MONUMENTS TO HISTORICAL INDIAN CHIEFS.
BY EDWARD LIVINGSTON TAYLOR.
It will always seem strange that the
Indian tribes erected
no monuments of an enduring character to
mark the last resting
place of their dead; especially so, as
they had constantly before
them the example of the burial mounds of
the race that pre-
ceded them in the occupancy of the
country, as well as the later
example of the white race, whose custom
of marking the graves
of their dead was familiar to them. It
is doubtful if the graves
of even a score of their most noted
chiefs or warriors could
now be certainly determined. Even the
exact burial spot of
that great and wise Chief Crane (Tarhe),
who was long the grand
sachem of the Wyandot tribe, cannot now
be definitely fixed,
although his death occurred as late as
the year 1818, at Crane
Town, in Wyandot county, Ohio, and his
burial was witnessed
by many hundreds of Indians of many
tribes and by many white
men. The grave of Chief Leatherlips
would not now be known
had it not been marked by a white man
who witnessed his ex-
ecution and burial.
Many chiefs have obtained a permanent
place in the history
of the country and have thus enduring
monuments, but even
such noted chiefs as Pontiac, Tecumseh,
Crane, Logan, Solomon,
Black Hoof, Little Turtle, Blue Jacket
and many others, who
were conspicuously active in the early
settlement of Ohio, and
most of them buried in Ohio soil, are
all monumentless and their
burial places are now unknown.
At all periods of the history of the
contact, and too often
conflict, between the white and red
races since the landing of the
Pilgrims, there appeared great and
worthy red men, actuated
by high purposes, whose lives and
characters were illustrated
and made notable by magnanimous and
noble deeds. Instances
of this kind fill all our history, not
only as to chiefs and warriors,
but as to many of the Indian women. It
has long been the
pride of many Virginia families to boast
that the blood of Po-
Vol. IX-l.
2 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
cahontas coursed through their veins.
This is the most noted
instance of that kind, but many other
Indian women are known
to have performed equally noble and
worthy deeds as those
accredited to Pocahontas, which were
followed by great and
lasting results for the good of humanity
and civilization.
The great conspiracy of Pontiac in 1763,
which was no less
comprehensive in its scope than the
complete extermination of
the white settlers and the white race in
the entire northwest
territory, was defeated by an Indian
woman, who revealed the
secret plans of Pontiac to Major
Gladwyn, who was then in
command of the fort at what is now the
City of Detroit. Pontiac's
plan was to obtain entrance to the fort
for himself and a large
number of warriors with concealed
weapons under the pre-
tense of a friendly conference and then
massacre the officers
and soldiers of the garrison. This fort
was the key to the
situation, and had it fallen, as eight
of the twelve forts attacked
did fall, it is far more than probable
that the dreadful purposes
of Pontiac would have, at least in a
great measure, succeeded,
and would have worked great and
permanent changes in the
history of the settlement of all the
territory of the great north-
west. These are but single instances of
Indian heroineism,
which might be indefinitely extended;
but this is not our pur-
pose at present. Our present purpose is
simply to call attention
to the singular fact that the white race
has almost entirely failed
of effort to preserve or commemorate the
names or mark the rest-
ing places of even the most noted and
illustrious of the Indian
race; although as to many of them the
white man is under the
highest and most sacred obligations. We
have possessed ourselves
of the vast continent which they once
occupied and have practically
extinguished the race, and yet have made
comparatively no effort
to perpetuate their history, or place
monuments to the memory
of even their greatest chiefs. The names
of their warriors have
fallen into our history as necessary
part of the narrative, with
little or no purpose to perpetuate their
fame or celebrate their
virtues. We erect all kinds of monuments
to our real, and too
often our imaginary, heroes, but there
has been almost an entire
neglect and failure of intentional
purpose to recognize the worth
and character of the heroes of the red
race by our people. That
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their
Monuments. 3
such a man as Chief Crane (Tarhe) should
be without a suitable
monument seems almost incredible, in
view of his long honorable
and useful life and his many virtues,
and especially his great
services to both races for their good. I
have seen and talked
with several persons who knew Chief
Crane in his lifetime, and
all testify to his high and honorable
character, as well as to his
great common sense and goodness of
heart. General William
Henry Harrison, who had the widest and
most accurate acquaint-
ance with, and knowledge of, the Indians
of the northwest
territory of any man of his time, gives
his high endorsement
as to the honor and worth of this great
and good chief, with
whom he was intimately acquainted. In
his report made to the
Secretary of War, March 22, 1814, he says:
"The Wyandots of Sandusky have
adhered to us throughout
the war. Their chief, the Crane, is a
venerable, intelligent and
upright man."
At another time, while speaking highly
of several important
chiefs with whom he had been largely in
contact, he designated
Chief Crane as "the noblest of them
all."
Mr. Walker, a half-blood Wyandot and a
well educated and
intelligent man, who was born at Upper
Sandusky in 1801, and
who went with his tribe when they
removed to the territory of
Kansas, of which he became its first
territorial governor, has
left a sketch of Chief Crane, which was
published in the "Wyan-
dot Democrat" under the date of
August 13, 1866. In that
sketch he says:
"When in his prime he must have
been a lithe, wiry man,
capable of great endurance, as he
marched on foot at the head
of his warriors through the whole of
General Harrison's cam-
paign into Canada and was an active
participant in the Battle
of the Thames, although seventy-two
years of age. He steadily
and unflinchingly opposed Tecumseh's war
policy from 1808 up
to the breaking out of the War of 1812. He maintained
inviolate
the treaty of peace concluded with
General Wayne in 1795 (the
Treaty of Greenville). This brought him
into conflict with
the ambitious Shawnee (Tecumseh), the
latter having no re-
gard for the plighted faith of his
predecessors. But Tarhe de-
termined to maintain that of his and
remained true to the Amer-
4 Ohio Arch.
and His. Society Publications.
ican cause until the day of his death.
He was a man of mild
aspect, and gentle in his manners when
at repose, but when
acting publicly exhibited great energy,
and when addressing
his people there was always something
that to my youthful ear
sounded like stern command. He never
drank spirits; never
used tobacco in any form.
"His Indian name is supposed to
mean crane (the tall fowl);
but this is a mistake. Crane is merely a
sobriquet bestowed upon
him by the French, thus: 'Le chef Grue,'
or 'Monsieur Grue,'
the Chief Crane, of Mr. Crane. This
nickname was bestowed
upon him on account of his height and
slender form. He had
no English name, but the Americans took
up and adopted the
French nickname. Tarhe or Tarhee, when
critically analyzed
means, At him, the tree, or at the
tree the tree personified.
