Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-01-18
The Death Of a Cherokee,

Mr.. EDITOR: Last night, the 18th of Jan
uary, 1882, was startled from sleep by
loud talking, and call to "get up, Jim
Tom is dead" Jim Tom is an Indian. who,
with his family, has been frequenting Lones'
Island, six miles below Knoxville, and the
Barber ard Pickle Island, just above the
junction of the French Broad with the Ten
nessee River, for the last six years.
arose from my bed and found it was
about II o'clock, and fastened to the scene,
and there indeed saw the dusky man cold
and stiff in death. Evidently there had
been no hand to close his dying eyes, but
he was gone. Two women and three small
children showed signs of deep despair and
grief beyond measure. Two or three neigh
bors had gathered in, and upon inquiry
found he had been sick about four days.
But little was known of the family, ex-
cept that they were basket makers The
women were timid, and had but
little to say, the man generally doing the
talking. But on this occasion the
women became more frank and showed
signs of unmistakable Willingness and
anxiety to receive aid from any source
whatever. A close observation of the whole
circumstance reveals many curious things
to mind that has the power to draw them
out. According to my limited views, l saw
human beings indeed possessed of passions
and aspirations and many other qualities,
developed and undeveloped. They are pc
culiarly ingenious, and their ingenuity
is SO blended together that one
depended upon the other. In their
basket work, it seems that Jim Tom did
one part of the work and Giney did the
other. And in this work it seems that Jim
Tom exposed himself, four days New Years
week, gathering canes in the island and a
short time after that he was carrying a
heavy log of wood, and he felt something
jerk in his back that passed direct to his
breast, and he has been suffering since with
an awful pain III his breast till death releas-
ed him. And curious to say, the
whole family seemed to express anxiety
akin to that of people who call them
selves civilized beings. He spoke to his
family of dying and sent for a good man to
come and pray for him. The man went, and
took his bible with him; went into Toms
hut, spoke to him kindly, and asked him
how he felt. 'Felt better sometimes, some
times worse; eat nothing, drink no water;
coffee" The man suggested tea, and some
tea was procured, and Tom drank it and
said, ''Gone down" Striking himself
Oh the breast) He meant by
that the phlegm had gone down out of his
throat.
Then he said, Sing and the two women
sung, "There is a fountain filed with blood, i"
ETC., in Indian language.
( Then the hymn was sung again IN our
own language, and the two women mingled
| their mysterious voices in the hymn again.
keeping time and pitch with our manner of
music, but speaking in their ''own tongue"
| This seemed to please the poor Indian very
| much, and he called his little son, Bobbie,
/ six years old, to his rude bedside, and
asked him if he had sung. Then the poor
man got up and sat down on stool and
ooked up with a most woeful look. His
dusky mate saw this anguish, burst into
tears and fell down at his feet and prayed,
apparently, to all intent of her heart.
| Nothing could be understood of the prayer,
except an occasional Lord Jesus" After
that, the Christian man that we have spoken
of, read the 2Sth chapter of Matthew, and
offered prayer. Jim Tom then said he felt
better and thought he could go to sleep, and
all retired 10 their homes, thinking the
change was for the better. But, alas a
neighbor told me, that in a few minutes
after he got home, he was alarmed by the
shrieks of the women, and, hurrying with
all his might, he got there in time to hear q
few parting words and see his awful dying
gasps, for Tom was a strong man OF
his race and had been sick but
q short time The women were
overcome; lonely, and among strang-
gers and poor little Bobbie AMIDST went into
fits he ran first to his mother, then to the
stranger, and then fell upon his dead
father, screaming most heart-rendlng, as II
he would sha Ike life into this mortal clay
again"
jim was gone his spirit was fed to g the
mysterious hunting grounds" Jim became
very anxious about his own soul, and also
urged his little son to pray. Pray
always. Never stop Bebbie."
Jim Tom had been bad man, but here
he was urging his tender offspring not te
follow in his ways.
Jim was ~ years old, had served in the Con
federate army under Morgan and then de
serted and went to the Federal army; could
read little; was peaceable when sober
Said he had drank no whisky in the last 81
years.
Bobbie is a bright-eyed lad. Knows few
letters of the English alphabet.
The women are intelligent surprisingly
read and write in their own language.
The husband was dressed in clean under
clothes; wrapped in clean Sheet put in {
decent coffin, and buryed in decent man
ner by the citizens of this immediate vicini
ty. ANON.