, 1873-06-29
How They Get Then in Drn1vinp
Their AunuftIes.

How They Get Them in Drawing
Their AnnuItIes.
! From the Sapdnndh {Gn) Ne1es.
AL the tribes with which the United States
Government hold treaty relations, who have been
s"1ndled out OF their lands from time to tune,
and removed to new reservations only to pe
| driven from them as the whito settlements en-
eroach aud the lands arc wanted By squatters or
specnintors, have for years boon in the habit Of
receiving bribes in the shape OF annuities in
money, which is divided pro rata among the
| chiefs and warriors. Under liberal coastruc-
1on OF the Indian treaties every male, il but
| month old, is accounted warrior, and his parent
receives for him his portion of the annuity.
In the payment Of the annuities the Govern
ment, for the PURPOSE Of obtaining census OF
the males OF the tribe, requirea TINT the agent and
his clerks shall enter every warriors name in
duplicate books, which, with his cross-mark
affixed, is receipt to the Government for the
money which he receives Thus, it will bo
seen, every "WMrior," It only month old,
Government pittance. These nameless warriors
receive narnes; from the Indian Agents, their
assistants and clerks, who often tux their in
genuisy, and expose their want Of good taste in
epithets rather than names which mar the nomen-
clature OF Indian tribes singularly enough
when these names are given and recorded in the
book OF record, the Indians catching tho words,
adhere to the names given their children, believ-
ing that By changing them they would forfeit
their annuity rights.
Many years ago, as Clerk to the Governor Of
Florida, wo assisted in paying two annuities to
tho Seminole and Appalschicola Indians. 1t
the appointed time ne found the entire Semiuola
nntion-men. women, mud children-a1l gathered
at tho cantonment Fprt King) to receive their
money and presents- Tho first business was to
count tho little bundle of sticks which the sub
n 0pDR mr. al hr1 In
ing tho males, another the fenales. All the
bundles having been counted and added to-
gether, gave us the total number Of males OF
watT1ors IN the nation, among whom, after ap-
propriatng stated Sum to each Of the principal
chiefs, the balance Of the Government money
was divided pro rata, the name Of each warrior
being recorded in two books iu one Of which his
CROSS mark was made while he touched the pen
with his finger.
They came up by turns, led by their chief.
and it v'as remarked that the number presenting
themselves always accorded precisely with the
number OF sticks their chief had given in After !
the men. had received their money, then came
the pic4aninnies, little fellows ranging from a !
month to 10 years Of age, most Of them without |
names and the smaller ones 80 Innocent Of coy |
eringfas Of names As the old chief raised the !
little frightened picaninny up to the clerks table
his 1lanae WAS called for. In the absence OF |
narae one must be supplied, aud then the word |
wont round Tor name for the little warrior. In
our turn ne drew upon the names Of cur friends |
aad Of the great men Of the country. We made
many Generals and great Statesmen-Gen. Wash
ingtons, Gen. Jacksons, Gen. La Fayottes, Hen
y Clays, Daniel Nebsters-gaye some OF our
girl friends warrior namesakes, aud drew upon
remamber christening a Metamora, 8 Paul
P1y, Zip Coon, q Hai1 Co1umbia, aud a Yankee
Doodle. all Of whose names were faithfully ro-
corded with the cross-mark, and the money paid
over to the warriors thus christcned- When the
oame Was called it Tas repeated by nearly every
Indian in hearing, all being anxious to fix it IN
their memories. Those Indians who occasionally
Visited tho cantonmont had heard the band play
Yankee Doodle, and had heard the soldiers sreak
n praise Of that llustrious individual, and the
'ather Of the pickariny warrior who had been
With that nom de plume was evidently
proud Of it,
The name mar have been too much for tho lit
le fellow, as We never heard OF him afterwards, |
'ut We have no doubt he retained it till the day
# his death, and that il he had risen to distnc-
ion IN the seven years Indian war which fol-
owed, the name OF Yankee Doodle would have
'cen as distinguished in the annals of Indian
warfare IS il that OF Capt Jack Of tue Nodocs.