Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1845-03-13
FRAUD and CRUELTY TOWARDS THE INDIANS.
A STARTLING NARRATIVE.

FRAUD AM ChUEbII IVWhhDN HE INDIANS. |
A STARTLING NARRATIVE.
A Washington correspondent Of the Newark
Advertiser. says that the attacks recently made
upon Mr.. Giddings in the House, were produced
by sca.hing exposure from the lips of tina, gen.
tleman. in relation to tire manner in which the
Creek Indians were tlched of,heir appropriations.
which were given to Georgia to pay for runaway
slaves. The following extracts from the letter,
will be read with interest,
I" With regard to the frequent Indian trespass-
es committed upon the property Of their white
peighbots, in 1902, Congress passed law by
which the people of Georgia received pay for all
such trespasses committed subsequently, by the
Creek Indians from the public treasure, and the
amount thus paid was retained from the annuities
or other moneys due the Indians. BY the treaty
of 1921, an attempt was made TO obtain for the
people Of Georgia, pay for slaves who had left
their masters aud taken mp their residence with
the Indians, prior to 1902; and an agreement
was obtained from them, conserving that the Uni
ted States should pay to the people of Georgia
the amount found due them for such losses prior
to 1902, and retain the amount thus paid out of
the money due the Indians for the lands sold to
the United States; provided the sum thus found
due should not exceed $3.50, 900. The indemnity
sought for the Shareholders of Georgia by this
treaty was for losses sustained twenty years prior
to the treaty, and extending back an indefinite
period.
Under this treaty the Creek Indians were CON-
PEELED to pay for slaves that had left their
forty or fifty years prior TO the date of the treaty
Nor were they compelled merely to pay for
slaves that lived or had taken up their residence
with the Indians but they were charged for The
value Of the slave when shown to have left his
master, without proof that he was with the Indi-
ans, or had any existence in their country. This
was asserted by MIR. Giddings, upon the authori-
ty Of Mr.. Writ, late Attorney General, as express
ed in Executive doc. No. 12S, LIST session Goth
Congress. Nor were these abuses unaccompa-
MED with others Of equally fragrant character
Mr. Writ, in the same communication, assures
the President that the price allowed Cor a slave
was t,co or Three times has real ra!ue.-Yet, after
paying for all the slaves that could be shown ia
have ett their masters, al too three times their
real ra'ue, together with other property taken and
destroyed by the Semnoles prior to 1902, it was
found tho whole amounted to but SlOl 900, leav-
ing In the hands Of Government SI49, 900 belong
ing to the Indians. This money, however, was
not returned to the Indians, but was retained by
Government until 1884, when the owners of the
fugitive slaves petitioned Congress that it might
be divided among them. The petition was refer.
red to the Committee on Indian Affairs, and re.
port made in iavor of dividing the money among
the owners of the fugitive slaves as compensa.
ton for the offspring ,chich tie slnues ,ooud hare
borne had they remained in BONDAGE This plan,
which sets at perfect defiance all Yankee cacu.
laions, was rejected by Congress. But bill
was subsequently, introduced, PROVIDING for di.
vision OF their money among the owners of these
slaves by way of interest, in direct violation OF
the treaty, and notwithstanding they had pre-
viously received two or three times the value of
their slaves; and this bill soon passed into law
This was done in 1881.
These slaves had most of them united with the
Semlnoies or runaways in the peninsula of Flori-
da, and the Creeks, (rom whom the Seminoles
had formerly separately have paid to the people
OF Georgia two or three times the value of those
slaves now claimed BY them as their property. The
Greeks had mostly gone West Of the Mississippi,
and their agents were in Florida demanding these
negroes of the Seminoles. The Seminoles in the
mean time, 1t Is said had intcrmarried with tho
negroes, and stood connected with them in all
the relations OF domestic life If they emig rated
West, their wives and children would he taken
from them by the Creeks as slaves if they re-
NAMED In Florida, they must defend themselves
against the army of the United States With
them Sir. it was Uar on side and SLAVERY on
the other. This state Of things was entirely
brought about by the efforts Of our Government 10
obtain pay for the fugitive slaves of Georgia.
Yet they were overPowered by our troops and
by physical force carried to the West When
they reached the west line Of Arkansas they were
discharged. They feared 10 go into the Creek
territory TO which they belonged, for the reason
that, by so doing, they would subject themselves
to Creek laws, and their wives and their children
and their grand children, would be- at once seized
as slaves by the Creeks, and held as their pro-
perty.
They therefore settled upon the Cherokee lands,
and refused TO leave them. The Creeks were
demanding the slaves, and the Seminoes refused
TO deliver their wives and children into slavery
The Cherokees were demanding of the SemInoes
that they should leave their lands. The Semi
noles refused to leave them, for the reason that
they had no where else TO go, unless they sub
mltted to have their wives and children taken
from them. Under this state of facts, those
tribes have been upon the eve Of war for some
years, all growing out Of unconstitutional in
reference with the institution of slavery: and
the treaty to which alusion is made above was eff
tected In order to reconcile those difficulties
The President slave holder, is now to decide
the fate OF ties Seminole women and children
and the lamb Is De. I>H' over to the kind care of
the wolf.
The Washington Globe of Wednesday has the
following article:
MIR. TYLER's HASTE