Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-01-04
EV ENING STAR,
TURKEY FOOT, THE INDIAN.

| tions with the United States, and that state
of peace continued, as the result of these trea-
ties-the first, that of Greenville, and tho sue
| ceeding ones brought about by Governor Har-
rison-up to the time of, or to a period very
recently prior to, the battle Of Tippecanoe,
the longest continued peace the frontiers had
| then known
But, notwithstanding the fact that the tribe.
| bound themselves to keep the peace, there
were numbers of fractions Indians of the
baser sert, who set up kind of independence,
| and, starting out on their own hook set at de-
| fance the authorities of our government and
| the councils and chiefs of their own tribes.
| Of this number one of the most distinguished
| for infamy and yillainy was Turkey Foot, n
| PotOwatamie, who had collected about him a
| band of desperadOes like himself, of whom he
| was the leader or chief, and with them preyed
upon the property and lives Of white and red
| men.
The earliest accounts we have of this ban
| dlttl leader represent him as bad Indian.
| lie seems from some cause to have had nat
ural inclination TO steal, and an equal disn-
| cllnatlon to work hence, it was almost a ne
| cessary consequence that he should become a
| thief or robber; for even among the savages
a man must hunt or do something for liveli-
| hood. Turkey Foot, however, was too much
| like some Of the modern aristocrats of civil
| lized society to degrade himself by STOPPING
Il
| appearance of useful labor, and so in his lazi-
| ness he turned freebooter
| 1t should be known in this connection, that
| though the majority of the Indians, and near
ly all the chiefs, had consented to the treaties
| spoken Of yet there was quite a respectable
| minority who entertained vengeful feelings
| and hostile disposition towards their pale
| faced neighbOrs and that the moral or i'm
/ moral influence of their portion Of the tribes
was made to uphold and protect the lawIess
operations Of the renegades, at least to such an
| extent that the Indians did not feel disposed
| to end them by taking the lives Of the perpe
traitors of the offences After committing nu-
! merous deeds of violence, rapine, and injus-
/ tlce against both races, the indignation of his
own tribe was excited very highly against
/ him, so that ii became needful for him to
avoid them when in sufficient numbers to pun
| ish him for his villainies.
About this time, Governor Harrison, whose
| headquarters were at Vincennes, found il ne
| cessary to send out an agent among some of
| the more diSafected of the tribes, MANY of
| which were excited continually by Tecnmseh
and the Prophet, and British emissaries, who
spared no pains to plant the seeds Of discOrd
hatred and war in the hearts of the savagos.
The business of this agent was to disabuse the
| minds OF the Indians as to some reports put in
circulation by the enemies of the United
| States to arouse them to a state Of outbreak
and war. The gentleman sent on this mis-
| sion, whose name was Parker, found great
difficulty in disabusing the minds Of the sus-
| picious Indians as to the false statements
made to them by the Interested parties already
named; and the moro so as some fellcw had
preceded him, falsely representing himself as
| the agent OF our government, who had de-
clared to the savageS, that it was the fixed and
settled policy of the United States to continue
to encroach upon them aud their possessions,
| until both should be swallowed up.
This was false as to the intention of our gov
! ernment at that time, though the representa-
| tion, In some degree, has since become a fact
of history, owing. perhaps, to the unlocked
Tor and unprecedented tide of emigration,
which has ceaselessly rolled its waves west
ward. But after much earnest labor, Mr..
Parker began to succeed so well in his work
that those interested in the continuance Of the
state Of excited feeling he was allaying and
moulding to his purpose, became alarmed lest
he should finally prove entirely successful In
his efforts, and restore tranquility where they
desired lamentations and strife-the prepara-
ton for an open rupture.
Io prevent &c cOnsummatiOn Of this object
the parties interested appear to have held a
kind of secret council among themselves. and
the result Of their deliberations was that Parker
was to be put to death But how! Tecum-
sch was not yet prepared to bring on a state
Il
universal cOnfederacy of all the tribes we're
not yet completed. Mckee the British agent
took 1t on himself to see that the bloody deed
was done, and thus the matter was settled.
To succeed in killing Parker, and yet not
commit the Indians, Mckee had only to call
in the aid Of Turkey Foot, whose services he
engaged by promise of reward-he was to
kill Parker, and receive pay for the work of
murder, and at the hands Of this agent of
civilized and Christianized country!
Inc bargain was struck; and in pursuance
of his part of the contract, Turkey Foot took
four of his men and started on the trail Of his
intended victim, who all unconscious Of the |
threatening danger that hung over him, went |
peaceably on in his work of reconciliation, He |
had reached the limits of his mission, and was |
on his return tour, when the murderous as
sassin came on his track. Down the Missis- |
sippi he went, and down they followed after /
him. They neared him every hour, yet he /
knew not that they were scenting his track /
as the wolf does his prey! They were near
SO near that the place and time for the perpe- |
tratiOn of the crime were fixed, and the /
winged hours were feetly waiting the short |
interval into the eternity Of the past The /
time arrives-the stealthy murderers approach |
their victim-a moment, and the work of |
death is done. But Mr.. Parker is not the per- /
son slain. de had, from some cause, has
tened his movements, thus saving his life by
few hours and two Frenchmen met the fate
that was intended by the murderers for him.
Gov. Harrison was speedily informed of this
cold -blooded atrOcity, and demanded Of the
PotowatamieS that Turkey Foot and his accom-
plices should be given up; and their great
chief, the Sun, declared his desire to have
him punished, and his willingness to endeavor
to secure him. In consequence of this turn
of affairs, the desperadoes now became the
fugitlves, and were pursued by the Indians
who had volunteered TO carry out the wishes
of Harrison and the Sun. Turkey Foot ex-
peeted a reward from Mckee for the two
s,alps of the Frenchmen, and was making his
way TO his place Of residence, when this new
complication of affairs made it necessary for
him to change his course, and he fed across
the Mississippi into Missouri, where he re-
mained for length of time, not daring TO
show himself where he was known.
So soou, however, as the excitement died
away, and other topics began to engross the at
tention fthose who sought his life, he returned
and recommended his life ofcrime and villany.
1t will not comport with the limits of this brief
sketch, for US to even name the eRoImities he |