Thus you have in this one word a
preposition, a personal pro-
noun, a definite article and a noun. The
name of your populous
township should be Tarhe instead of
Crane. It is due to the
memory of that great and good man."
Chief Crane was born near Detroit in
1742. He belonged
to the Porcupine tribe of the Wyandots
and from the time that
he was old enough to be counted as a
warrior he participated in
all the battles of his tribe down to the
battle of "Fallen Timbers",
in 1794. He was with Cornstalk at the bloody battle of
Point
Pleasant, West Virginia, which took
place October 1O, 1774.
General Harrison, when a young officer
in the United States
army, was engaged in the battle of
"Fallen Timbers" under Gen-
eral Wayne, August, 1794, where the
Indians were disastrously
defeated. In an address delivered by him
before the Historical
Society of Cincinnati, 1839, in speaking
of the Indian tribes en-
gaged in that battle, he says of the
Wyandots:
"Their youths were taught to
consider anything that had
the appearance of the acknowledgment of
the superiority of an
enemy as disgraceful. In the battle of
the Miami Rapids (Fal-
len Timbers), of thirteen chiefs of that
tribe who were present,
only one survived and he was badly
wounded."
The wounded chief was undoubtedly Chief
Crane, who was
badly wounded in the arm at that battle,
but escaped with his
life.
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their
Monuments. 5
Jeremiah Armstrong, who lived in
Franklinton and Colum-
bus from its earliest settlement to 1859
and was well known
to all the older residents, has left an
interesting narrative of
his experience while a prisoner with the
Indians, during which
time he saw much of Chief Crane.
Armstrong was born in
Washington county, Maryland, March,
1785, but his parents
removed to Virginia, opposite the upper
end of Blennerhasset's
Island, prior to 1794. In April of that
year he and his older
brother and sister were captured and
carried into Ohio by the
Indians of the Wyandot tribe. His mother
and other members
of the family, except his father, were
murdered. In their re-
treat they passed the points of
Lancaster, Columbus, Upper
Sandusky and on to Lower Sandusky at the
mouth of the San-
dusky River and Lake Erie. In his
narrative he says:
"On arriving at Lower Sandusky,
before entering the town,
they halted and formed a procession for
Cox (a fellow prisoner),
my sister, my brother and myself to run
the gauntlet. They pointed
to the house of their chief, Old Crane,
about a hundred yards dis-
tant, signifying that we should run into
it. We did so, and were
received very kindly by the old chief;
he was a very mild man,
beloved by all."
In speaking of the battle of
"Fallen Timbers," he says:
"In the month of August, 1794, when
I had been a prisoner
about four months, General Wayne
conquered the Indians in
that decisive battle on the Maumee
(Fallen Timbers). Before
the battle, the squaws and children were
sent to Lower Sandusky.
Runners were sent from the scene of
action to inform us of their
defeat, and to order us to Sandusky Bay.
They supposed that
Wayne would come with his forces and
massacre the whole of
us. Great was the consternation and
confusion; and I (strange
infatuation), thinking their enemies
mine, ran and got into a
canoe, fearing they would go and leave
me at the mercy of the
palefaces. We all arrived safe at the
bay; and there the Indians
conveyed their wounded-Old Crane among
the number. He
was wounded in the arm; and my friend,
the one that saved my
life, was killed."
This would seem to definitely determine
that it was Chief
Crane to whom General Harrison referred
as the only chief of
6 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
the Wyandots who escaped death at that
battle, but "was badly
wounded." The full narrative of
Jeremiah Armstrong, written
by himself in 1858, appears in Martin's
History of Franklin
County. He always retained until his
death a great reverence
and affection for Chief Crane.
It may be safely said of Crane that he
was the most influ-
ential chief in bringing about the
celebrated Treaty of Greenville.
He had the discernment to see that the
battle of "Fallen Timbers"
had broken the military power of the
Indians of the northwest,
and that peace was the only safety for
his tribe and race; so
he made haste to have the principal
tribes with whom he had
influence make a preliminary agreement
of peace with General
Wayne, and thus suspend hostilities
until the general treaty could
be made, embracing all the tribes.
Accordingly on January 24,
1795, the principal chiefs of the
Chippewas, Ottawas, Sacs, Pot-
tawattomies, Miamis, Shawnees, Delawares
and Wyandots en-
tered into a preliminary agreement with
General Wayne at Green-
ville, Ohio, to suspend hostilities
"until articles for a permanent
peace shall be adjusted, agreed to and
signed." It was further
agreed that "the aforesaid sachems
and war chiefs for and on
behalf of their nations which they
represent, do agree to meet
the above named plenipotentiary of the
United States at Green-
ville on or about the 15th day of June,
next; with all the sachems
and war chiefs of their nations then and
there to consult and
conclude upon such terms of amity and
peace as shall be for the
interest and to the satisfaction of both
parties."
This led to the celebrated and most
important Treaty of
Greenville, concluded August 3, 1795, in
the bringing about
of which no chief or warrior was so
influential as Chief Crane.
There were many turbulent and vindictive
chiefs and warriors
of the various tribes who opposed the
treaty and desired to con-
tinue their wars and forays against the
white settlers, and it
was a delicate and difficult task to
overcome and satisfy their
objections; and this could probably not
have been accomplished,
except by the strong influence and
persuasive arguments of
Chief Crane. Other influential chiefs
and warriors joined with
him in his efforts, but he was the
central and controlling source
of influence and power. It is now a
matter of history that with
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their
Monuments. 7
the exception of the wars and
disturbances excited by the rest-
less and turbulent Tecumseh and his
associates, resulting in
what is called the War of 1812, the
Treaty of Greenville ended
the long and bloody strife between the
red and white race in
the northwest territory.
Most of the tribes who were parties to
that treaty remained
ever true to its conditions,
notwithstanding the baneful influ-
ence of Tecumseh and his brother, the
Prophet, and other turbu-
lent spirits, who were for years
industriously endeavoring to
create a hostile feeling among the
Indians, and did draw away
many of them to their great detriment
and injury. Chief Crane,
however, with many other important
chiefs, remained true to
their treaty obligations, and greatly
hindered and balked the
schemes of the restless and ambitious
Tecumseh.
On June 21, 1813, Crane, at the head of
about fifty chiefs
and warriors, met in conference with
General Harrison at the
town of Franklinton (now Columbus), when
he, as their only
spokesman, assured General Harrison that
they would remain
true to their treaty obligations, and if
necessary join with him
in the prosecution of the war against
Tecumseh and the English
under General Proctor. This assurance
was of the greatest
possible benefit and advantage to
General Harrison at that crit-
ical period of the war and enabled him
to use his forces with
greater effect.
