The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1893-08-04
A LOST CANNON.
INTERFERING EEMINIsoENOEs or
AARON PUTNAM.
The Death Of Tecumseh, the Indian
Chief Some a0arious Relics OF
EARLY Days-The Launch Of
the 5evsnty-four.

Thiftieth street, Los Angeles, tells {
portion OF story OF cannon which
figured in history in the early part oil
this century, says the San Francisco
Bulletin. There was six-pound brase
field piece lost at the battle of Fort Re.
covery, O. The Indians captured
the cannon from the troops under
General st. Clair and buried il,
Some time afterwards, in about 1920.
plow-boy reported that his pillow struck
something in the ground which had a
ring" to 1t. With visions of buried
gold the buried gun was dug up. The
enterprising citizens OF the ad AGENT town
OF Greenville gave the boy 500 for his
find, and for many years the gun was
used in militia displays. The govern.
ment officers at Cincinnati heard OF it.,
and by forcible treaty took the cannon
from the citizens Of the village.
During the Bleeding Kansas" war in
tha, Titles, the cRpnon- Baa- takAn-t tn
law to Mr.. Putnam, who was a promi-
nent figure in che impending conflict OF
those days. Being q prominent aboli-
ZIONIST, the cannon was entrusted to
him, but not in an official capacity. He
was killed at Fort Scott, Kan, and what
became of the cannon Mr.. Putnam never
learned. It 10 believed, however, that
it was afterwards used by old John
Brown.
Mr.. Putnam was asked about the
probable correctness OF q recent para
graph which states that Tecumseh was
killed by R. M. johnson, who afterward
became vice-preBident of the United
States. Mr.. Putnam replied that it was
correct, no doubt. as he had often heard
OF his father speak of the occurrence
that johnson was lying on the ground,
wounded, and "a a large, powerful In
dian, with uplifted tomahswk, ap.
preached, johnson shot and killed him.
The Indians Immediately retreated much
to the surprise OF the Americans. Their
chief had been killed, and this was the
cause of it.
MIR. Putnam was born at Harper's
Ferry, Va, in 1911, and is so years Of
age. One of the earliest events of his
| life, he states, was an excursion on the
| first steamboat built in this country.
He distinctly remembers the broad
bowed steamer and her inventor, Fulton.
Among his relics is Masonic apron,
worn by his father, who marched by the
side of Henry Clay in a procession il
Washington, in 1917. Mr.. Putnam's
father was in the government service al
Washington, making and repairing
arms for the defense'o of that city against
the British in 1872.
Mr.. Putnam has a curio which datei
far back into the pasta Jewish slater
dated 700 years B. q. 1t Is about al
thick as a leaden bullet, with the figure
of lions head on the diverse side, and
Q equare punch mark on the reverse
side. Many writers on ancient c0inl
state that the slater 10 the first gold coir
known to the world.
Mr.. Putnam also has an American
copper half cent piece OF the coinage o.
1926, and he believes this 10 the only
one not in the mint, az congress stopped
the coinage of this small coin in 1857
and withdrew them from circulation.
1t may not be generally known to the
present generation that the copper cen
| and half-cent comprised the circulating
medium in the earliest days of this re
public. In 1898 the first coinage by thu
mint was 112,2l2 cent coins and 81 49,
half.cent coins. On the diverse side o
the cent was the head of Liberty anc
q chain, link for each state; but, TIT
newspapers s'roastad" the design, stat
ing that the chain was suggestive o
British slavery and the chain wa
taken off and the stars substituted. Oh
the half.cent the bust of Liberty wa
tnrned to the left, which placed tn
goddess in an awkward position, which
defect the "enterprising" newspapers o
the day duly pointed out. On the rim
of the half-cent was the legend, 'Tw,
hundred for dollar"
Mr.. Putnam witnessed the launching
OF the wooden gunboat Seventy-four, il
the Potomac river, built under the di
rection of Commodore Decatur. and i
perhaps the only living witness to tina
historical event.