Ohio History Journal

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Reviews, Notes and Comments 431

Reviews, Notes and Comments           431

 

SENATOR ROBERT L. OWEN AT THE LOGAN ELM

Mr. E. L. Spetnagel, a life member of our Society,

writes an interesting letter to Mr. Tiffin J. Gilmore

thanking him for a circular containing a cut of the

Logan Elm and the text of the speech of Chief Logan

that made the tree famous.      He speaks of a family

reunion last June and the enjoyment of two brothers

and other members of his family in making a visit to

this grand, old tree. Continuing Mr. Spetnagel writes:

Some day I will drop into your office and tell you the story

of another Indian who made a speech under this same Logan

Elm. This Indian was none other than Senator Robert L. Owen

of Oklahoma, who visited the spot with Judge Claypool and Mr.

F. A. Stacey in 1920 on the occasion of a political meeting in

the presidential campaign of that year. The Senator spent the

night with Mr. Claypool and asked to be shown some of the

mounds and spots made historic by the Indians. Upon their re-

turn, Claypool brought the Senator to our bank and asked me to

entertain him until an automobile could be gotten to take him

to Greenfield. I enjoyed a most delightful hour with the Senator

and he told me of having made a speech himself under the tree

that morning, and asked me if I cared to hear it. I assured

him that I would, and he then stood up and repeated in the

Choctaw language his speech. He said, "Of course you do not

understand what I said, so I will interpret the speech for you."

As near as I can recall his words they were as follows:

"Chief Logan, of the Mingo tribes, I bring you greetings

from a member of the Choctaw tribe of Indians. You, in your

day, were a good Indian. I, in my day, am striving to be a good

Indian. I greet you, Chief Logan."

You cannot imagine the impressive effect of these words

upon me, delivered as they were in the private room here at the

bank to Mr. Stacey and myself as his audience.

After finishing his brief address he took from his pocket an

envelope which contained several leaves from the Logan Elm,

and, showing them to me, stated that he intended sending or

taking them back to his mother and telling her the pathetic story

of Logan.

Senator Owen of Oklahoma is not the only member

of the highest legislative body in the world with Indian