The Kansas herald of freedom., 1857-01-31
leoffhi1Hf sECEkLDs
;ren erpressly fer the Herald Of Freedom
A CO M PL ETE
HISTORY OF KANSAS.
By the q ditors.
HAPTER III.
YRoM ITS
TIE orrAwA INDIANS.


The Ottawa Indians live on re-
serve, thirty-Gve miles west of Mis-
souri, and twenty-five south of Law
renee. It is twelve miles long by ten
broad, and contains seventy six thou
sand eight hundred acres. The tribe
moved on to this in 1886, from the
vicinity of Toledo, Ohio. They aum-
bered, at that time, nearly four hun
dred. 1t is supposed that these. with
the Chippewas and Pottowattomies,
formerly constituted one tribe. The
similarity in their language is SO great
that members of the different tribes
find little difficulty in conversing with
each other.
Their land may be considered as
amongst the best in Kansas. It is
beautifully diversified with timber and
prairie, and well watered by running
streams. They are the Usage river,
Ottawa creek. eight mile creek, APP
panusic creek, Mud creek, North Mid
die creek, Meshuktoqua creek-all well
timbered.
The 0ttawas now number two hun.
dred and forty-fve. This decrease is
attributed to exposure, change of eli
mate, and beastly drunkenness. They
all live in substantial log houses, and
follow agriculture.
This little remnant of tribe was
only saved from utter extinction by
the earnest and timely efforts of Rev.
]. Meeker, a faithful and devoted mis-
sionary, who came to them on their
first removal to Kansas, and continued
with them till the time of his death,
in 1854. He formed a written Ian
guage and taught them reading and
writing.
1t was long and tedious process to
convince these Indians, as it is all 9TH
ers, that to preserve their existance
they must adopt the virtue of the whites
and repudiate their vices-that event
sally they must surrender their nation
ality. and merge into one homogene-
ous mass, and become simply Ameri-
can citizens.
This lesson, though hard to learn
and still harder to practice, has been SO
far successful, as to induce them to
read and write, and to adopt code of
written laws, and, finally, to propose
to the United States Government to
sell part of their land, and to hold
the remainder in fee simple. and to be-
come citizens. This treaty viii prob
ably be effected in short time.
Their officers are, two chiefs one
hereditary and one elected once a year;
also, two justices of the peace, but no
jury. In their religious meetings
there is entire freedom ; any one speaks
who desires to.
AS matter of curiosity to all, and
also of grave interest to the philoso-
pher. their code of laws, as now, in
force in the nation, is copied entire.
STEALING TO KILL.
l. If any person shall steal and kill
an animal. upon conviction thereof the
price of said animal shall be by him
paid to the owner; and half the price
ne shall pay into the treasury.
THEFT.
:. Ii any person shall steal an arti-
Gle of property, when it known the
stolen article must be taken. If the
owner, upon seeing it. shall discover
that it has not been injured, he must
take il back. If it be injured, the
thief shall pay one price and half of
the article. The full price must be
paia to the owner, and the half price
into the treasury.
USING WITHOUT PERMISSION.
8. If any person shall. without per-
mission, be seenriding another's horse,
ior every mile he shall pay 25 cents
The price of horse hire shall be paid
70 the owner, and the balance into the
treasury. IF oxen shall be thus stol-
en-. twice the price OF sx hire shall be
Paid--ene price Of the hire shall be-
long to the owner, and the balance
shall be deposited in the treasury.
INDIAN HORSES.
4. If an Indian horse shall come
INTO the 0ttawa country no attention
SHAH be paid to him. If any person
shall regardlessly, use him, the same
mat is paid for an Ottawa horse per
mile shall be paid for him. All of it
saan be deposited in the treasury.
WHITE PERSONS BEAST.
0; If White persons dome site an
.hat shall come into the Ottawa coun-
ne may be caught, to be taken care
vi ~ No person shall be permitted TO
n H1e him far OF, nor to work him.
= Las person, on taking up such animal,
Isl, -aa write descriptions of him, which
W., W. oe taken to Wessport and to
oitown to be nailed to the doors,
o'uer that the owner may know it.
tao Io must bring proof before he can
- a'ia. and sign his name to a wrlt-
Reeln. If the owner shall not
- 4 =