The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1869-06-11
Who Killed TecumSeh.

a correspondents, signing nlhSel1 his
toricus" writes a. follows to the Pittsbure
Gazette: .,.,.r--,-...- IS
Who killed Tecumseh? Few questions
rising out of our contest with the Indians,
have been oftenef asked, or more unsatis-
factority answered. The following hccount
/ had some twenty five years since, from
Lieut.. Houston, of Kentucky, and offer il
as being not only plausible, but SO far as
am aware, not heretofore published. There
was in the army Of Gen. Harrison an old
Kentucky Indian spy. On the morning OF
the battle this spy had o served certain
signs of the presence Of Indians watching
the movements. of The army, !; and conceal
ing himself, he got sight of one that had
been hidden on a small island in the river
he shot him, swami his horse to the island
and obtained his scalp. When, he regained
his place in the ranks, he found his coma
paniens discussing the probabilities ofia
battle. Putting his hand into his coat
pocket, he pulled out and shook at them
his trophy, saying II have got one of then
night-caps anyhow, " and added, .we will
have battle before two hours I have
been in II Indian fights; to-day Twill be
in the.l8th; then I shall go home and
grease my old, rife and hang her mp for the
good she has done" In few minutes the
conflict commenced. Col. Richard John
son being ordered to advance and draw the
fire of the Indians who lay concealed in the
tall grass and having done SO to retreat,
allowing the main line to engage the enemy,
but the ColoneIs .impetuosity carried him
into the midst Of the savages, and for a
time his command received the concentrate
ed fire of that position of the enemy. He
received a wound in the hand with which
be managed his bride, in, consequence OF
which he was unable to control his mare.
An Indian observing the fact attempted
to tohahaxk lie Colonel but he drew o
pistol and shot the Indian. The mare was
afterwards killed and the Colonel fescued
from his perilous condition! On the next
morning Lieut.. Houston called at the tent
of Col. Johnson, and in answer to his in.
quiries about the incidents of, the battle,
was requested to 60 to the scene of the con-
fict and look up the Colonels dead Indian,
whom he found, as directed, lying near to
the dead mare-a large Indian, shot in the
forehead, the bah passing down at an angle
indicating that he had been shot by Il man
close to him and on horseback. Upon re
ceiving the report Of his friend, the Colonel
replied, That's my dead Indian" Tecu-
mseh was shot through the body, thelball
passing horizontally, showing that he was
killed by a man on the ground. And now
who killed Tecumseh? Our old Kentucky
spy had horse shot under him, and his
body was found lying close to that of Te-
cumseh; his old rifle, which he was to have
creased and hung up after the battle was
lying seven feet from him; hat his knife
was in his hand and it wss then believed
that he died in attempt to obtain the scalp
of the great Indian hero. For q time no
one could identify Tecumseh with certain
ty. Finally rarnegro, who had ran away
from his master and had gone to the In
dams, but had left them and joined the
army before the battle, said he could iden
tify Tecumseh d by certain scars which he
had observed on his body while in bathing
with him. Thus was the fallen chief point
ed out, and to the Old Hero of eighteen
Indian battles was the honor given of hav-
ing stopped his career of blood; and of
having lost his own life in his eagerness to
have Tecumseh's ''night-cap," to grace the
walls of his cabin in his forest home Years
after, Kentucky politician, for political
purposes, was mean enough to rob the old
fallen hero of his well earned glory. Yet
it is some consolation to know that the
public judgment everywhere enters her de-
muir against the usurper's claim - 43