East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1866-04-04
THE TREATY OF SAGINAW.
Indian Incidents, &c.
BY non. C. p.iAvEKr, OF FLINT

By non. C. p.iAvEKY, OF FLINT.
Concluded from Courier Of Mareh 2I.)
In stature he was short and heavily
moulded. With his own people he
was a chief Of partriarchal goodness,
and his name is never mentioned by
any of the members of his band, even
at this remote day, except with a Ger
tain traditionary sorrow, more impre'-
sive, in its mournful simplicity, than a
labored epitaph. 5qfsr..sn,r L llf-
!, After General Cass had made known
tie purpose Of the Government in call
ing the Council, he found the Chippe-
was as before detailed, with mu,ds by
no means disposed to treat or cede.
There wasa pewer behind the throne
greater than the throne itself. That
power rested in the hands of All Indian
trader who was known to the Chippa-
was as Wah- -be-sins, (the young swami,
aud to the border settlers as jacob
Smith. lie had been for long time
trader among the Indians at differ
ent points on the Flint and Saginaw;
both before and after the war Of 1872.
His principal trading post which he
made his permanent one. the same
year Of the treaty, was mt the Grand
Traverse of the Flint, in the First
Ward of that City, near where the
Baptist Church now stands.
BY long residence among them he
Mad assinlilated his habits and ways
oc living to those of the natives, even
to the adoption OF their mode of dress,
and spoke their language fluently and
forrcctiy. He was generous to them,
warm hearted and intrepid. Though
small in stature and light in weight,
he was powerful as well as agile. Like
most men living upon our Indian
frontier, he had become the father of
half-breed family, one of whom, a
daughter, 10y the name of Mo-kitch-e-
no-qua, was then living, r
Skilled in woodcraft, sagacious and
adroit, he may be said to have equall-
ed, if not excelled, the natives in many
of those qualities, which, as forest
heroes, they most admire. , r,s.4.
Brought into almost daily inter-
course with the large band of Chippe-
was upon the Saginaw and its tributa-
ries, the opportunity was ut hand of
ingratiatins himself into the confidence
Of the chief and head men of that
influential branch of the natives known
as Ne-oine's band, and it is safe to say,
that of the one hundred and fourteen
chiefs and head men of the Chippewa
nation, whose totems We're affixed to
the treaty, there was not one with
whom he had not dealt and to whom
he had not extended some act of
Friendships, either in dispensing the
rites of hospitality at his trading post,
or in substantial advances to them of
bread or of blankets, as their necessi-
ties may have required. ,a,J
lie had entrenched himself in their
friendship, and, at the time Of the
treaty, so nearly had he identified
himself with the good old chief, Me-
ome, that each ever hailed the other
as brpther. Even TO this day, Sa-Sosr
e-wAqua, a daughter of Ne.onle, and
others of his descendants now living,
when speaking of Smith and the old
Chief invariably bring their hands
together, pressing the two index fingers
closely to each other, as the lnlian's 5
symbol of brotherhood aud warm at
tachnent.
Upon the treaty ground the two
friends acted unitedly and in perfect
unison. .4.,..
Smith had no position at the treaty,
either as interpreter for or agent cf
Gen. Cass. lie was personally known
TO the General, for when not at his
trading post he was at Detroit, where
he had a white family, but II ispvident
that he was looked upon with some
distrust 10y the Commissioner.
For days the most active efforts of
the authorized Interpreters and agents
of the government were Intellectual i'll
conciliating Ne-ome, .ge-maw- -ke-ke.
to and the oher chiefs. Not step Of
progress was made until Mr. Knaggs
and other agents, who assumed, bnt
with swhat authority is somewhat
doubtful, to speak for the government
outside of the council room, had
promised tho faithful Ne-omo that in
addition to various and ample rescr-
vations for the different bands, of sew
eral thousand acres each. thore should
be reserved as requested by Wah- be
sins, (Smith,) eleven sections of land
Of six hundred and forty acres each,
70 be located at or near the, Grant
Traverse Of the Fliut. Eleven names
as such reservees, all Indian names,
were passed over to Mr.. Knaggs Oh
slip Of paper in his tent.
"A council was again called several
days after the first one aud fully at
tended by oil the chiefs and warriors.
This with some other points of diff
Guilty had become Quieted. Tho storm,