Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-12-26


tern shore Of the MssssI p series OF slopes are
seen commencing at the gravey margin OF the
water, and rising one above another, with barely
perceptible activity, for considerable distance
until the back ground is terminated by chain oi
beautifully rounded hills over which trees are
thnly scattered, as il planted to embellish the
scene This is the singular charm of prario see
nery Although il is u wildness jus! as nature
made it, the verdant carpet the gracefully waving
outline Of the surface; the clumps and groves and
iCcatteed trees, give it the appearance of noble
park bouS dless in extent, and adorned with ex.
quisi;e taste. It is n wild but not a savage wild
tha. awes with its glosn.. ltis gay an cheerful
wilderness, winning, Wy its social Sspect' Us wen
as by its variety aud enticing gracelu,Sess Inc
I eastern shore is not lees beautiful; broaa Hat
plain of rich alluvian, extending from tho waters
edge, is terminated by range of wooded hills
Three miles from the mouth of Rock river was the
Sauke village. In :he front of this landscape
and presenting its most prominent feature. is
Rock Island on the southern point of which, on
r2rapet Of rock, is Fort Armstrong The grape
the plum the goosberey, and various other native
fruits abound--the wild honeysucle gives its per
fume to the cir, and thousand indiginious fow-
ers mingle their diversified hues with the yerdure
of the plata"
The writer Of the above could not have been
on tue tower oak, or on the tower itself when
he wrote the description or he would not have fail
ed to make special mention of them. Nor could
he have passed uunoticed the grateful meander-
ings of Rock River us seen from that point Of
observation.
The impdness Of the stream flowing, MS it does,
over bed Of limestone rock its beautiful sweep
! ing curves between banks without shrubbery to
obstruct the view, and anon fringed with healthy
young growth of cak, hickory, cotton tree and 9TH
or varieties The cultivated farms may have
sprung mp since the writer made his observations
but the almost boun lless unbroken prairie on the
South East is no modern creation and it is like
ly that Rock river then, as now, had a half dozen
channels threading the length of the beautiful is
land, with its dense foliage, on the opposite side
o. the main river from the tower.
This village on Rock river amongst the larg
est, best built, and most populous of all the villa
ges on the continent, aud was the residence of the
Sacks and Foxes for sixty or seventy years. Uni
teG,as taey were, the Sacks and Foxes were formi
daLle to the other tribes, when most numerous
and prosperous, none but the Sioux stood uI
against them.
The gate keeper Of the bridge over tho stream
obliGingly gave Inc such information as he posses
sod: the most interesting of which was, that dur
ing the summer two Indians visited the place; they
walked over the grounds extensively. They tolc
himit had once been their home, but that they
were driven from it, that tine plain below tn,
tower was covered with wigwanis we'll filled with
inmates that they had come long way that the,
might again lock on the scenes once dear t.
them, aad take last look at the graves whcl
contained the bones OF their fathers; that thel
could find no vestige Of what they left except th
little corn hill mounds on the bluff. They lef
their once cherished home in sadness. Its aspects
were all changed as well as its ownership. The.
have been trans planted 70 another abiding place
it will not-cnnhot ever be home
Keokuk may be among them dwelling in hi
dotage and totering under iufrmity, but thel
eau never have n chief Nukatomshckkeok. no
can they forget that once they had ene
! P. s. The example, of injury aud wrong Sc
by the government has been followed up by com
muuities and neighborboods. Some years since
a very near relative Of mine resided for a time a
Chicago and Lapurte. During his residence there
application was made to him by O lawyer of th,
plaoe who was moreover preacher, to equip him
self upon named day, TO be one Of military
compan 10 eject remnant Of the Pottowatto
mics who remained lower down on the lake. My
relative inquired after the cause and necessity Q
removal.
The applicant Informed him that the whites ir
the vicinity had been desirous, for some time tina
the Indians should leave; and to induce viii
lingness their part, to get out Of the way, hac
opened the fences enclosing their curn-felds
which were entered by the woods cattle, and OF
finding that the Indians neither left, nor sough
revenge, they cred one or more Of thoir houses
during the absence of the inmates. The inhabi
tants now feared that the natives would retGliat
unless driven off by an imposing military force
My relative wished to know if they had authori
ty from the governor to command his services, OF
being informed in the negative he promptly refus
ed giving fer a reason that his sympathies wer
with the aborigines, satisfied. as he was that the
were a wronged and injured people. "My sympa
thies," said the applicant, are active in their be
half; know that they have been sadly maltreat
ed But now the homes and persons of tn
whites are in danger. My relative could not ap
precate the sympathy which would drive off tn
unofending because the offenders feared their re
tr;bution, and closed the interview by stating tina
if he was compelled to go he would be found take
ing part with the weak and injured
On reading proof of the first part of this essa.
L discovered that / had written regarding
-, r,oons oC ohtoin;ny information respectpO In
dian character and habits forgetiul OF my earlies
and impressive "reminiscences In my childhood
and boyhood there was daily rehersal of lndia'
dongs in my hearing, so that nothingis SO dis
tinctly and permanently impressed on my memory
My paternal grandfather and his family (my pa
rents, recently married were part of the family
were taken into captivity from the then norther
frontier Of PennsYlvania. ---