Chief Crane died at the Indian village
of Crane Town,
near Upper Sandusky, in Wyandot county,
Ohio, in November,
1818, being at that time seventy-six
years of age.
Col. John Johnston, then United States
Indian Agent, was
present at the funeral ceremonials. In
his "Recollections" he
says:
"I was invited to attend a general
council of all the tribes
of Ohio, the Delawares of Indiana, and
the Senecas of New
York, at Upper Sandusky. I found on
arriving at that place
a very large attendance. Among the
chiefs was the noted
leader and orator Red Jacket, from
Buffalo. The first business
done was the speaker of the nation
delivering an oration on the
character of the deceased chief. Then
followed what might be
called a monody or ceremony of mourning
and lamentation. Thus
8 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
seats were arranged from end to end of
the large council house,
about six feet apart. The head men and
the aged took their
seats facing each other, stooping down
their heads almost touch-
ing. In this position they remained
several hours. Deep, heavy
and long continued groans were commenced
at one end of the
row of the mourners and were passed
around until all had re-
sponded and these repeated at intervals
of a few minutes. The
Indians were all washed and had no paint
or decorations of any
kind upon their person, their
countenance and general deport-
ment denoting the deepest mourning. I
had never witnessed
anything of the kind and was told this
ceremony was not per-
formed but upon the decease of some
great man."
Crane was the chief sachem of the
Wyandots, to which tribe
was intrusted the grand calumet which
bound the tribes north
of the Ohio in a confederation for
mutual benefit and protection.
He was therefore at the time of his
death and for many years
before, the leading and principal
representative of his race in
the northwest. Aside from his own tribe
his death was mourned
by the Shawnees, Delawares, Senecas,
Ottawas, Mohawks and
Miamis assembled for that purpose.
Perhaps no chief in the
history of the Indian race had more
numerous or more sincere
mourners at his grave, and yet, although
but little more than
eighty years have passed since his
death, his grave is not only
unmarked, but unknown.
It is not fitting or seemly that his
name should be allowed
to be forgotten and his memory perish.
He was a wise and good
man and an honorable chief, well known
to the early settlers in
central Ohio, many of whom were honored
by his friendship
and all benefited by his influence. From
the time of the Treaty
of Greenville in 1795 to the time of his
death in 1818, a period
of almost a quarter of a century, during
which time the early
settlements in central Ohio were made,
he was more than any
other chief of his time the rock of
security and safety of the
white settlers. He frequently visited
Franklinton and was the
friend of Lucas Sullivant and his
associates, who, in the last
years of the last century, founded what
is now the City of Co-
lumbus. He often maintained his camp for
considerable pe-
riods at the celebrated Wyandot Spring,
on the west bank of the
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their Monuments. 9
Scioto, eight miles north of Columbus, at what is now known as Wyandot Grove. In September, 1883, the late Abraham Sells, |
|
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being one-half-blood French and his mother a full-blood Sac. |
10 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
He was not a chief by birth, but became
chief of his tribe by
reason of his own talents and efforts.
He was brave and skill-
ful in war and possessed of the gift of
oratory in an unusual
degree. He is said to have been vain and
mercenary, but he
had the high courage to withstand and in
a large measure
thwart the schemes and purposes of the
sullen and gloomy
Black Hawk, who was also a Sac chief of
great ability and
influence with both the Sac and the Fox
nations.
Chief Keokuk sustained almost precisely
the same rela-
tion to Black Hawk in 1832 that Crane
had sustained to Te-
cumseh twenty years before. Crane and
other well-disposed
chiefs restrained a large majority of
the Indians of the north-
west from engaging in the War of 1812;
and Keokuk did the
same in 1832 as to the Sac and Fox
nations, then living along
the Mississippi in Iowa and Illinois.
The restless nature of many
of the warriors of those tribes had been
greatly worked upon
by Black Hawk and his co-agitators, and
it required the most
heroic efforts to bring them to reason
and restrain them from
war. To this task Keokuk proved himself
equal. He called
a council of the warriors of the Sac and
Fox nations, and when
they were assembled spoke to them as
follows:
"Braves, I am your chief. It is my
duty to rule you as
a father at home, and to lead you to war
if you are determined
to go; but in this war there is no
middle course. The United
States is a great power, and unless we
conquer that great na-
tion we must perish. I will lead you
instantly against the
whites on one condition-that is, that we
shall first put all our
women and children to death and then
resolve that, having
crossed the Mississippi, we shall never
return, but perish among
the graves of our fathers rather than
yieldto the white man."
It would be difficult to find in all
oratory more heroic words
or more determined sentiments than
these; and they had the
desired effect on the minds of a large
majority of the assembled
warriors and influenced them to abandon
their war purposes.
A small number, however, adhered to
Black Hawk, and with
him crossed the Mississippi into
Illinois and began their foray
but were soon subdued and Black Hawk
himself made a prisoner.
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their Monuments. 11
Although this raid of Black Hawk and his followers was of short duration, for the time it greatly disturbed the settlers in northern and western Illinois, and was remarkable for the num- ber of distinguished men that it called into active service for its suppression. Among those who served either as regulars in the army of the United States or as officers of volunteers were |
|
Major-General Winfield Scott, General Atkinson, President Zachariah Taylor, Major-General Robert Anderson, General Jefferson Davis, General David Hunter and Abraham Lincoln. These are some of the most distinguished names in our national history. After the capture of Black Hawk, Jefferson Davis, then a young lieutenant in the United States Army, was appointed to take him and other prisoners to Washington and thence to- |
12 Ohio Arch. and His.
Society Publications.
Fortress Monroe, where he was confined
for a time as a pris-
oner of war, and where Jefferson Davis
himself, thirty-three
years later, was confined for a time for
treason against his
country.
Subsequent to the Black Hawk War, Keokuk
removed with
his tribe from Iowa to the territory of
Kansas, where he died
in 1848. A marble slab was placed over
his grave, which marked
the place of his burial until 1883 when
his remains were ex-
humed and brought back to the City of
Keokuk by a committee
of citizens appointed for that purpose
(Dr. J. M. Shaffer and
Judge C. F. Davis), and interred in the
public park, where a
splendid and durable monument was
erected by voluntary con-
tribution to designate the final resting
place of this noted chief.
In addition to this commendable act on
the part of the citi-
zens of Keokuk, a further lasting mark
of respect has been paid
to him by placing a bronze bust of him
in the marble room of
the United States Senate at Washington.
