The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1845-03-19
FRAUD AND CRUELTY TOWARDS
THE INDIANS.
A STARTLING NARRATIVE.


posure from the lips ofthat gentleman, in
relation to the manner in which the Creek
Indians were filched oftheir appropria-
tons, which were given to Georgia to pay
for runaway slaves. The following ex-
tracts from the letter, will be read with
interest
"With regard to the frequent Indian
trespasses committed upon the properly of
their white neighbors, in 1902, Congress
passed law by which the people of
Georgia received pay for all such tres
passes 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 at
tempt was made to obtain for the people
Of Georgia, pay for slaves who had left
their masters and taken up their residence
with the Indians prior to 1902 and an
agreement was obtained from them, con-
senting that the United States 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 no: exceed $780,
600. The indemnity sought for the slave
holders ofGeorgia 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 compelled to pay for slaves that had
left their masters forty or fifty years prior
to the date of the treaty. Nor were they
compelled merely to pay for slaves that
had 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 Indians, or had any existence
in their country. This was asserted by
Mr.. Giddings, upon the authority of Mr..
Writ, late Attorney General, as express.
ed in Executive doc. No. 1913, lst session
Goth Congress. Nor were these abuses
unaccompanied with others Of equally fla
grant character. Mr.. Writ, in the same
communication, assures the President
that the price allowed for a slave was t,0O
or three times his real calue. Yet, after
paying for all the slaves that could be |
shown to have left their masters, at tpo |
or three times their real cdlue, together |
with other property taken or destroyed by |
the Seminoles prior to 1902, it was found |
the whole amounted to but Sl0l eco, |
leaving in the hands Of Government Sl49,-
600 belonging to the Indians, but was re-
tanned by Government until 1884, when |
the owners of fugitive slaves petitioned /
Congress that it might be divided among
them This petition was referred to the
Committee on Indian Affairs, and the
chairman, an honorable member from
Georgia (Mr. Gilmer) reported in favor
dividing the money among the owners of
the fugitive slaves as compensation for
the offspring the shares wOuld hare bourne
had they remained IN bsndGge!! This
plan, which sets at perfect defiance all
Yankee calculations, was rejected by Con-
gress. But bill was subsequently intro
duced, providing for a division of that
money among the owners of these Slaves
by way of interest, in direct violation of
the treaty, and Notwithstanding they had |
previously received two or three times the
value of their slaves: and this bill soon
passed into a law. This was done in
1884.
"These slaves had most ofthem united
with the Seminoles or runatoays in the
peninsula of Florida, land the Creeks from
whom the Seminoles had formerly separ-
ated, having paid 10 the people of Geor-
gia two or three times the value of those
slaves claimed them as their property
The Creeks had mostly gone West of the
Mississippi, and their agents were in Flor
ida demanding those negroes of the Sem
inoles. The Seminoles, in the mean time,
it is said, had intermarried with the ne
groes, and stood connected with them in
all the relations of domestic life. If they
emigrated West, their wives and children
would be taken from them by the Creeks
as slaves: if they remained in Florida,
they must defend themselves against the
army of the United States. With them,
sir, it was ,oar on one side and slaUery on !
the other. This state ofthings was en-
tirely brought about by the efforts of our
Government to 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 to 90 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, their chill
dren, and their grandchildren, would be
at once seized as slaves by the Greeks,
and held as their property.
"They therefore settled upon the Cher
okee lands, and refused to leave them
The Creeks were demanding the slaves
and the Seminoles refused to deliver tneir
wives and children into slavery. Inc
Cherokees were demanding 1.-THE Semin-
oles that they should leave their lands
The Seminoies refused to leave them, Tor
the reason that they had no where else to
90, unless they submitted to have their
wives and children taken from them. In
r trih have