Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-07-15
Dead and LIVING Indians


Charles, sachem of the Stockbridge Indians,
fell dead to- day, al his residence on the res.
ervation. The cause of his death was al af-
fiction Of the heart"
Editor StdT:-I fnd the above in q western
paper. Charles was In Washington city in
May last, seeking to Illustrate the delega
ton present here from the most civilized
portion of the tribe, In getting Congress
siopal legislation Of an equitable character.
At bis death he was upwards of fifty years
OF age, of mixed Pequot and Mohegan b God
as well as some white. His grandmother is
still living, nearly 100 years old, aud is one
of the last of the Pequots, and one of the
very few who preserves its language, called
by the Mohegsns the "Possum language"
hogan for .cbief" This is Wah-ydy. ,ooa0, and
also X ki, but they adopted "sachem" think
ing ii was the English for "chief;" in.
stead OF being an abbreviation with
ton, and name for "chief'' foreign to
every Indian language and unworthy OF
place in the English. Cooper wrote
forty years ago, novel styled The Last OF
the Mohegans.' 1t conveys as correct an idea
OF the real Indian as picture of a French
dancing master would OF an original Ten
Brock Knickerbocker. Aud, SO far from his
hero being the last of the tribe, there are
some 400 OF them still extant In Wisconsin,
(besides some In Canada under their modern
name OF Stockbridges, taken from their for
head waters of the Housatonic, in western
Massa chusetts. A company OF Mohegan
scouts fought on the American side in tine
Revolutionary war. Two companies of Mo-
hegans enlisted In the war of 1872, under the
noted Michigan chief, Hendricks. and a Capt.
Jacobs, and in the "late onpleasantness" 20
Michigan Tor Stockbridge) soldiers, sefvei In
the Union army, so of whom never returned,
A delegate from the most civilized division
of this tribe, Jacob Jacobs, is now In the
city, stopping at the Parkinson. With we'll
marked Indian features and form, end speak
ing his own language with purity, he is an
Anglo-American thoroughly, in manners
and speech. Those who, having reai
COopers novel, would like to see really
one of "The Last OF the Mohegans,n
will find him pleasant, intelligent
man, and really ciJ1lized "Irxfid,, -
At the same stopping place they will find
Two delegates from another ancient tribe
the HurOn-also here seeking Justice and
equity at the hands of a tardy government.
These are known In modern days as w yan-
dotte, (see also COopers novel, so called1 in
their own language Wdtyrldd,: OF which there
remain extant over 800 in the northeast cor
Der OF the Indian territory, and nearly as
many more In Canada, II miles from Detroit
The two delegates are Matthew Mudsater.
(of tue Turtle family, who Is the eldest chief
OF the American branch, IBIS Indian name
being IdndestlTd,) and Nicholas Cotter.
(hponTytdS, 'Strike- the Cloud ,") who acts as
interpreter; though this chief understands
English better than he can speak 1t, and Is a
o15nlhed, honest man, who at home is a
stock farmer. Strike the ClOnd" is an
intelligent American In looks and language.
and Is like Yorick, s'of Infinite jest.D Ali
three OF these Indian delegates dress in
American costume, and are Indians in race
and language only, not in education. T. +.