The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-08-09
liz BIG-HEADED MEDICINE nan.

&Supofot1tlOuS N ICX1u " UCAV1 m0u
;rsons, deeming them divine in some
use, or in league with the Great Spirit.
any Of the medicine men"-'' naani
lsSou' among th0ee tribes were bunch
cked, club-footed, hare-lipped or some
Ing Of the kind. Red Jacket, q famous
3neca Chief, had . brother who was CON
~lered prophet because deformed,
Sskatawa, twin brother of Tecumseh
Sd the most renowned Of all ShaWanese
edicine men, did mot belong to the reg.
Jar priastly family of the tribe, but as
med his Office g becausesthe Great Spirit
We him six toes On each foot and six
lgers on each hand. :
Enos Owen was deformity belonging
family of pioneer whites. His father
d brothers were stalwart and athletic,
gaging in all TIE sstrugg les of their
mes; but En0s was dwarf. He used
say of himself that he was all " under
anding," for at the age of thirty his
ad and feet were. as large as other
ems, while his body was like : child of
felve. He had the mind necessary to
dow first-class man. bqt bis aAhfunken
anne made him dependent and Incapable.
In the year 1852, IN > night attack BY the
adians, Enos found himself dragged 6ut
bed in the darkness, and instead of hav.
g his big head tomahaWked and scalped,
y was tied in gang Of captured women
d children and marched off into the
srthwest wilderness. A summer of
,ndage followed in the Indian towns,
obably somewhere in the Wabash or
aumee country.
But he made the best OF it, acquiring
,;ta a an, otfor,,,<, .,r f1,o nod v,o~rIato To-,
lage, and conducting himself so admira-
" according to their notions IS to be-
me general favofite with Sachem,
uaw and pappoose.
No doubt the Indian superstition re-
arding deformed persons had much to
with the respect and kindness shown
I'M by the savages, and he was not slow
take advantageof their bigotry by the
of every superior art and power known
him as q white man. The Indians
He'd him "9e-che nin-de-ba medal, -
big headed medicine man.
And, furthermore they knew he could
.ither escape to his home nearly two
inbred miles distant nor do any harm if
remained in their villages. Therefore
was gradually. liberated from every
,ecies of control and went and came as
chose. Ks i u
Most of his time was passed among the
DIS at their games, OF in learning Indian
re OF venerable Chiefs too old to join the
Int or the war party.
But he took particular care also to so
sociate with the able bodied warriors
to keep himself posted In passing
'ents and plans for new campaigns.
aus he heard of the atkAck of block
)use, the destruction Of & flatboat on
e Ohio, the scalpings of asfarmer in I is
cid and the capture OF school children
y the road side land also the reverses
at bcfoll tho rcd men at the hands of the
hites.
He contrived 10 place his ears within
caring Of council Of war that occurred
the autumn, and copprehended enough
the sonorouS speeches to know that the
ibe were about to send an army on the
ar.path.
How he wishe1 then that he had the
rength Of other men, to t1y to the settle
sents and spread the alarm.
At length the usual message arrived
ON the Chief selected to lead the exne.
+ti0n, Let the braves keep their shees
lady to join the warriors, = and Enos'
sart sickened at thought Of the cfuelties
nat were abovlstozfslf somewhere along
le line OF advertisements. sWitk ; man 5
brit. but child's strength, he chafed at
is inability tods sAaything soaveft the
lo0dy blow. And he pondered and
fieved over the mister until he VIVA
rought up to decide upon Some expediont
Y which to warn his countrymensv But
i0w, and when1 md BY wh06ae zfr.:z
There were soSFes slof frontier poiAH
here The whites wersexpused, land which
le Of these Wa I'd b 6ttacked was known
1ly to the Chief ia command, and he
welt in distant village. So that what.
rer Enos shopi undertake would depend
guess-work. and might be even hun
eds Of miles QutOf. the way.
But "wheee lkmst = viii thefets q
ay and adopting Miles Stapdish 8 mot
], "H you want anything well done. do
yourself" he resolved 70 wait The de.
Arturo Of the warriors, -. haunting
cant 70 strikers rs Is Nam & thc IA ia;t
oment. To b&1gKe soclI otNnnture would
Evolve, perhai greater <ndura1ce than
} possessed; II hess oeuld do q an5fs
ian perish II "a effort which ms onlvs
hat would nSll the ss1aler3T4 ~ al,
st warn then{ md slS6nla ~ Indisis
scover him % Heir trails ~ believed
ctr superstitfoets pectisg his deformity
ould save him from their vengeance.
At length the night Of the final war.
NICE and p0Wsw0w came and passed,
I'd early IL the morning the painted
o0d-thifsty band departed.
Enos witnessed the scene and then re-