Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1867-03-12
From the Des Moines Regi.ter.
Slavery in Des Moines .--Glancc ut Twen-
ty-Three Years Ago.

In another conversation with Mr.. GRAY.
the Cd pioneer we mentioned yesterday. we
have received some interesting crumbs n r.
gard to the early history Of Des MoiGes, that
We know will interest our present readers
and be eagerly received by all who shall fol.
low after u.s. The most interesting fact ex.
umed in this conversation is the discovery
that Iowa cannot truly claim the proud glo.
ry that the foot OF slave never pressed ITS
free soil Mr.. Gray says il Il a fact beyond
all contradiction that negro slavery has exis.
ted ia the city Of Des Mones! lie tells liz
recollections and figures and names with
such s.raightfoswardnes and ready words
that the fact cannot help but be acknowl.
edged. He says Joe Smart, who was the
interpreter Of the Agency, and who had mar.
ried Fox squaw, went to Missouri and pur-
chased two negro women, brought them here.
held them as slaves. and when he got thro'
with and no longer needed them, lie took
them South and sold them q slaves Here S
an item for all Iowa TO read " Free Iowa F.
Gloriously free now-but the moan of the
slave and the prayer Of the oppressed hare
gone up to Heaven on the wings ofits air.
Mr.. Gray relates that this man Smart was
great tavorite with the Indians, and was
allowed every liberty by them. His two
haf-breed children, when they arrived q;
proper age were sent to ST. Louis to attend
school and the fact developed in the follow
ing incident, shows that the whole Indian
nation took a deep interest in these children
On the arrival of the day when the Indians
were to receive their dues from the Govern
ment, through Mr.. Beech, who was then the
Indian ngent q. this point they all gather
ed in from every direction. The tribe oil
Sacs, numbering about 1000 men, with ke.
okuk as their ehief-and who had their vii.
lage some four miles below town--were on
hand, clamorous for money, as well as Powe-
sheik with his 5000 people; whose main
town was, at that time, on the Skunk, Is
miles distant. Some $4,000 had arrived to
meet this payment-but by some hook or
crook, the two traders named Ewing and
Phelps received 100000 Of this sum. While
the Indians were congregated, all waiting
their turn at the paek,n Keokuk arose and
made speech, saying that Smart, WAS one
of them-he had marriei one Of their squaws
-he lived with her happily-had raised
children BIZ her--these children had the
blood of the Indian in their yeins-lhev were
the idols Of the tribe-and now that their
white father had sent them away TO white
mems schools, the Indians should take a
pride in them more than ever In closing
his speech, he said Smart must be given one
OF the boxes Of money-contain ining $1,000.
The whole tribe assen,ed without a grunt.
Old Poweshiek sat by, dcmurely smoking
his pipe, and Ike the rest, acquiesced in the
gift but as keehuk sa, down, he arose and
said: The Fox Indian was as generous
as the Sac--and alt ough Smart had taken
his squaw from the Sacs, still the half>breed
children's Indian Lleod called for a box Of
the Foxs' silver as well as the Sacs' and
they should have il ! keokuk tried to per.
suade them from their purpose, but old
Poweshiek gained his point, and Smart the
silver.
Our informant describes keokuk as large
man--tall and bonv, and Of commanding
appearance, but with rougher and gru.rer
nature than the kind old Poweshiek. Two
of Black> Hawks sons were here at that time
on a visit, and Mr.. Gray says the youngest
of these, large, muscular fellow weighing
200 TBS, was the finest looking Indian he
ever saw and was the possessor of taa, di-.
ni6ed bearing and manly fraukness that we
rad Of in tales Of Indian life, hu, never
see.
Capt. Allen was in command of the drag
oons, which numbered 72-all told. They
were set Of rough. bat stiil. good fellows
and Mr.. Gray in telling of the scenes tha. lie
passed through with them, fires up with all
the enthusiasm Of a nan who feels he IS
treading anew the scenes of an active
youth.
At the time he was here, scattering
grove Of large burr oaks and wild grass high
as a mans head covered all the West Side
while the East Side was covered by denser
grove. He says that the coal in the bank
above town, was, at that period, on fire; and
the Indians told him that it had been for
four years.