Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-05-08
PUGET SOUND INDIANS.
How seattle's Cunning Saved Them
from Destruction.

IIOm OCbbIuCIiOus
The last man bearing the name of
Seattle died afew days ago at the Old
Man House, near Port Madison. John
Seattle was the last of old Seattle's sons,
Angeline, the old chiefs daughter, being
now the only surviving child. 1t has
not been generally known how Seattle
became chief. S. F. Coombs says that
while calling on old Seattle at the Old
Man House he learned the following, re-
garding that old gentleman's early his
tory and why he. had been chief:
1t seems long before any white people
had settled on Puget Sound, and about
the time the Hudson Bay Company were
establishing their posts in the Northwest.
the Indians living on the Upper White
River and the mountain Indians had
banded together to make fight on the
Puget Sound tribes, or those known as the
Old Man House tribe. Word reached them
that force of those mountain Indians
were about to start in canoes from Upper
Green and White rivers in such numbers
and so well armed, that if they reached
Duwamish, now Elliott Bay, the Old
Man House tribe would be wiped out. A
council Of the old and wise ones gathered,
and Seattle, then young man not over
20, volunteered and devised plan to
check the enemy in reaching salt water.
All of the rude instruments in the shape
of axes were called for. They left Elliott
Bay by canoes and by trail, Seattle head
ing the expedition.
"a short distance above the mouth of
Black River, on White River, the bluffs
came so close together that fir trees
chopped down on one side would reach
the bank on the opposite side. 1t was at
this point that Seattle commenced telling
trees. BY dark those trees were stretched
across the river and SO arranged that q
canoe could not go under without first
upsetting. Seattle had his men ambushed
on either side, with their rude imple-
ments of warfare, mostly bows and
arrows. Seattle did not have to wait
long after dark before the xnountair
Indians came padding down, and before
those behind could know what was the
matter in front, some five or six large canoes
with over one hundred warriors were
struggling in the water, and many who
reached the shore were soon dispatched
by Seattle's Flatheads. The remaining
canoes that were checked before getting
under the obstruction were turned back
and the plot to clean out the Puge
Sound clam eaters was frustrated, ant
young Seattle was declared chief of tn,
; Old Man House tribe, which then com
; prised all the Indians between ak
Point and above Skagit Head on Puge
Sound.
4 Old man Seattle never learned tn
Chinook jargon. Always when givin,
white people information he had an in
; terpseter. Old Seattle must have bee
, past 80 at his death.
Mr.. Coombs says that when he arrive,
: at Port Madison over thirty years ago tn
; big logs and posts they rested on at tn
Old Man House were great wonder t
! all. The logs reaching across from on
post to another must have been 150 fee
: long, and many of them three feet at tn
] butt and about one and half to two fee
, at the smaller end. These logs no douh
$ were placed in position without the al
3 of any gear, purchase or machinery. OIL
: man Seattle could not inform us as t
Q when they were first erected. He sal
r the new cedar posts were replaced in tn
! ground from time to time as the oil
= ones became decayed. Seattle (Wash
. Press