There is also a portrait of Keokuk
painted by George Catlin
in 1832, now in the Smithsonian
Institution, having been placed
there in 1879 through the generous
donation of Mrs. Joseph Har-
rison, of Philadelphia, who became the
owner of the entire "Cat-
lin Collection," including the
portrait of Keokuk. There are
about three hundred portraits of Indians
in this collection, all
of which were donated by Mrs. Harrison
to the Smithsonian
Institution, and more than any one collection
now existing pre-
serves the features and dress of the
Indian race.
The splendid collection of portraits of
Indian chiefs and
warriors painted by that celebrated
artist, Charles B. King, and
secured by the war department about 1830, known as the
"King
Collection," consisting of one
hundred and forty-seven portraits,
was destroyed by the disastrous fire
which occurred in the Smith-
sonian Institute January 24, 1865. The
celebrated "Stanley Gal-
lery," almost if not quite equally
as valuable, was destroyed at
the same time. These were two of the
most important collec-
tions of Indian portraits ever painted
and in their destruction
the features of many noted chiefs and
warriors were lost
and can never be correctly restored. The
first named of these
collections belonged to the government,
but the "Stanley Gal-
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their
Monuments. 13
lery" was Mr. Stanley's private
property, temporarily deposited
in the Smithsonian Institute.
The efforts to collect galleries of
portraits of representa-
tives of the Indian race have been
singularly unfortunate. The
late P. T. Barnum made a special effort
to collect a gallery of
the portraits of noted members of the
Indian race, and he suc-
ceeded through many years of effort in
collecting one of the
finest galleries of portraits of the red
race that has ever been got-
ten together. Many distinguished artists
contributed their best
efforts upon portraits which became the
property of Mr. Barnum.
The collection was destroyed by fire,
along with his entire
museum, at the corner of Ann street and
Broadway in the City
of New York, July 13, 1865, just six
months after thedestruc-
tion of the King and Stanley collections
in the Smithsonian In-
stitute fire. Thus the three finest
collections of Indian portraits
in existence were destroyed within six
months. The "Catlin
Gallery," the most extensive and
valuable of any now in exist-
ence, passed through two fires and was
greatly damaged, but not
entirely destroyed, and the damage has
in large measure been
repaired.
This collection has had a singular
history. The portraits
were all the work of Mr. Catlin himself,
who was a most inde-
fatigable artist. His collection was
first exhibited in New York,
Philadelphia and Boston in the years
1837, 1838 and 1839. In
1840 he took it to London, where it was
on exhibition in various
cities in England until 1844. He then
took it to Paris, where
it was on exhibition until 1848, when he
was compelled to leave
Paris on account of the revolution
occurring in that year. He
took his collection back to London,
where it remained on ex-
hibition until 1852, when Mr. Catlin
came to financial ruin
through unfortunate speculations. The
collection was seized to
satisfy creditors and finally fell into
the hands of Mr. Joseph
Harrison, Jr., a wealthy and cultivated
gentleman of Philadel-
phia, who had generously assisted Mr.
Catlin in his financial
distress. Subsequently Mr. Harrison had
the collection boxed
and shipped back to Philadelphia, where
it was stored in various
warehouses and remained neglected and
forgotten for twenty-
five years and until 1879, when it was
brought to light in a
14 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
damaged condition. In the meantime Mr.
Harrison had died
and when the collection was discovered
Mrs. Harrison made a
gift of it to the Nation and it was
placed in the Smithsonian
Institute, and is now the only important
collection of original
portraits of Indians in existance.
But Keokuk has received a more noble and
enduring monu-
ment than canvas or marble could secure.
On the west bank
of the Mississippi River, at its
junction with the Des Moines
River, on an elevated bluff overlooking
the magnificent valleys
of both rivers and commanding a view of
the territory of the three
great states of Iowa, Illinois and
Missouri, stands the beautiful
and important City of Keokuk, named for this
noted chief. This
city, where his ashes now repose, was
the center of the territory
originally occupied by the Sac and Fox
nations, of which he
was the most celebrated chief. The
citizens of Keokuk have
surely done themselves honor in honoring
as they have the name
and memory of a man who was the best
representative of the
race that preceded them in the occupancy
of that portion of
the country.
LEATHERLIPS.
The next monument in the order of time,
erected to the
memory of an Indian chief, was that of
Leatherlips (Sha-tey-ya-
ron-yah), on the spot where he was
executed by people of his
own race, June 1, 1810.
The exact spot is on the east bank of
the Scioto River in the extreme
northwest corner of Perry town-
ship, Franklin county, Ohio, about
fifteen miles northwest from
the City of Columbus. This chief was in
camp there at the
time, accompanied only by one of the
hunters of his tribe, when
six Indians, supposed to be of the
Wyandots of Detroit, led by
Round Head, suddenly appeared at his
camp and informed him
that he had been tried and found guilty
of witchcraft and sen-
tenced to death. Resistance was useless
and he submitted to his
fate with dignity and fortitude. His
execution was witnessed
by William Sells, a white man, and a
graphic account of the
dreadful occurrence has been published
in the "Hesperian" by
Ottaway Curry, one of the editors of
that publication, who ob-
tained the account from Mr. Sells. It
was also published in
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their Monuments. 15
Drake's Life of Tecumseh, and again quoted in an historical address by Col. Samuel Thompson, of Columbus, Ohio, before the Wyandot Club at the Wyandot Grove, September 18, 1887, and has been widely published in other ways. Where the pre- tended trial for witchcraft was had is not known; but it was the general belief that the whole plan for the taking off of this old chief was devised by Tens-kwan-ta-waw (the Prophet), |
|
brother of Tecumseh, who had his headquarters at that time on the Tippecanoe River in northern Indiana. He was at that time endeavoring to incite discontent among the Indians and to lead them into war. He was constantly being visited by discontented and evil-minded Indians from the various tribes, and among them some of the Wyandots from about Detroit, and it was supposed that from there the party came through the wilder- ness and found Leatherlips at his temporary camp on the Scioto. |
16 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
The real cause of his taking off was
that he was firmly opposed
to the plans of Tecumseh and the
Prophet, and with Crane and
other well-disposed chiefs was holding
the Wyandots of Ohio
in the lines of peace and keeping them
steadfast in the observ-
ance of their treaty obligations.
