American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-12-06
From The Note Book Of an officer in the Florida Waf
THE INDIAN CHIEFS REVENGE.


All the commencement of the war in Florida
there were among the Indians many slaves,
who had escaped from their masters in Florida
and Georgia, and taken refuge in the ever
glades and thckets with the Indians In most
cases they were more bloodthirsty and desper-
ate in their attacks upon the whites than the
aborignals themselves, and whenever a settle
nent was to be burnt, or an outpost attacked,
they always led the van, and il successful, wo
to every man, woman, or child that fell in their
power.
powerful and athletic negro, nicknamed
jim Bowlegs, from more than ordinary cur
vature of his lower limbs had run away from
his master, DIR. s., of St. Augustine, and
joined the Indians some three months before
the war broke out. lie was by nature cruel
and bloody fellow, of great strength and most
brutal sensuality. Indeed, the chief cause of
his flight was Tor attempting an unnatural out
rage upon a defenceless white woman who
was fortunately rescued, when nearly exhaust
ed, by the approach of some white men who
were drawn thlther by her screams for aid.
At Dade's massacre, a massacre that will
long be famous in the annals of the Florida
peninsula, Jim fired the first shot, that killed
the commanding officer, and during the rest of
the conflict SO CALAMITY maintained by the lit
tie band of one hundred and twelve regulars
against thousand concealed Indians and ne
groes, the proves Of Jim was conspicuous,
and his voice peeled the loudest in the war
whoop on that bloody and fatal day. When
Passenger, the last surviving officer, fell Jim
led the ladans over the temporary breast
work, erected by the soldiers and his toma-
hawk Glove in twain many heart throbbinr
with life, for vain and idle was the cry from the
whites for quarter
BY his desperate valor, and his cunning on
hundred occasions, Jim gained great pow er
over the Indian bands, and from his knowledge
of the whites, and their most def3nceess loca-
tons, he was truly an ally Of no common i'm
portance and pretensons. But Jjm's sensual
ty aud lust were destined to work his destruc-
ton, even from his Indian friends
A Mcanopy chief, called Gray Wolf, had
one fair daughter about sixteen years DID, re-
marAable for her beauty. Iim's brutal pas
sions getting the better OF his fears, he one day
surprised the maiden while gathering berries
alone on the edge Of Il swamp and by main
totce violated her person. She escaped to her
tribe, wlth sobs and shrieks related her melan-
choy fate, and then, like the Roman matron
Lucretia, ended her life by pl1nging into an
ABIDING lake. proferring death 10 Surviving the
loss Of her virgin purity.
Among the Indians, no crime is considered
so hiGeous and exccrable, that of violating q
woman of their own tribei no matter who the
criminal, hisdeHth is certain. Jim Knew this, and
flew; but the warriors of the tribe were OH his
his trail, and they tracked as the wolf does the
deer, until; from sheer necessity, he was obIig-
ed to fly into the power of his enemies, the
whites, by taking refuge in a small advanced
foIt, or stochade, occupied by few United
EtgtnG bra, and t,un fn.cn bi,nJrnI
Georgia Volunteers. Jim was too we'll known
for his murderous cruclties, to receive any r1er-
cy from those whom he sought shelter; brief
drum head courtnartial convened, and closed
with sentencing him 10 be hung in two hours.
After Il consultation with his officers, Major
j told jun that he would pardon him
on the condition that he would pilot two hun
dred picked men to the shelter of the tribe from
which he fled. 70 this he consented.
The night but one ensuing, two hundred vo-
luntrGrs issued from the sockade, led hY jan
with file Of men prepared on the instant to
shoot him dead, if he led th3iu into an ambus.
cade.
The second moraing after, at daylight, they
reached the Businesses of the Indians on the
borders of Lake Micanopy. The attack was
instantly commenced by the soldiers, and
bloody slaughter ensued, for the tribe little eX-
pected the discovery of their retreat. One by
one their warriors fell, and their ammunition
being speedily exhausted, they were forced to
use their bows and arrows, but all was in vain,
the whites triumphed, and but two or three
warriors out of the many hundreds that saw
the morning light, in the course of an hour
survived, one Of these was Grey Wolf
Suddenly his eye glared with unwonted lus-
tire; from behind the shelter of a Palmetto tree
he beheld the negro jim; the violator of his
daughter was also the betrayer Of his tribo-
with terrific yell he fitted an arrow to his
bow, and took deadly aim. The barbed reed
passed with uncrrng precision into the heart
of the negro Jim leaped from the earth in
agony, and fell on his back dead. With one
bound, Grey Wolf was beside him, his scalp
ing knife passed round his skull, he held aloft
the bleeding scalp for an instant, then gave his
war-whoop, plunged into the thlcket and was
seen no more. His revenge was accomplished
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