Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-02-06
CAMPFIRE STORIES.
RELICS .oE TEcuMsEH.

RELICS OF TECUMSEH.
His Powder-Horn and Piece of His Skin
Presented to a G. A. r. Post.
An interesting bit Of Indian war his
tory OF this vicinity is brought out by
the presentation to Huff Post, G. A. R.,
at Lawrenceburg, of a powder horn,
once the property of the Indian Chief
tain Tecumseh. This horn was carried
slung across Tecumseh's shoulder in the
famous battle Of the Thames in 1913. 1t
was presented to the post by Henry
Morris, OF Lawrenceburg. He is son OF
VIM. Morris better known TO Ohio Valley
pioneers as Indian Bill, a." who figured
in many savage and bloody encounters.
After the great fight, seventy-six years
ago, Indian Bill found the body of the
slain warrior. The powder horn still
attached to the string around Tecum-
seh's neck, lay on his breast. The scout
removed it and preserved 1T as the most
sacred of his relics. At his death, a
few years ago, he presented it to his son
Henry. The horn was cut from the
head of the first buffalo Tecumseh kill
ed. He carefully scraped and polished
it, and displayed great deal of skill
and ingenuity in fitting bottom to it
and shaping the mouth. The entire sur
face of the receptacle is covered with
Indian characters and legends. Mr..
Morris has another and more CORY and
CHASTITY trophy of that famous battle.
1t is strip of skin cut from the middle
of Tecumseh's back. The old settlers
felt about the same savage satisfaction
in cutting up and mutilating the bodies
of their slain red foes, as the Indians
did in scalping. After taking the horn
off Tecumseh's body, old Indian Bill"
turned the chieftain on his face, and
with his scalping-knife cut strip of
skin several inches wide off the warriors
back down the entire length. This
strip was cured" and for the remain
der of Bills life did service as a razor
strcp Indian Bill Morris at the time
of his death, in Switzerland County,
Ind, few years ago, was 1O4 years
old. When only seven years old,
living with his parents near what
became the site of Lexington,
KY, he was stolen and carried into cap
tivity by the Indians. Two white men
were taken prisoners with him. When
the party reached what is now Chilli
cothe. o., then great Indian encamp-
ment, the two white men were skinned
alive by the squaws of the village and
then slowly roasted to death. The boy
was made slave by an old squaw and
suffered incredible hardships. When
she died Bill fell to the lot of another
old woman, who devised even more
fiendish treatment for him than his first
mistress. Bill was washing hOminy at
the river one day when he was about
fifteen years old, when the old woman
struck him with club. The Infatuated
lad wrenched the weapon from her and
dealt her blow that knocked her sense
less into the stream and she drowned.
The boy was followed for three days and
nights by the savages and finally es-
capped by hiding himself in hollow log
that was floating down the Ohio river
with other driftwood. When he finally
reached the settlement of Cincinnati, he
narrowly escaped being shot for an In
dian. so closely did he resemble one. He
finally got back to his parents, who had
long mOurned him as dead. From that
long captivity among the Indians he
got that implacabie hatred of the red
man which distinguished him in after
life. For years, in company with Dan
iel Boone and other noted pioneers,
Bill followed little else than Indian
trails, and no less game than a savage
redsl1in satisfied his hatred. He was
one of the bravest soldiers under Colonel
Dick johnson, and killed nine Indians
himself in the battle of the Thames.
When he saw Tecumseh fall under the
unerring aim of a comrade, he rushed
forward and secured the powder-horn,
and the strip of skin off the dead chief S
back.-Cincinnati (O.) Letter.