The execution of Leatherlips at that
particular point has
accidentally associated his name with
another name of great
and permanent historic interest. About the
middle of the last
century there was born of a noble
Lithuanian family a Polish
patriot, Thaddeus Kosciusko, whose name
will be forever held
dear by liberty-loving people
everywhere, and especially by Amer-
icans. He was educated in the best
military schools of Europe
and became an officer in the Polish
army. At the beginning of
our Revolutionary War he came to this
county to assist the
people of the colonies in their struggle
for independence. He
served during that entire war with great
fidelity and distinction,
a part of the time on the staff of
General Washington as chief
engineer. At the close of that war he
returned to his native
country and was for many years the most
conspicuous figure
in the long and desperate struggle which
Poland maintained
against the combined powers of Russia,
Prussia and Austria.
At last he was defeated, the Polish army
destroyed and he was
carried, wounded and a prisoner, to St.
Petersburg. Poland
suffered dismemberment. After two years
of imprisonment the
death of Queen Catharine of Russia
occurred and Kosciusko
was restored to liberty and his sword
was tendered him by the
new Emperor Paul, but he declined it,
saying that he had no
need of it, as he had no country to defend.
Subsequently (1797)
he re-visited this country and was
everywhere joyfully received
by a grateful people. Congress voted him
honors and lands,
and it so happened that the lands
bestowed upon him were lo-
cated upon the east bank of the Scioto
River in the northern
part of Franklin county, Ohio. It was on
these lands in this
then wilderness that Leatherlips was in
camp when his death
was decreed and here he was executed,
and the virgin soil
which a grateful people had bestowed
upon the liberty-loving
Kosciusko drank the blood of Leatherlips
and there his ashes
repose to-day.
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their
Monuments. 17
On the spot where he was executed and
buried the Wyandot
Club, of the City of Columbus, in the
year 1888, erected a Scotch
granite monument to his memory,
sarcophagus in design. This
club consists of seventeen members,
which number cannot be
increased. It was organized about twenty
years ago for social
purposes, but incidentally the members
have taken an interest
in historic matters pertaining to former
occupants of this portion
of the country.
Some years ago the beautiful Wyandot
Grove, on which is
the celebrated Wyandot Spring, was in
danger of passing into
hands not likely to preserve it. To
prevent this and insure pro-
tection and perpetuation of this noble
grove and spring the club
purchased the grounds, containing forty
acres of land, and
erected thereon a beautiful stone club
house. This grove is
situated on the west bank of the Scioto
River, nine miles north-
west from the City of Columbus. The
spring, which has always
been known from the earliest settlement
as the "Wyandot
Spring," flows out of the limestone
formation at this place in
great volume and is of historic
interest. It was the favorite
stopping place for the Indians and
probably for their predeces-
sors in the occupancy of this portion of
the country on their
way up and down the Scioto River, either
in canoes or on the
trail. The old Indian trail, from the
mouth of the Scioto River
to the Sandusky Bay, passed immediately
by this spring. As
long as the Indians remained in Central
Ohio this continued to
be a favorite stopping place with them
and has also been a place
of resort by the white people ever since
the first settlers ap-
peared along the upper Scioto.
The place where Leatherlips was executed
is six miles north
from the Wyandot Grove, on the opposite
bank of the river. The
spot where this dreadful occurrence took
place has always been
well known to the white settlers in the
neighborhood, and the
late J. C. Thompson, who owned and
occupied the land for
fifty years preceding the purchase by
the Wyandot Club, had
always kept the place marked and
carefully guarded from dese-
cration.
In 1888 the members of the club
purchased an acre of ground
where the execution took place and
surrounded it with a most
Vol. IX-2.
18
Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
substantial stone wall and had it
dedicated forever for burial pur-
poses. The monument stands upon the
summit of the east
bank of the Scioto River and about
fifteen rods from the river's
edge at a height of about fifty feet
above the waters of that
stream. The land slopes gradually and
gently from the monu-
ment to the river's edge. The view from
the monument, both
up and down the Scioto at that place, is
one of the most pic-
turesque and beautiful to be found
anywhere on that river. The
grounds are kept in good order and the
place is visited yearly
by many hundreds of people.
When the monument was erected the story
of Leatherlips
and his sad fate had been largely
forgotten by the older genera-
tion, most of whom had passed away, and
had not become gen-
erally known to the younger generation.
The erection of the
monument at once created a wide and
active interest in the pub-
lic mind, and has tended greatly to
widen information not only
in regard to this particular event, but
as to Indian history gen-
erally.
Both Kosciusko and Leatherlips have
obtained enduring
monuments in very unusual and unexpected
ways. The former
saw the liberties of his country
destroyed and his territory par-
titioned among the great powers of
Europe, and himself died
in exile, but his liberty-loving
countrymen brought his remains
back to his native land and erected over
him a mighty mound
of earth which was collected by
patriotic hands from all the
great battle fields of Poland.
Leatherlips had no countrymen
to raise a monument to him. His tribe
had perished from the
earth. There was no one even of his race
to pay him honor or
do ought to preserve his memory, and it
was thought by the
members of the Wyandot Club, which bears
the name of his
tribe, that a suitable monument on the
spot where he was ex-
ecuted would greatly tend to perpetuate
his memory and at the
same time show that the white race was
not wholly indifferent
to the courage and virtues of a man who,
although he was born
a "savage" and lived the wild
life of the forest, yet had great
and noble qualities. A Scotch granite
monument was therefore
procured from Aberdeen, Scotland, and
placed upon the spot
Concerning Indian Chiefs and
Their Monuments. 19
where eighty years before he had been so
cruelly murdered and
obscurely buried in the depths of the
then wilderness of Ohio.
There is every reason to believe that
the death of Chief Crane
was included in the purposes of those
who planned the death
of Leatherlips, and that he would have
fallen a victim of the
conspiracy if he could have been found
separated temporarily
from his tribe, as was Leatherlips. The
truth of course cannot
now be definitely ascertained, but as
Crane was the most im-
portant and influential chief of his
tribe and equally determined
with Leatherlips to restrain his tribe
from war, it may be con-
sidered as certain that the conspirators
would have dispatched
Crane if the opportunity had been
afforded, as it was in the
case of Leatherlips.
RED JACKET.
The next in order of time was the
mounment to the great
Seneca chief, Red Jacket (Sagoyewatha,
"The Keeper Awake"),
which was erected to his memory and that
of five other chiefs
and nine warriors of the Seneca nation
in Forest Lawn Cemetery,
Buffalo, N. Y., June 22, 1892. Red Jacket was born at Seneca
Lake, New York, in 1752, and died on the
Seneca Reservation,
near Buffalo, January 20, 1830. He was
present, as we have
seen, at the burial of Chief Crane at
Upper Sandusky in 1818,
and was the most conspicuous figure in
that assemblage of
chiefs and warriors. His fame is that of
a statesman and orator
rather than as a warrior, as he came
into prominence after the
period of the long and bloody wars in
which his tribe had been
concerned. He was, however, in several
respects one of the
most noted chiefs of modern times, and
certainly the most noted
among the Six Nations of the Iroquois.
