Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1840-11-21
w sssG GEL r. "a ~ Y.
THE CRA.YUN PAPERS 8.
THECUNSPlRAGT OF NEAMATHLA,
AUTaEsTIc SIX GTcH,


THE cRA.YUN PAPERS.
THECuNSPIRAGT OF NEAMATHLA.
NAUraEsTIc SKETCH.
In. the sulumn of 1928, 0oserncr DuvAL, and
other commissioners on the part Of The U. states,
concluded o treaty with the chiefs aud warriors of
the Florida indians, by which he latter. for GER
tain considerations; coded oil claims to'the whole
Territory. excepting a district in The eastern pat.
to which they were to remove, and within which
they were 10 reside for twenty years. sevefsl OF
the chiefs signed The treaty with great re uc;ancr;
but noue opposed it more strongly tbaa AEA.
MAruLA. principle chief Of The Mickas.~ sies, q
fierce and warlike people. many Of them Creets hy
who lived about the Mick ,spokie lake
had always been active in thase dep
relations on the frontier Of Georgia which had
broueh, vengeance and ruin Oh the Ssmiu"les.-
He wa. q ramsrkable man; upward Of sixty years
Of age, 81 ex fee, high. with a 6ne eye, aud 9
strongly marked countenance, oyer which be Pos
sessed go command. His hs'fed OF the white
men appeared 10 be mixed with contempt. on the
common people he locked down with initiate
scorn. He seemed unwilling to acknowledge sny
superiority Of rank or dignity in Governor Duss'.
claiming to associate with him on terms a e9ua'i.
ty. as two great chieftains. Though he had heen
prevsiIed upon to sign the treaty, bis heart resoi.
ted at IL. Tn one Of his frsnk conversations With
Governor Duva!, he observed: This coun'sy be-
longs TO the red man; and if had the Number Of
warriors at my command tina, this nation once
had, I wouil no. leave white man on my isnds.
would ex,erminale the whole. ] can ssy this
to YOU, for you can understand me: you are Q nan,
but Iwouid no. soy it 10 your people. They'd
cry out | was q savage. and would take tuy life
They canno, sppreci tie the feelings ,ofs uan
that loves his couutry.'
As Florida bad hut recently been erected ut"
a territory. evesy thing ~ yet was In rude
anil simple style. The Governor, TO make him.
self acoainted with the Indians, end 10 he ness
at hand to keep an eye upon them, hx'd hs resi-
dence at 7 allahassce. near the Powell ,owns. 10
habi,ed by the Mickaseoiics. His govermen'
palace 70. O time was a mere log hoose. aud he
lived on hunters fare. The village OF Nesmsth'a
was but about three miles of, end thiiher the gov
srnor occasionally rode, TO visit The old ch'cs'a'n.
In one Of these visits, be found Nesma'his seated
III his wigwam. in the centre Of the village, su'.
rounded by his warriors. The Governor had
brought him some liquor as a present. but htnoa"'
ted quickly into his brain, and rendered him quite
hosstfuI and beligerent. Phe theme ever UPPER
mos, in his mind, was The treaty with the whites.
II was true he said, ahe red men bad made such
a treaty, but the white men had not acted up to II,
The red men had rece we'd none of the money snc
the cattle that had been promised them: the treaty,
therefore. was at an end, and they lid not mean to
he bound by it,
Governor Duval calmly represented to him that
,hesime appointed in the treaty for the payment
and delivery Of the money and the cattle had not
vet arrived. This old chieftain knew full well,
bnt be choose, for the moment, to pretend 'gno-
rance. He KEEP, on drinking and talking. his voice
growing louder and louder. until it resonnded all
over the village. He held in bis hard a long
knife, with which he had been rasping tobacco;
This he kept Furnishing backward and forward, AZ
Il talked, bv way If giving effect to his words,
'brandish;ng IL at times within an inch OF the gov
ernor's throat. He concluded his TRADE by repea-
ting. that the country belonged TO the red men,
apdthat sooner than give i; up. his bones and the
bones Of his people should beech upon its soil
DuvaI saw that the ohjec, dfa all this buster was
to see whether he could be irtimidated. He kept
his eve, therefore, fixed steadily on the chief. and
The mnmen, he concluded with his messee, seized
him by ihsbosom of his hou.iag shirt aud ciirc- :
ing his other fist;
Eve heard wha, you have safd.' s,epliel hex
.You have made a treaty. yet you say your boosr
shall bleach before you comply with ii. Assssre
a. tbcre'is a sun in heaven, your bones shaH
bleach, If you DO no, fulfil every Article OF ina
I'll lie. you knaw ~ am first here, aud
win Zee that You do your duty!
Upon this. the old c~hief'ain threw himself back
burst into a ct Of. isughing. and declared ina. all
he had said was " . joke. The governor sns'
spec,ed. however, ,ha, there was a grave meaning
a, the bottom Of THE jocularig.
For,wo months. eselT hing vent o" smoothly;
the Iodians repaired ID , the log cabin palace
o. the governor, aTailaha.see and appeared per-
fsc,lx een,ensed. Altat once they ceased their WIS.,
6is. Tor three u foK days not one W TO be
seen. Go~ernsr DusaFbegan to ap rshsnd that
.oms mischief was brewing. On the evening Of
The fourth dsy.ssa chief named Yeilos HAIR . re-
~-olu,s, M.elIieeq fellow, who had always esineed
an ss,schmenAf The governor. entered his cabin
sbodt twelve o1block a. night, and informed him
that 6stween fsur and Eve hundred warriors, pain.
ted md decorated were IN TO hold a secre'
was.s.,k y Nnmsshla's town. He had slippet
or q i've intelligence, at the risk Of his life, and
hs11snef bach lest hi. absence should be discover