The Shasta courier., 1864-01-16
S HASTA COURIER
m-LP. FIsHER--Is the onlp !.
"Tishomingo" and /" "Itawamba.v

In our search after the origin Of names,
many interesting events are brought to light.
1t was not a great while ago that the Chieka-
saws pursued the wild game of the soiitudes
of Northern Mississippi undisturbed. Among
them all tradition gives no more worthy ex.
amples than those Of Tishomingo, y the hos.
pitable king of the Chickasaw nation. aud
his fair daughAlAbs s2tawamba." In the year
1916, lawsuit was pending in one of the
high courts of Georgia, by which the title to
large estate, then under investigation. de-
pended entirely upon an absent witness, who
had, it was found, removed to Fort Pickering.
fortified station ON the Mississippi river
The testimony of this witness was of the utmost
Importance to secure the property to the right
tul owner; and although the journey was a
hazardous one, of manv weeks absence, vet
the value OF the property in njeopardy justified
1t. SO he set out on horseback after taking
leave of his family. The defendant. mau
of wealth and an intriguing and crafty de-
signer, learning the absence of his opponent,
and aware of the nature of his errand, de.
termined to prevent his return, and thereby
secure to himself the ownership of the much
coveted possession. He found worthy tool
in his overseer a minion at his command, J
who undertook, by the promise of a large re.
ward, to follow to the death the unsuspecting
victim. The hired assassin overlook the
prosecutor at an inn kept by an Indian, in
Cotton Gina small village now called Cot
ton Gin Port, about forty miles south of Cor
inth, Mississippi, on the Mobile and Ohio
rallrod. The following morning the two
travellers set out together. and in crossing a
swollen stream, the ford of which was diff
cult, the prosecutors horse became entan ced
in some drlftwood and while he was strug-
Cling to extricate himself the murderer as.
sailed him with large club, and left him
stiff on the bank, while he cut the horses
throat, and left him to be foated down the
stream. He then extracted all papers and
letters from the pockets of the PROSTATE man,
beat most desperately the lifeless frame and
cast 1t into the stream consoling himse f with
the thought that none but Indians could pos
sibiy find the remains. and they would sup.
pose the horse and rider were drowned in the
effort to cross the dangerous stream. He
then mounted his horse and pursued his
journey.
The body ofthe mangled man, after drift
ing short distance, became entangled in
some drift nsar the bank, and in this situa.
ton was soon after seen bv party of Chick
asaws on their way to Cotton Gin. They
drew the body from the mud and discovered
faint signs of life. Every restorative suc-
gested by savage instinct was applied, and
strange to tell the man was restored to ami.
nation. but not to consciousness; the blows
upon the skull had injured the brain. 1t
now became question with the Indians how
to dispose of the helpless man. They feared
if he should die while in their hands. that
they would be considered his murderers by
the white men in the territory around them
Finally they resolved to take him to their
chief, Tishomingo, who lived not far from
the present town of Carrollsyille The old
king received him kindly, gave him a couch
of skins. and committed him to the care of
his daughter, Itawamba, who tenderly nurs.
ed him. She bathsd in unctous herbs the
fostering wounds, and bandage the swollen
limbs, and for months waited kindly and pa.
tiently upon the invalid. Winter rolled away,
Spring came, and with it consciousness re-
turned to the mind of the poor sufferer. As
a dream he remembered his meeting the over
seer-his journey with him for twelve miles
the angry stream that crossed his way
then the blow-the fall-the darkness-all
else was blank. His anxiety to return to
his family increased with hi health The
good old Indian king sent him to Cotton Gin.
where he found a newspaper containing an
advertisement of his estate for sale, signed by
his wife administrative Without delay he
set out for Georgia, and arrived Just in time
to prevent the marriage of his widow. He
lived many years after his return, but was
never the same business man he was before
the accident. His murderer. haunted by
guilty conscience, went to Fort Pickering, and
committed suicide by jumping into the Mis-
sissppi. In 1886, when the country that lay
in the northeast portion of the Chickasaw
purchase was marked of into counties, and it
became the duty of the legislative assembly
to select names for the new counties, gen
tleman, one of that body, conversant with the
above facts, proposed " Tishomingo" and
=" Itawambaf for two of them, in compliment
to the charitable chief and his faithful daugh-
Magazine.