The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1853-09-23
WAH.W-CATTOCAH
OR. STANDING WOLF.

| there are many incidents connected win the
Cherokee In lians, that are fast passing away
| The natural character of the red man, has
| been well established for honesty, simplicity
and hospitality; and this doubtless would
| have been his characteristic to this day, but
for the introduction by the white man, the
pretended christian, "God save the mark,' OF
| the accursed sire water" into his wigwam
and around his council fires.
Until they had been deceived and injured
| by the double-tongue Of the pale faces that
came in among them with their hypocritical
pretensions of friendship, the word of an In
dian was always sacred, and his promises
performed with answering fidelity. And
| the incidents we shall here detail, exhibit this
trait in the character of one, who, though
despoilcd of his birth-right and derauded of
his natural and dearest rights by those whose
power and force surrounded him, puts to the
blush the bonds, securities and safeguards
that the whites require Of one another.
Prior to the treaty of 1885, there lived in
Haywood county, Cherokee Indian, known
as "Wah- w-cattOcah, or Standing Wolff
He possessed all the characteristics of his
tribe-honest hospitabe and unsusPectng
in his native simplicity, possessing more than
an ordinary share of the physical power OF
his race, with all the courage to make a man
good and great. But unfortunately, he pro.
cured from the white man the fatal sire
water" and soon he acquired the habit Of
using it to drunk kenness whenever it was to
be obtained. When intoxicated, he was n ter
ror to his race; bosterous, violent and full Of
revenge. All who knew him, feared and
stunned him; all the good qualities of the
Indian savage were perverted into the most
fiendsh and brutal passions, so much so, that
he lost all of that respect and confidence that
he once enjoyed with both the Indian and
the christians, who had sold him the debasing
poison. 'He was then an outcast! but not by
the white man on account of drunkenness,
but because they feared him
In lS37-'3S, the Indian county was filled
with United States troops, preparatory to re.
moving the Indians west of the Father of
waters" and being engaged to assist in this
work, kept n journal of some passing events;
and although fourteen wears have passed by,
vet the events of those days are still fresh in
my memory.
The order of the commanding General
reached our post in the night of the Sd of
June, 1888, directing the officers to arrest all
lnp luulaIlS not ren0V or WllIlnO 10 90 west
Preparations for carrying this order into effect
occupied the night of the Sd, and our com
pany was divided into three squads. One
officer and some few men were left at the fort
to take charge of the ammunition, provision,
&C., while the other two divisions went out
to arrest an innocent and unofltnding people.
| was interpreter for one of the parties
After we had succeeded in arousing several
families from their peaceful and quiet slum-
bers, and arresting them, placing guard over
all that were taken, compelling each family
to bid long adeu to his humble but much
beloved home--a home and country endeared
to them by thousand fond associations,
where they had roamed free as the air amid
their native mountains, where they were born,
and where rested the bones of their fathers
Every creek, path, ravine, mountain and cave
was familiar to them. Here they had listen
ed to the song of Whippoorwill, and dreamed
of the loved and lost in the "spirlt land" All
these to be abandoned, where cluster all Their
fond recolIections, to be driven to m untrled
and unknown country to them.
Many were the lingering looks that were
cast behind, as they slowly moved OIL from
their deserted "wlgwams" leaving all that
was near and dear to them-their ilocks OF
cattle, sheep, hogs, poultry, &C., lett prey
to the wild beasts OF the forest, or TO be
swallowed up by the more greedy avarce OF
the white man. Here was scene sufficient
to move the sympathies OF the hardest heart;
for my own part, felt that it was dealing
out more than death to this unfortunate, al
flicted people.
The work was continued until we came to
the house of an aged Patriarch with whom
had been acquainted from childhood. He had
once lived close neighbor to me and had
done me many an honest days work-this
was .cattocah-and from his habits
prior to his removal to this part of the nation,
| feared we would have trouble with him.
Some time before his removal to where we
now find him, he had fallen IN with n Meth
odist ilinerant missionary and had been hap
pily converted to the religion of the Bible
This, however, was unknown to us. When
we called on him, we expected still to find
the bloody savage.
His family consisted of three grown sons,
three or four daughters and n step son. On
the arrival of the troops at his house, he and
his family were told what we had come for:
that the General of the Army required that
he should leave all, and at once 90 to the
Fort On hearing our message, il seemed
that he almost sank beneath the weight of
cecling that possessed him. He razed in ST.
lenc,. Looking on his wife and children; and
after some moments had passed, | asked him
for his firearms. He spoke to his sons, each
one stepped 10 the place of deposit, went into
the ward. discharged them at tree and then
81 la, ,hi