The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1893-08-05
oscELoLAAnD BILLY RoWLEos


IoscELoLAAND BILLY BoWLEcs
j story 81 he Florida Everglades
Recalled BY . Recent Transfer Of
Land.
Up to a few years ago all TINT was
known OF the vast inland lei on the
southern border Of Georgia called the
Okefenokee swamp was that 1t mad
once been the stronghold OF BILLY
Bowlegs.' Even those who had heard
of the e%uphonious name often enough
to form some idea as to the typogra.
phy of the swamp received an entirely
erroneous impression OF its character,
a the Atlanta Journal. They re-
garded it as a mere waste of malarial
waters, like the everglades OF Florida
or the Dismal swamp Of Virginia.
Within the past two years, however,
the invasion of capital into the recasses
of it's cypress and magnolia grove
has revealed a wealth Of natural re-
sources unsurpassed, and shown that.
instead of being an .mpenetrable
swamp, the Okefenokee is a great In
land sea of very much the same type
in the quality Of its water as Lake
Superior. Away back in the early days
of the century, just prior to the Semi
mole war, Gen. Clinch of Georgia
marched into Florida. and penetrated
the everglades with a regiment Of SOL
diers, his purpose being to induce the
Seminole chiefs to sign a treaty re-
linquishing their possessions to the
government. He pitched his tent in
the heart Of the swamp, and invited
the Indian chieftains to a conference,
at which they were to sign the papers
ceding the land to the United States.
The chief Of the Seminoles at that
time was a half-breed named Smith
i man of strikingly handsome appear
ance, over six feet in height md as
straight as an arrow. This leader, to-
gether with two Of his sub-chiefs was
standing in Gen. Clinch's tent listening
to the reading of the deed which took
away their lands. At the conclusion Of
the reading the two subchiefs, who
could neither read nor write, made
their marks. Turning to Smith; who
stood in ~contemplative mood, gazing
with fixed eyes upon the papers be-
fore them, Gen. Clinch asked:
You car write your name, Smith 2"
Il SVnc ho YnYltnl .,,fnlylry skI,~k <1,s>
is II time when l intend to make my
mark" @5 %& a@
Quick as thought the powerful half
breed whipped out a long, keen knife
and lightning like buried it to the hilt
in the hart of one Of the ~snb-chiefs,
then in that of the other, and finally
in the breast Of the government agent,
killing the three almost instantly. The
soldiers about Gen. Clinch few to arms
and were in the act of making Smith
their prisoner when he calmly called
to them to look outside the tent. Doing
so they found the camp completely
surrounded by a band of ut least 1900
Indian braves ready to obey their
chiefs command. Smith did not order
the massacre Of the company, but with
out as much as harming a hair of the
head OF Gen. Clinch or any OF his sol
diers, marched them to the edge OF
the swamp and, in parting, said:
Now, Gen. Clinch, you and your
soldiers may go, but l warn you that
If ever a white man places his foot
upon u lands again he had better
beware Of the Seminoles."
AS Gen. Clinch marched his men
0WDv tho Indian hpsa a o.Nfb. .Slnc Atont 81
ly crowded about their great chief, and,
raising him high upon their shoulders,
cried out In a mighty chorus, .Osceola!
osceoia" which e 1.-THE rising
sun" This was the beginning OF the
Seminole war, and it RAJ In this way
that the half-breed chieftain received
the name by which he Ii known to
history.
The end Of his career is familiar to
all. II manner in which he was en-
t1ced to Washington, where he attract
ed much attention and was the lob
served OF all observers" under cover
OF a flag of truce, and his confinement
until death in Fort ,Moultrie ut Charles
ton, are well remembered. Smiths
successor in command OF the SeminOles
was Billy RoSvlegs, a chief OF ,dhn!nu-
tive stature, but .~undaunted courage.
During the war which followed Billy
found refuge in Okefenokee swamp.
n n OF tue principal islands OF this
inland sea now bears his name. Oke-
fenokee swamp was until 1880, the
property of the State Of Georgia. An
act OF the legislature. approved In Oc-
taber, 1889, provided for the sale Of the
swamp to the highest bidder, the mini
mum price being fixed at 70 1s2 cents
an acre. When the bids were opened
Dy Gordon on March is 1890,
1hat Offering 2 1-a cents per acre was
accepted.
Il
Why Ii IL Called ssMonkev-vv->--n .