notjike their assot-iation ; they, the Pou.x, had UKule a tire for themselves and were capable of assuming and maintaining a .separate and indel)endent sovei'eignty, and of building their own council tires. From this circumstance, it is said, the name of the Pottawatomics was derived. Etymologically, the word is a compound of put-ta-wa, signifying a blowing out, or exi>ansion, of the cheeks, as in the act of ])lowing out a fire, and me, a nation; which, being interpreted, means a nation of fire-blowers - a people, as intimate(l to the Ottawas, able to build their own council fires and exercise the prerogatives of independence, or self-government.

"Tlie first historic reference we have to thei]i was in 1641, when it was stated they luid abandoned their own counti'y (Green Pay), and taken refuge among the Cliippcwas, so as to secure themselves from their enemies, the Sioux, who, it would seem, had well nigh overcome tlunn.

In KiGO Father Allouez, a French missionary, speaks of the Pottawatomios as oeciii)yin<,f tei-ritory that extended i'roni (ireeii P>ay to tlie liead of Lake Superior, and southward to tiie country of the Sacs and J^'oxes, and tlie Miainis, and then tra(h'rs liad preceded luni to theii- country. Ten years hiter they I'etui'ued to (Jreen Jiay and occupied the horders of J^ake j\licliigan on tlie noi'tii. Suhsoqneiitly, ahout the ])ei,dnning of tlie eighteenth century, they ti-avei-sed the eastern coast of Lake Michigan to the mouth of the Ivivei- St. J()se])irs, \vliei-e, and to the southward of Lake Michigan, a hii-ge hody of tlirm held i)()ssession until near the mi(hlle of the inneteeiith cenlury. The (jecui)ancy of this territory was at lirst permissive only on the jiai-t of the :\Iiamis, who had before possessed the undisputed riuht to occupy and enjoy it: hut, in the course of time, their right was a<-knowledged hy giving them a voice in the making of treaties, which also included the I'ight of session and conve\aiRH'."

As a rule tlie I'otlawat omies followed the policies of the ?\Iiamis and the Ottawas in theii- wars and alliances. They wei'e in the front I'anks of the wai'riors dui'ing the hloody exi'cution of Pontiac's conspiracy. On the -jr)tli of .Alay, 17fi:3, the old ])ost at St. Joseph's fell into the hands of the conspirators, and the Pottawatomies hoi'c Pontiae's ordei- foi- the sacrilice of the gai'rison. Two days later the same detei'nuned hand ca])t\ired the foi't at K'edci-nog-a, with all the usual accompaniments of treaclu'ry and indiscriminate slaughtei'. They [tai't icipatcd in tla; (Jreenville treaty of 17!!.'), which, with the .Miamis, they kept until 1SP2, when they were drawn into the uprising and confederacy led by Tecumseh. In i)ursuance of ins jilans. and as agents of ( iriat P.ritain, it was the Pottawatomies who were foremost in the Chicago (Fort Dearhoni) ma.ssacre of 1812; but their star f(dl, with that of the ]\Iiamis, in the (events of that year, and a scoi'c of treaties followed i)revions to 1S.S7, when they made the last of their lands over to the United States.

The Pottawatomie b(\st Icnown in the Upper Wabash Valley was Me-te-a, a A\ar chief of great intelligence and bravery, whose tribe occupied two villages on the Little St. -Joseph's Piver a few miles from Fort Wayne. They \vere located on lands granted to them by the Miamis. At the period of the War of 1812 .Me-te-a was at the height of his power, and while executing an ambuscade for PTarrison'.s troops, who were marching to the i'eli(d" of Fort Wayne, had his arm shattered and I'cndei-ed useless for life by a I'ille ball. During tlic greater part of the eighteenth century his trilic is said to have inhabited the country to the north and west of tlie pi-eseiit site of h'ort Wayne and the bordei'land of the Tii)[>ecanoe liivi'i-. It is known tliat tlic chirf liinisrlf ivsid.-d in that iT^ion from ISOO lo 1S27. and in .May he was i)oison('(| liy certain ineiiihcrs of his trihf who wci-c incensed at him foi' his faithful adlici-ence to the M ississinewa treats- of ISL'fi. 'i'he fatal poison is supposed to liave heen the root of the May aj)ple. Me-te-a, who had a wide reputation for vivacity and wit, as well as for generosity and bravery, was buried on the sandhill overlooking St. ^lai'y's, near J^'ort Wayne Collect'. The Pottawatoinies who came in I'ontact \vith tlie earl\' settlers of Wabash Count\' were maiidy mem1)ers of ^le-te-a's tribe and villages.

The AVeas, or Ouiatenons, as they \vere oi'iginally called ])y the French, weiv of the AliroiKiuin family, and were closely ivlated to the :\Iiamis - more closely than the Pottawatoinies, for with the oi'i,^ini/.ation of the .Miai::i cei:fei!ci';:1 ion. or nation, the Weas foi'ined a distinct unit in that body. They wcrr thus found with the comin<r of the French in l(i»i!)-7().

Amonu' the i''i'ench archives at Paris is found the followinu in an official document wi'ittcn in ITlS: ''This rivei', Ouabache, is the one on which the Ouiatenons (AVeas) are settled. /They consist of five villages, which are contiinious, the one to the other. One is called Oujateiion, the otliei' PeaiKpiinchias, another Petitscotias, and the fourth. Pes Oros. The name of the last 1 do not recollect, but the\- are all Oujatenons. llavin.^^ the same lan^ua^e as the xMiamis, whose brothei's they are, and ])roperly all Miamis, hasinu' thi- same customs and dress. The men ari' very numerous - fully a thousand oi- tweh'e hundred. They have a different custom from all otlua- nations, which is to keep their foi't extremely (dean, not allowin.u: a blade of o;i'ass to remain in it. The whole of the fort is sanded lik'e the Tuilleries. Their village is situated on a high hill and they have o\er two leagues of impr(n'ement, where they raise their Indian corn, j)um*!ikins and melons. From the summit of this elevation nothing is visible to the e\-e bul piviiries full of butfalo. "

The (Jreen\-ille ti'caty of 17!),") mai'ked the first session of lands nuide by the Weas as a se])ai'ate ti'ibe. This was a tract of land si.\ miles square at the Ouiatenon, or Old Wea Towns, at the present site of Lafayette, Tip- I)i'canoe County. On Augu.st 21. 1805. the Weas, ]\Iianiis. Pa'I Rivers, Delawares and Pottawatomies at a treaty made at Grouseland, near Vincennes. declaretl that they were ''joint owners of all the country on the Wabash and its waters al)ove the \'incennes tract," which had not been ceded to tie- Fnitcd States l)y that or any other treaty, and as such they agreed thereaftei' to recognize a cominunity of interest in the same. I'y the provisions of the same treaty tin; joint interest of these tribes in eortain lands south of the Wliite River was relinquished to the United States, in consideration of which the Weas were to receive an annuity of $250. ThriM' subsequent treaties were made by tlie Weas, involving sessions of land, before tliey finally dcpartrd from the Wabasli Valley, tlie last of whicli was at Vincennes, on the 11th of August, 1820. It was contemplated by the last treaty that the Weas should shortly remove from the AVabash, as they did, and tiieir annuities were thereafter paid at Kaska-skia, Illinois.