Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1889-08-01
MATTHIAS SFLiTLOG.
How n Full Hooded Indian became
n Millionaire.

How n ruli-BIooded Indian became
n millionaire.
A correspondent Of The 4NssoVri R,pab'iean
At Ncosho writes as follows: Occasionally the
Institution OF lawsuit, the construction OF
railroad, or the transfer Of real estate brings
before the public men whose history would
form an interesting romance; but few OF this
class have had more varied AMI peculiar ex-
perience than that Of Matthias Splitlog, the
"milion aire Indian" whose recent sale Of
seventy acres OF land for $56,0O0 In Kansas,
near Kansas City, caused SO much comment
In the local papers. Mr.. Splitlog Is q full
blooded Wyandotte Indian, and was born In
an Indian village in Canada, and shortly
afterward moved to Ohio. While q boy he
Was spprentIced to carpenter and mill
s1ta1s and although his wages were only 81
per month, young Splitlog thought lie was
getting rich. lie imbibcd love for machine
" and inventions, which has caused him to
lend o helping hand to many poor fellow
who had useful invention which only need
ID money to develop It and make 1t pay.
Splitlog's first venture was to build
steamboat, which he did 10 company with his
brother. They launched the boat upon the
St. Clair river and started In the fishing trade.
Uncle Sam soon become jealous Of the boys
and confiscated the boat on q charge Of snug
Cling
In 1S42 the Wynndottcs, who were the last
Of the Indian tribes then In Ohio, by the
treaty Of the Upper Sanduskv coded to the
United States their lands In that state, and
received In exchange land IN what is now
Wyandotte county, Kansas. In 1913 Splitlog
came west with some Of his tribe, and found,
after his arrival at West Port Landing (now
Kansas City, that he only had so cents in
his pocket. lie induced an old Indian to go
bis security for the price Of an ak. With this
Il he cut cordwood for the steamboats, at the
rate Of g cents per cord, aud after paying for
the aI, which cost s3, he soon saved enough
10 buy pony, and shortly afterward we find
hm with herd Of horses. About 1850 Split
log was married to the granddaughter OF the
I'D man who went his security for the price
IF the AK, and shorty aftcrward he
began to build q mill. At this time he
had no money to pay for labor so that he did
the work himself. lie selected the timber,
cut and hauled the logs, and then had a
raising" that is, had his ncighbors come
and help him raise the building. lie flushed
the mill himself, with everything but the
burrs These would cost at that time $50,
and Spltlog had no money; still he was de-
ternincd not ''to give up the idea of running
4 MILL" When in this dilemma a steam boat
which was unloading a pair Of burrs at the
'landing" accidentally let them fall over
board and they sank to the bottom OF
the Missouri river. Splitlog, learn
ing OF this, contracted with the owner to pay
I'm f,r I'm taL % hal n n IN
| self, which he eventually did after much
trouble and hard work, and having GOT the
burrs out OF the river 1t took but a short
lime to get ready to start the mill. The
machinery was rugged for horse power, and
| The day that Splitlug started lie hitchcd in
e!ght unbroken horses from his herd and earn
ed IS cents in cash, and in the evening nc
! gave this money to his wife and told her to 10
| 10 Northrups' (Split Og's present bankers in
Kansas City, and buy them something good
To eat, as he now had that much money that
! he did not need.
| splItlog's mill was success, and In 1855 We
had him one OF the leading men of his tribe
| By the treaty of the Upper Sandusky the
| Wyandottcs were not allowed to ALLEVIATE their
lands, but In the wear 1855 q new treaty was
| made between the WVHndOttes and the United
States which severed the tribal relations Of
the WyandOttes and fixed their status as
citizens of the United States. The first sec
| ton reads as follows:
The Wyandottc Indians, having become
sufficiently advanced in civilization and dcsir-
Gus OF becoming citizens 1t is hereby agreed
aud stipulated that their organization aud
their relations with the United States as an
Indian tribe shall be dissolved and terminated
on the ratification OF this agreement, except
In so far as the further continuance Of the
same NAV be necessary to the execution OF
the stipulatOns herein; AMI from and after
he dale Of such ratification the said Wyan-
lotte Indians and each and every one Of them,
except as hereinafter provided, shall be deem
I'd and are hereby declared to be citizens OF
the United States for all intcnts ami purposes,
aud shall be entitled To all the privileges and
immunltIcs Of such citizens, and shall In all
rcspt cts BE- subject to the laws Of the Unite |
States and the territory OF Kansas in tn.
came manner as other citizens OF said territory
After the adoption Of this treat Splitlog be
kan to speculate In real estate, and, although
he can neither read nor write, he has been Ont
Of the most successful spectators In til,
5 ncighborhOod OF Kansas City, and is to da'
worth over Il million dollars About fourteen
years ago Splitlog moved to Indian T"rritor,
and located on Elk river, near the Missouri
1 line, aud about four miles from Tiff City, snt
fcEantly he BECAME Interested IN silver min
Ia Mcdonald county, Missouri. With hi
Characteristic energy he began operations a
!, once. lie hired mining expert named b. i
Requa, from Chicago, to supcrinicnd th
a operations at the mines, aud, becoming con
vnced that TO develop the mines and build u
. the town OF Splitl"g a railroad was necessary
= te. tosether gitA his paFLner IN the mine'
Moses W. Clay, commenced negotiating wit
:, the projectors Of the New Orleans, Natchc
;, and Fort Scott Railroad company, AM 500
'. that company was formed for the purpose c
building railroad between the termini
points named In their title and running by wa
of Neosho and SpltIog City. This compan
AcIag too SLOW 70 meet the vigorous ideas
splftlOs aud Clay, they sotcFcd thGiF oonne