The Ottawa free trader., 1881-08-13

the President OF tho Y. 81 No wonder the In.
dians say 10 the white man, "All buzzard to me
all turkey TO yom" OF the Witnesses to this
treaty made 81 years since-Zachari.h Taylor,
John Kenye, &c., all or nearly all are dead; only
two remain, and only one OF the signing chiefs
ls s,ill alive. When the Pottowatomies left this
country they numbered 1000 braves. To day they
number less than 200. or the tribe only 76l oil
told are left; 45l are on the reservation In Kan
sas; $50 are In Wisconsin, and 80 In the Indian
territory. Whisky has done most OF the work oi
killing them. Those on the reservation inha6it
about n, 200 acres, most OF II open prairie They
are called the "PraIrie Band" They have no
game but birds and rabbits and no tish. They
went first 10 Io=a and afterwards gave up their
lands In 1861 there for reservation 80 miles
square. An attempt was made to make them
citizens with gif, OF l60 acres and $500 to each
family head for stock. The experiment was a
lailure-be.ween whisky ind lack OF agricultur.
al knowledge Their income is 500, 900, interest
on the proceeds Of the sale Of their lands. The
average acreage cultivated is Al per capita. In
The territory most OF them are farmers In u small
way. They live in cabins In the timber In sum
mer, but take to wigwams In winter; their fences
are rails well put up; and their prairie like this
We found here In early days. On this they pas
,ure large herds OF cattle at 25c TO soc head for
the season. As the boundaries are imaginary
lines they get Into constant trouble with estrays.
No liquor is allowed within five miles Of the res.
ervation. He said he had trouble In getting in
formation. He found Shabbonas son, Il years
old. lie was averse to talking when he found 1t
.et down on "while mans lying paper" His
name translated is "Grumbler, always as
boy grumbling because he could not get enough
20 eat Shabbona's daughter is called uranslat-
ed) "River Woman" having been born near
Starved Rock. Another Is Bear Woman an
other climbing Woman" His granddaugh
ter by his Kckapoo wife IL able to talk English
Shabbona liked extremes. His first wife, whom
| helped bury, weighed between 400 and 600
pounds. His Kckapoo wife weighed less than w
pounds. Shsbbona was originally an ottawa; as
was the custom, when he married Pottowato-
mie sauaw he became q PottOwatomic, and al
terwards q KlcKapoo In the same way. There is
a school among them, but there are no religious
services; and oil OF Shabbona's descendants
have made less progress tow ards civilization lhan
most other Indians. When their money from the
government ia due 1t is generally antic pited n
the traders who never allow them to exceed
their finds; and they are most incorrgible gam
blers-for money or ponies, their favorite games
being euchre or seyen.up at 80 cents corner.
Mr. Armstrong then gave an interesting account
Of their views on marriage, burial rites and Gus
toms, social characteristics, and their beliefs,
which will appear later in his new work. Facts
concerning ShabbOna are hard to get; indeed tol
talk with his descendants ore might get the no
ton that Shabbona never existed.
JuDoE DIcKEY was then called for, ard was in
lrc duced by Mr.. Armstrong though he thought
70 most Of his hearers he needed no introduction.
It was nearly ~ years ago, he said, since he first
came TO the state-"a red-headed, cross.cyed
boy' with little money, but plenty OF hope.
Events made him lawyer. Five years after
wards, he said, came to Ottawa, and lived here
IS years, spending the brightest days in Illinois
and La Sale county. Imagine all the county's
people OF those days gathered together they
would not make o crowd so large as this, and yet
to-day this crowd Is not missed from their places
In the county. But talking is a bore. In the old
times we had toast ter, ard as he solemn
read the names Of speakers at n banquet every
pulled out . :oll OF manuscript and began to
read! Now.s days we do II better, and leave out
the tOasts and go in for good time. So these
picnics should be conducted; and, as has been
said, they should be cOntinued-taken up by the
younger men, &c; but being requested to talk
do so. Ny nina runs back to the old days; the
vast majority Of the men Of that day are gone
over the river. But know of one man whom il
will delight you to hear spoken of-Wm. Hick-
ling now OF Chicago. I am sad to say he
has been dying by inches for year. Last
year he wanted to shut up his mansion In Chca-
20 and come here to spend his last days and die
but he couldn't be moved. Since last Septem-
Der he has daily suffered terribly. l know you
are interested in 50 good man-One who per
hape did more TO develope the commerce Of the
county than any other man did. He and
Mr.. Walker were the great sagar traders, and
their store In Ottawa the Wholesale market for
Chicago aud the northwest. They shipped pro-
visions &c, to the great planters OF the south
ceivlng In return their sugar, to be distributed
ali over the northwest, landing the sugar from
steamboats, at the lcvee here at Ottawa The riv
ar was bigger then. Thirty years ago steamboats,
came to Utica aud in the spring to Ottawa, the
water being often up to the top Of that BRIDGES
piers. In 1919 great New Orleans steamer with
great stalk, and guards, &c, came up, landing
above the mouth OF Fox River. / went down the
river on her; and at Starved Rock We left the
channel and steamed over the stage road on the
bottom. You young men have no idea of the
nver we then had. Ia those days, too, there
were no landmarks IS now, bat we were guided
by streams and groves.
Tie choir then gave "My Own Native Land"
ELMER BALDWIN then told of the terrors Of
the people from horse thieves and robbers which
were great though the thieves we're not SO bad
about here as elsewhere.
JomN UCONNoR, OF Ottawa or Wallace tp.,