The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-04-08
OSCEOLA.
Ig
"reminiscences of the Famous Seminole
Warrior-The Treaty Assassination.


"reminiscences of the Famous Seminole
Warrior-The Treaty Assassination.
A Jacksonville, Fla, correspondent
of the Pittsburg, Commercial Gazette
writes: William Kendrick. of this city,
is 62 years of age, and was born and
raised in Florida. His birthplace was
on the Suwanee river, within mile of
where the great Indian chief Osceola
was born and lived. He contends that
the great chief whipped for years the
United States government in every bat
tie he fought during the Florida Indian
war. He regards OsceOla as the equal,
if not the superior. of Napoleon, or any
other of the great generals of his day,
in strategy and prowess.
He was half-breed. His father was
a man from Georgia by the name of
Powell. The great chief was known by
meeting at Fort King for the purpose of
signing the treaty with Thompson, the
United States commissioner, to transfer
their lands and move to Indian Terrific
ry. When the great chief, or king, of
the tribe had signed the treaty, followed
by all the subchiefs, Powell was asked to
affix his name, as he was regarded as a
subchief, or an Indian of distinction,
for his prowess in the hunt, as well as
his bravery and influence with the tribe,
and his fine personal appearance. When
called by the commissioner Powell
stepped forward. took the pen, threw it
to the ground. drew his hunting-knife,
and plunged it into the heart of the
great chief of the nation, and then, turn
ing in the twinkling of an eye, buried
it in the heart of the United States conn.,
missioner.
The subchiefs were as greatly sur
prised at Osceola's act as were the
United States authorities present. Pow
ell had taken the precaution to have
in striking distance several hundred of
the bravest warriors of the tribe, who,
upon a signal, made their appearance,
and as he walked out of the tent in
which the treaty was being signed he
mutilated it with the same knife that he
had taken the lives of the two prin cipal
actors in projecting the treaty. His
braves met him and subsequently de-
clared him Osceola, the great chief of
the Seminoles.
Kendrick told me that at this time
Osceola was only % years of age. He
contends that the Indian has always
been misrepresented; that, instead of
being the savage beast he has always
been represented to be, he was always
kind to his prisoners, and prevented to
the extent he could the scalping and
mutilation of the dead and the making
of war on women and children. As an
evidence of his friendly disposition to
the whites, Mr.. Kendrick says that af-
ter he had assassinated the two princi-
pal actors in the signing of the treaty
he would not permit his warriors to
molest the garrison of United States
troops, who were wholly in his power,
but said to them ON his departure:
Leave me and my people to the wilds
of my country, and you will never have
to complain of Osceola and his people,
but, if you attempt to hunt us down and
capture us by force, We will fight to the
bitter end"
Another evidence of the humanity of
Osceola was shown in the massacre of
Maj. Dade and his command. Dade
was sent with a detachment from Fort
King against the Indians, and to open
communication between Fort King and
Tampa, on the Gulf coast. He was a
man greatly loved by Osceola, as they
had often been on the hunt together
Osceola attempted to evade the contest,
even to the extent of arousing the sus-
picion of his loyalty to the tribe. When
he ordered the attack on the detachment
commanded by Maj. Dade, in the COM
mencement of the battle, he raised his
gun and said to one of his chiefs:
Il am now going to kill one of my
best friends, and man love"
At the crack of his rifle Mai. Dade
fell dead and Osceola threw down his
gun and never fired another shot dur
ing the remainder of the engagement.
Another evidence of his disposition to
conduct civilized warfare was the fact
that when the last United States soldier
was shot down, as none proposed to
surrender, the carnage ceased, and not
soldier was scalped, and it is also a
fact undisputed that several days after
the engagement, when a detachment
from Fort King went to the battlefield
to bury the dead, not body had been
mutilated, and, further, that $4,000 in
gold and silver was removed from the
pockets of the dead. Where will one
find like occurrence on any battlefield
in our recent civil war? 1t is said that
Osceola became alarmed at the close of
the battle and retreated rapidly, but it
is on record that he did not leave the
battlefield until he disposed of all the
implements of war and transportation,
sinking the wagons and cannon-car-
riages in a quicksand lake near the
battlefield, so that if they had time for
this work they certainly had time to
scalp and rifle the pockets of the dead
on the battlefield.
Mr.. Hendricks affirms that the cap
ture of Osceola under the white flag and
his incarceration in prison at Sullivan's
island will ever remain a dark spot on
the escutcheon of the United States.
After his capture Osceola said to his
captors that he had during the war in
Florida tried to conduct it upon the
principles of civilized warfare. He said
that he had never made war upon wo-
men, and children, but said: "Now you
have made me prisoner, / advise you
to look out for the safety of your women
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