As to his personal
appearance he was described as a
"perfect Indian." He was a
perfect Indian not only in appearance,
but in dress, character
and instinct. He refused to acquire the
English language and
always spoke his native tongue. He
dressed with much taste
in the Indian costume; "upper
garments blue, cut after the
fashion of the hunting shirt, with blue
leggings, very neat moc-
casins, a red jacket and a girdle of red
about his waist. In form
he was erect, but not large. His eye was
fine, his forehead lofty
and capacious, his bearing calm and
dignified." He had an un-
20 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications. |
|
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their
Monuments. 21
alterable contempt for the dress of the
white man, and also an
unalterable dislike for missionaries. In
answer to a proposal
to send missionaries among his people he
said:
"We also have a religion, which was
given to our fore-
fathers and has been handed down to us,
their children. We
worship in that way. It teaches us to be
thankful for all the
favors we receive, to love each other
and to be united. We never
quarrel about religion.
"The Great Spirit has made us all,
but He has made a differ-
ence between his white and red children.
He has given us
different complexions and different
customs. To you He has
given the arts. To these He has not
opened our eyes. We know
these things to be true, since He has
made so great a differ-
ence between us in other things, why may
we not conclude that
He has given us a different religion,
according to our understand-
ing. The Great Spirit does right; He
knows what is best for
His children; we are satisfied.
"We are told that you have been
preaching to the white
people in this place. These people are
our neighbors; we are
acquainted with them; we will wait a
little while and see what
effect your preaching has upon them. If
we find it does them
good, makes them honest and less
disposed to cheat Indians,
we will then consider again of what you
have said."
On another occasion, speaking of the
missionaries, he said:
"These men know we do not
understand their religion;
we cannot read their book. They tell us
different stories about
what it contains and we believe they
make the book to talk to
suit themselves. The Great Spirit will
not punish us for what
we do not know. He will do justice to
his red children. These
black coats talk to the Great Spirit and
ask for light that we
may see as they do, when they are blind
themselves and quar-
rel about the light which guides them.
These black coats tell
us to work and raise corn; they do
nothing themselves and
would starve to death if somebody did
not feed them. All they
do is to pray to the Great Spirit; but
that will not make corn
or potatoes grow. They have always been
ready to teach us
how to quarrel about their
religion."
22 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
In 1818 the celebrated artist, Charles
B. King, painted a por-
trait of Red Jacket when on a visit to
Washington City. It was
one of the "King Collection,"
owned by the government, and
which was destroyed by fire in the
Smithsonian Institution Jan-
uary 24, 1865.
In 1849 the eminent actor, Henry
Placide, caused a marble
slab, with a suitable inscription, to be
placed at the head of Red
Jacket's grave. This was, however,
largely destroyed by reck-
less and thoughtless relic hunters. What
is left of it is now
deposited in the rooms of the Buffalo
Historical Society at
Buffalo, New York. The place of his
original interment was
in the old Mission Cemetery at East
Buffalo, which, through
neglect and time, came to be a common
pasture ground for cat-
tle and was in a "scandalous state
of delapidation and neglect."
In 1852 an educated Chippeway, named
Copway, delivered
a series of lectures in Buffalo, in
which he called attention to
the neglected grave of Red Jacket. A
prominent resident of
Buffalo, Mr. Hotchkiss, lived near the
place where Red Jacket
was buried and he, together with Copway,
exhumed the remains
and placed them in a cedar coffin, which
he placed in his house.
Hotchkiss' motives were good, but the
Indians then living in
the neighborhood, on discovering that
the remains had been
removed, became greatly excited and made
angry demonstrations
against him. The remains were then given
over to Ruth Ste-
venson, a stepdaughter of Red Jacket,
who retained them in
her cabin for some years, and finally
secreted them in a place
unknown to any person but herself. After
some years, when
she had become advanced in age, she
became anxious to have the
remains of her stepfather receive a
final and known resting
place, and with that view October 2,
1879, she delivered them
to the Buffalo Historical Society, which
society assumed their
care and custody and deposited them in
the vaults of the Western
Savings Bank of Buffalo, where they
remained until October
9, 1884, when the final interment was
made in Forest Lawn
Cemetery at Buffalo.
The splendid monument which now marks
the spot was
not completed for some years after the
interment. The Buf-
falo Historical Society selected a noble
design for the monu-
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their
Monuments. 23
ment, but after expending a large sum of
money on its con-
struction was crippled for means to
bring it to completion. This
embarrassment was finally removed by the
act of a generous
and noble woman, Mrs. Huyler, of New
York City, who, with-
out suggestion or solicitation, came
forward and gave her check
for ten thousand dollars, that being the
sum necessary to com-
plete the work so worthily begun. The
society was anxious to
make public the name of this generous
lady, but she preferred
otherwise, desiring that the members of
the Buffalo Historical
Society should have the credit of
completing the splendid work
which they had designed and set in
motion. The name, how-
ever, has long been an open secret,
although we think it has
never before been published. The time
has now come, how-
ever, when no harm can come by openly
connecting Mrs. Huy-
ler's name with the noble enterprise
which her generous dona-
tion brought so happily to completion.
No one American of
whom we have knowledge has contributed
so generously to an
effort on the part of the white race to
perpetuate the history
and memory of the red race, now
practically passed away.
The unveiling of this monument took
place June 22, 1892,
and it is and will be for all time a
sterling credit to the designers
and promoters of this tribute to the
memory of Red Jacket and
other chiefs of the Seneca Nation. Along
with the remains of
Red Jacket there was also interred at
the same time the remains
of five other Seneca chiefs and nine
unknown warriors, their
remains having been removed from the Old
Mission Burying
Ground near Buffalo, where Red Jacket
was originally buried.
So that the monument commemorates not only
the great Chief
Red Jacket, but has the wider
significance of being a tribute to
the memory of the Seneca Nation, which
occupied that region
of beauty and grandeur about the Niagara
River and there
worshipped and waged war as far back as
we have any history
or tradition of them.
The names of the other chiefs whose
ashes were re-interred
and now repose by the side of Red Jacket
beneath the shadow
of this splendid monument were:
24 Ohio
Arch. and His. Society Publications.
