The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-04-09
oscEoLA.
"reminiscences of the Famous Semi
mole Warrior-The Treaty
Assassination.

"reminiscences of the Famous Semi
mole Warrior-The Treaty
Assassination.
A jacksonville, Fla, correspondent
of The Pittsburgh Commercial Gazete
writes: William Kendrick, of this city
is G2 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 con-
tends that the great chief whipped for
years the United States government in
every battle he fought during the Flor
ida Indian war. He regards Osceola as
the equal, if not the superior, of Napo-
leon, or any other of the great generals
of his day, in strategy and prowess.
He was 4 half His father was
man from Georgia by the name Of
Powell. The great chief was known by
the name of Powell until the day of the
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 Terri
tory. When the great chief, or king. of
the tribe had signed the treaty, follow
ed by all the subchiefs. Powell was asked
to ai1ix his name, as he was regarded as
subchief, or an Indian of distinction,
for his proves in the hunt. as well rs
his bravery and influence with the tribe,
and his fine personal appearance. When
called by the commissioner Powell step
ed 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, turning
in the twinllling of an eye, buried it in
the heart of the United States commits
| sioner.
| The SubchiefS were as greatly surpris-
| cd at Osceola's act as were the United
| States authorities present. Powell had
| taken the precaution to have in striking
| distance several hundred of the bravest
warriors of the tribe, who, upon signal,
made their appearance, and as he walk
ed 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 principal actors in pro-
jecting the treaty His braves met him
and subsequently declared 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 misrcpresented; 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 after
he had assassinated the two principal
actors in the signing of the treaty he
would not permit his warriors to modest
the garrison of the 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, ii you attempt to hunt lis
down and capture us by force, we will
fight you to the bitter end
Another evidence of the capture OF
Osceola was shown in the massacre OF
Mai. Dade and his command. Dade
was sent with Il detachment from For!
King against the Indians, and to open
communication between Fort King and
Tampa, on the Gulf coast. He was {
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 de-
tachment commanded by Maj. Dade, il
the commencement 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. Dadc
fell dead and Osceola threw down hi:
gun and never fired another shot dur
ing the remainder of the engagement
Another evidence of his disposition tt
conduct u civilized warfare was the fac
that when the last United States sol
, der was shot down, as none proposed
to surrender, the carnage ceased, ant
, not soldier was scaiped, and it is alst
a fact undisputed that several day.
after the engagement, when Il detach
mcnt from Fort King went to the bat
, field to bury the dead, not a body hat
BeCu llutlldltu. dnu. lultntI. bud
$4,000 in gold and silver was removed
| from the pockets of the dead. Wher
/. will one find like occurrence on an,
: battlefield in our recent civil war? 1t i
said that Osceola became alarmed at tn
close of the battle and retreated rapid
: ly, but it is on record that he did no
f leave the battlefield until he disposed O
? all the implements of war and transpor
l tation, sinking the wagons and cannon
| carriages in quicksand lake near tn
+ battlefield, so that if they had time TO
: this work they certainly had time t
t rifle the pockets of the dead on the bat
tlehcld.
Mr.. Hendrick af1ims that the captur
, of Osceola under the white flag and hi
r incarceration in prison at Sullivan
D island will ever remain a dark spot 0
5 the escutcheon of the United State!
h After his capture Osceola said to hi
S captors that he had during the war
t Florida tried to conduct it upon til
k principles of civilized warfare. He sal
n that he had never made war upo
$ women and children, but said: '.No
n you have made me prisoner, l advis
e you to look ont for the safety of yor
G women and children"
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