Telegram-herald., 1889-10-06

Tor TIE Indians - stand eFsc{ aad hsLez-
be tod sAem he LAD heard trou4 tie
Great SpiFl1. and Ties were osrectsd 70
ally themselves with the Americans
against the Eaglish. uPo4 Which an
noancetaent thSy e.. - uaaa. lifted up
their ton1Ahssks. the sigu that they
would obey ths mandate or the prophet
the representative u the Great oplrlt,
and then they dispersed
4 portion II Push-m4-ts-h speech
al Thst wonderful council has been pre-
served UDM &c lass day be Kept al
isat. then rlsiug be said: The Greeks
we're Oloe our friends. IsAey have
joined the English, and Ne must now
follow dlhersut trails. When our fathers
took rhe hand Of Washington they told
him the ChOogzWs would always be the
friends II his nation, and Push ma-ta- Ia
cannot be false 10 their promise / am
now ready ~ tight against both the Eng
hsh and Creeks and my warriors aTe
going 10 Tuscaloosa. and when YOU hear
from us again the Greek fort viii * ii
ashes
The Creeks and Senainoles allied them
selves with the British. and Pushma-ta-
ha made war ca both / 5eS with such
energy and success that the whites called
him The Indian General"
In 1924 he went 70 Washington in or
der. IN his own phraseology. Ito brighten
the chain of peace between the Amer
leans and the Choctaws lie was
treated with great consideration by
President Monroe and John {. Calhoun,
secretary OF war. A record Of his com.
munication az that time may be found
in the archives of state.
After a visit 10 Lafayette. he was tax
en- seriously III, and finding that he was
nearing his end be expressed the wish
that he might be buried with military
honors and that 'big guns might be
fired over his grave" These requests
were complied with and a procession
more than a mile in length followed him
TO his resting place in the Congressional
burying ground.
Gen. Andrew Jackson, whom Push
ma-ta-ha, it is alleged, was with at
the battle of New Orleans, frequently ex-
pressed the opinion, that he was the
greatest and the bravest Indian he had
ever known" John Randolph of Roa-
noke. while pronouncing a eulogy upon
him in the United States senate, declared
that she was wise in council, eloquent
in an extraordinary degree, and on all
occasions and under all circumstances
the white mans friend"
Many anecdotes of this celebrated
Choctaw are current among the nation
today, whose people never tire of talking
about him.
Once, when in company with party
of young officers in camp, they began TO
boast of their ancestry; one was related
TO Lord So-and-so, another TO Count
Somebody, and still another descendant
of the Earl Of Something. At last one Of
the crowd turned to Push-ma- Ia -ha and
asked him where he had come from.
The old warrior rose in all his dignity,
and striking himself, said: "A great
many years ago, during n terrible storm
in the forest, the lightning struck large
white oak tree, splitting it wide open,
and out jumped Push-ma-ta-ha, full
armed warrior" But the old chief only
meant this satirically, and as rebuke TO
the young gentlemen's boasting.
Once, when strolling around the camp,
he came across a private soldier tied up
by the wrists to a tree near the guard
tent. He asked why the man was being
punished i'll that manner; "for getting
drunk" some one told him. He then
took out his knife and cut the poor fel-
low down, remarking as he turned away;
Shouldn't tie a warrior up like that
just for getting drunk; all warriors get
drunk; sometimes Push-ma.t ta-ha gets
drunk"
Another time one of his wives came
into camp-at that period the Choctaws
practiced polygamy-and private sol
der said something disrespectful to her,
whereupon PUsh-ma-ta-ha drew his
sword and struck him over the head
with the flat side. The general, hearing
about it, asked him what he had done il
for. Pushma-ta-ha replied, Because
he had insulted one Of my wives; but if
il bad been you. Gen. jackson, | would
have used the points"
HENRY INMAE.