Arkansas true Democrat., 1859-10-12
MORNING, OCTOBER l2, l859

His little daughter would read anything her father would write to their people, but they could not be induced to learn the alphabet, believing there was witchcraft in it, and after trying long time to induce his peo pie to learn it, he found he could do notbipo with them, so he came to Arkansas. and among them he found those who were will ing to learn the lphabet, and after he had been in Arkansas some time he nrocnrod the writing of several letters in his new alphabet, addressed to his old friends in the Cherokee Nation east, and returned home, if our memory serves us. and afrer producing them he prevailed on those to whom the letters were written, to learn the ulphabet, and they read the letters. and from that time the knowledge began to spread of putting talk on paper, through out the nation, and crude alphabets were written on paper, sometimes On boards, or the side of q tree was Smoothed, and the al- phabet written on it with charcoal. We recollect when we first entered the nation, on riding along the road of seeing Chero kee characters written on the trees, and names cut in the bark of the beech.
 We do not recollect the year that the al phabet was invented, but presume it was about 1924 or '25. We would here remark. that as the characters are syllable and Is only necessary to learn them to be able to read at once, without going through the te- dious process of learning to spell. as in the English and other languages There are six vowels, and 10 these six vowels are at tached consonants, or sounds, like to our ba, be, bi, bo, bu, by, etc., etc., though with the Cherollees there is no sound of b, f, p, or V, in the whole language. and a full blood Indian cannot artculate these sounds. We mean those who speak only the Cherokee language. The lips are sel dom used except in the use of the m, and that is only used in reference to the name ot water, or salt as one word anna, is used for both. The characters were placed in the alphabet, by Guess, as they were in vented; but afterwards were systematized by the late Rev. MT. Worcester, in a table like our ba, be, etc. The consonants used in the alphabet are g, h. l, m, Il, q, $, t, w., y-the 2, Tn some instances approaching the sound of k, and the t, to that of d. We would here remark, that we give the consonants as used by the Gee -too-wa- gee, dialect, which is the principal dialect The 6ee-toe-Wa gees cannot pronounce r, but, in an effort to pronounce that letter, they always use the l, and the Overhills in trying to pronounce the l, always pro- nounce the T.
 In 1927, through the aid of Mr. w orces- ter, mattresses were cut, and types cast in Boston to print a Cherokee newspaper, called the Cherokee Phoenix, which was commenced in February, 1928, under the patronage and control of the Cherokee Council. It was in the fall of the wear lS2I, the writer of this article went to the Cherokee Nation to assist in printing the first Indian newspaper ever issued from the press, and that paper presented to the world, an al phabet invented by an unedu- cated Indian, which astounded the literary world, and in London, several of the lite rary societies elected George Guess. an ho- norary member. The Cherokee Phpnix was edited by Elias Boudinot, Cherokee, from the commencement, till 1882. Mr. 5. was the father of young Boudinot, now the editor of the Fayetteville Arkansian. Mir. E. was murdered by his people in 1889, at Park Fill, C. N, as will be re- membered by those who were living at that day.
 The writerof this article, learned the al phabet i'll 1927, and at that time was unac- quainted with a word of the language, he learned to read 1t, for many years was the only person who could set Cherokee type. He invented the cases, and arranged the let tcrS in the boxes, and the same cases are used at Park Hill, by the printer of the American Board to this day.
 Previous to the issuing of the Cherokee newspaper. Guess had removed to Arkan- sas, and in May, 1928, a treaty was made at W ashington, by the Arkansas delegates. and We believe Guess was a delegate. and m that treaty the government granted him a pension for his genius, and also gave him right to a salt spring on Lees Greek, not many miles from Fort smith, near where Guess lived. G. was not friend to the Christian religion, and when he found that the missionaries were using his alphabet in publishing the scriptures, he was displeased, and told some of them, that if he had known that they would use it in such a cause he never would have invented it. However, we believe he became more re- concied to the use they were making of it, as 1t afforded him reading matter but, he never became friend to the Christian re- ligion.
 He wandered off in his old age, from his home, into some part of the western plains, and there died. The Cherokee Council made some provision, if we mistake not, to find out his resting place and remove his remains to his own home; but if that was ever accomplished we have never learned
 These sketches have been written down from memory, and may be imperfect in some instances, in regard to few things, but in the main they are true It is i'm possible, after lapse of fifteen years, where there are no notes, for one to retain anything accurately in the mind If these sketches have been interesting to our req ders we shall be gratifed, and at some con- venlent season, may recur to other incidents, as they may present themselves to our