First: Young King (Gui-en-gwah-toh),
born about 1760
and probably a nephew of Old King,
renowned in the annals
of the Seneca Nation.
Second: Captain Pollard (Ga-on-dowau-na;
Big-Tree),
who was a Seneca Sachem and said to be
only second to Red
Jacket as an orator and superior to him
in morals, "being liter-
ally a man without guile and
distinguished for his benevolence
and wisdom."
Third: Little Billy (Jish-ge-ge, or
Katy-did, an insect),
also called "The War Chief,"
died December 28, 1834, at Buf-
falo Creek, New York, at a very advanced
age. He was one
of the Indian guides who accompanied
Washington on his mis-
sion to Fort Duquesne during the old
French and Indian war.
Fourth: Destroy-Town (Go-non-da-gie;
meaning "he de-
stroys the town"), was noted for
the "soundness of his judg-
ment, his love of truth, his probity and
his bravery as a warrior."
Fifth: Tall Peter (Ha-no-ja-cya), who
was one of the lead-
ing chiefs of his nation and led a
useful and exemplary life.
He also was buried in the Old Mission
Cemetery with the other
chiefs before mentioned, and his remains
were exhumed and re-
interred with his fellow chiefs and
warriors.
By the commendable and most praiseworthy
action on the
part of the Buffalo Historical Society,
the names of all these
once celebrated and worthy chiefs and
sachems have been res-
cued from that oblivion which has fallen
upon the names and
memories of almost all of the great and
influential men of their
race.
CORNSTALK.
The next monument in the order of time
was that of Chief
Cornstalk, a great Shawnee Sachem and
warrior, erected at
Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in
October, 1896. This monu-
ment stands in the Court House yard and
was placed there by a
few enterprising and generous residents
of Point Pleasant,
prominent among them being Hon. Lon T.
Pilchard, Hon. C. E.
Hogg, Hon. John E. Beller, Capt. John R.
Selbe, Mr. F. B.
Tippett, Col. Thomas Mulford and others.
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their Monuments. 25 |
|
26 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
On the occasion of the unveiling of the
monument Hon. C.
E. Hogg delivered an address replete
with eloquence and his-
torical statements, in the course of
which he said:
"Who was this man that, after the
lapse of more than one
hundred years since falling to sleep in
the lands of his fore-
fathers, that these proud and noble
people should assemble here
beneath the shadows of this aged temple
of justice on this
autumnal day to do honor to his life and
character? History
answers that he was a son of the
Shawnees, a child of the forest
and of nature; an Indian, but a warrior
and chieftain; wise and
composed in council, but fierce and
terrible in war. * * *
God had raised him up to be the leader
of his people and the
Creator had endowed him with splendid
intellectual faculties.
* * * He was a great orator, a man of
transcendant elo-
quence; but the fame of Cornstalk will
always rest upon his
prowess and generalship at the battle of
Point Pleasant, fought
on the 10th day of October, 1774, and
the ground upon which
we are now gathered was the scene of the
thickest of the fight,
and where the Death Angel struggled the
hardest to seize upon
his victims. * * * This battle so
momentous in its con-
sequences was not the result of
accident. It was planned and
carried out by the commander and his
braves with consummate
skill and far-sightedness. History says
that this distinguished
chief and consummate warrior proved
himself on this eventful
day to be justly entitled to the
prominent position which he
occupied. * * *"
"Never did men exhibit more
conclusive evidence of bravery
in making a charge and fortitude in
sustaining an onset than
did these undisciplined and unlettered
soldiers of the forest on
the field of battle at Point Pleasant in
the dark days of our
country, more than a century ago. Such
was the foe our white
brethren had to meet in battle on that
historic day. But by skill
in arms, valor in action and strategy in
plan as nightfall began
to approach and the great orb of day to
hide his face from the
terrible scene of carnage and death the
almost invincible enemy
withdrew from action and victory perched
upon our arms.
Not a great while after this famous
battle, indeed before its
disasters had ceased to echo in the
savage ear, a mighty coalition
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their
Monuments. 27
was forming among the Indians northwest
of the Ohio River for
the purpose of waging war against the
colonists and the Ameri-
can patriots to further the cause of
British aggression and the
assent of the Shawnees alone was wanting
to conclude its per-
fection. The distinguished sachem, whose
memory we are glad
to honor to-day, at the head of the
great nation of the Shawnees,
was opposed to an alliance with the
British and anxious to main-
tain friendly and cordial relations with
the colonists. All his
influence and all his energies were
exerted to prevent his brethren
from again making war upon our people,
but all his efforts to
stay its tide seemed to be in vain, so
determined were his people
to again enter upon the wild theater of
war. In this posture
of affairs he again came to this place,
then in command of Capt.
Matthew Arbuckle, on a mission of
friendship and love to com-
municate the hostile preparations of the
Indians and that the
Shawnees alone-Cornstalk's people-were
wanting to render
a confederacy complete and that the
current of feeling was run-
ning so strong among the Indians against
the colonists that the
Shawnees would float with the stream in
despite of his endeav-
ors to stem it and that hostilities
would commence immediately."
These extracts more eloquently and truly
portray the life
and character of Cornstalk than any
words of mine could do.
The story of Cornstalk and his sad fate,
and that of his son,
Ellinipsico, and Red Hawk, the brilliant
young chief who ac-
companied Cornstalk on this friendly
mission to Point Pleasant,
has been so often and sorrowfully told
that it is not our purpose
to repeat it here, further than to say,
that it was a most unfortu-
nate and inexcusable error to detain
them as was done in the
camp, which they had entered with
friendly feelings and with
the highest and best motives.
A day or two after their unfortunate
detention it so hap-
pened that some roving Indians prowling
in the neighborhood
of the camp killed a white man. At least
that was the report,
and thereupon the infuriated soldiers
under Captain Arbunckle,
in despite of his best efforts to
restrain them, rushed upon Corn-
stalk and his son and Chief Red-Hawk and
most cruelly mur-
dered them. It always has been and
always will be considered
one of the most inexcusable and
unfortunate murders in the his-
28 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
tory of our contact with the red
race. It destroyed at once and
necessarily the only hope of
reconciliation and peace between
the white settlers south of the Ohio
River and the Indian tribes
north of it. This dreadful occurrence
was in the month of
May, 1777, and was followed by a
succession of wars, forays
and murders down to the battle of
"Fallen Timbers," in 1794,
during which time many thousands of
white men, women and
children, and many thousands of the red
race of all ages and
conditions perished at each other's
hands.
The dreadful character of the crime was,
if possible, height-
ened by the death of the brilliant young
Chief Ellinipsico, son
of Cornstalk. The old chief went
voluntarily into the camp
of the white men, but the son was
deceived and treacherously
misled and trapped to his death. He was
enticed across the
Ohio River by deceit and fraudulent
pretenses of friendship and
immediately imprisoned with his father
and Red Hawk and suf-
fered death at the same time with them.
There never has been
and never can be any excuse or
palliation for the murder of this
young chief and no one event in the
history of those bloody times
so much enraged the vindictive spirit of
the Indian tribes, partic-
ularly of the Shawnees. It can never be
known how many
deaths of white men, women and children
during the next twenty
years were owing to this treachery and
murder, but it is certain
that they were legion.
It is an inspiring thought that some
justice sometimes at
least comes around to the memory of
those who have been cruelly
wronged and such has been the case with
Cornstalk. One hun-
dred and twenty years after he had been
cruelly murdered by those
whom he was trying to befriend and
protect, a suitable and endur-
ing monument was raised to his memory by
a few generous-
minded white men on the spot where he
fought one of the great-
est battles in all Indian warfare, and
where he, three years after-
wards, gave up his life while engaged in
a friendly and noble
mission for the benefit and protection
of the white race, as well
as that of his own.
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their Monuments. 29
SHABBONA. We have now mentioned all the monuments which have been actually erected to individual Indians of which we have knowledge; but it is proper to add that another monument has |
|
been proposed and is now being urged for the great Pottowatto- mie Chief Shabbona or Sha-bo-na (meaning, built like a bear). This celebrated chief died near Morris, Grundy county, Ill., July 17, 1859, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery at Morris, Ill. His pall-bearers were all white men, of whom but one of them (Hon. P. A. Armstrong) is living at the present time. He was well acquainted with this old chief and of him he has said that |
30 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
"He was as modest as he was brave
and as true to the dictates
of humanity as the sun."
Mr. Armstrong is the president of an
association organized
for the purpose of erecting a monument
to this noted chief.
Shabbona went with his tribe from
Illinois in 1835 to the terri-
tory west of the Mississippi, but years
afterwards returned to
the State of Illinois, where the
Government of the United States
had bestowed upon him lands in Grundy
county, for his services
during the Black Hawk war, and he
remained in Grundy county
until he died. That he was cheated out
of these lands by un-
scrupulous white men before his death is
a sad and mortifying
fact, but it is not germane to our
present purpose. We desire now
only to recall briefly the merits of
this brave man and his claims to
recognition by the white race. He was
second in command of the
Indian forces under Tecumseh at the
"Battle of the Thames" in
1813, and was in command of the Indian
forces after Tecumseh
fell. The result of that battle was such
as to convince him that no
further wars could be successfully waged
by the Indians against
the white race, and he determined
thereafter to refrain from
war, and when in 1832 Black Hawk
appealed to him to join
forces with him he not only turned a
deaf ear to his entreaties,
but exerted himself to the utmost to
warn and protect the white
settlers against the contemplated foray
of Black Hawk. Black
Hawk said to him by way of inducement to
join in his purposes:
"If you will permit your young men
to unite with mine I will
have an army like the trees in the
forest and will drive the pale-
faces before me like autumn leaves
before an angry wind," to
which Shabbona replied: "But the
palefaces will soon bring
an army like the leaves on the trees and
sweep you into the ocean
beneath the setting sun." Seeing,
however, that Black Hawk
was determined upon war and bloodshed,
he slipped away from
the council and by most extraordinary
efforts hastened himself
in one direction while sending his son
in another, and thus suc-
ceeded in warning the white settlers of
their impending danger
and saved most of them from the
slaughter which otherwise
would have fallen upon all. Most of
those who lost their lives
in that foray had refused to heed the
warnings which Shabbona
had given them. Afterward he acted as
guide for General At-
Concerning Indian Chiefs and Their
Monuments. 31
kins in his pursuit of Black Hawk
through the Winnebago
swamps. For these acts and efforts he
was afterwards tried by
his tribe and found guilty of aiding and
abetting the enemies of
his people, and the title of chief was
taken away from him and he
was ever afterwards treated as a traitor
to his tribe and race.
It has been said of him by one of the
most intelligent and
well-informed writers, concerning this
old chief, that: "History
records the deeds of no champion of
pure, noble, disinterested and
genuine self-sacrificing humanity
equalling those of this untu-
tored, so-called savage, Shabbona."
It is to be most sincerely hoped that
the efforts of the asso-
ciation to erect a monument to this old
chief may soon be ended
in success, for surely he deserves of
the white race for whom
he sacrificed everything that was dear
in life, and by some of
whom he was most deeply wronged, that
they should rescue his
name permanently from oblivion and show
to the world that his
worthy life and self-sacrificing deeds
have not been and shall
not be forgotten.
MONUMENTS TO HISTORICAL INDIAN CHIEFS.
BY EDWARD LIVINGSTON TAYLOR.
It will always seem strange that the
Indian tribes erected
no monuments of an enduring character to
mark the last resting
place of their dead; especially so, as
they had constantly before
them the example of the burial mounds of
the race that pre-
ceded them in the occupancy of the
country, as well as the later
example of the white race, whose custom
of marking the graves
of their dead was familiar to them. It
is doubtful if the graves
of even a score of their most noted
chiefs or warriors could
now be certainly determined. Even the
exact burial spot of
that great and wise Chief Crane (Tarhe),
who was long the grand
sachem of the Wyandot tribe, cannot now
be definitely fixed,
although his death occurred as late as
the year 1818, at Crane
Town, in Wyandot county, Ohio, and his
burial was witnessed
by many hundreds of Indians of many
tribes and by many white
men. The grave of Chief Leatherlips
would not now be known
had it not been marked by a white man
who witnessed his ex-
ecution and burial.
Many chiefs have obtained a permanent
place in the history
of the country and have thus enduring
monuments, but even
such noted chiefs as Pontiac, Tecumseh,
Crane, Logan, Solomon,
Black Hoof, Little Turtle, Blue Jacket
and many others, who
were conspicuously active in the early
settlement of Ohio, and
most of them buried in Ohio soil, are
all monumentless and their
burial places are now unknown.
At all periods of the history of the
contact, and too often
conflict, between the white and red
races since the landing of the
Pilgrims, there appeared great and
worthy red men, actuated
by high purposes, whose lives and
characters were illustrated
and made notable by magnanimous and
noble deeds. Instances
of this kind fill all our history, not
only as to chiefs and warriors,
but as to many of the Indian women. It
has long been the
pride of many Virginia families to boast
that the blood of Po-
Vol. IX-l.