The Somerset reporter., 1895-09-12
DEATH OF TECUMSEH.
POINTS ON A QUESTION THAT HAS
LONG BEEN IN DISPUTE.

LONG BEEN IN DISPUTE.
The Claim That an Old Indian Warrior,
a Bitter Indian Halter, Killed the Cele-
brated Chief-A Document Found monK
the Late Richard Conner's Papers
The following account of tho death
of the great Indian chieftain Tecumseh,
or Tecumthe, was found among the pa
pers of Richard J. Conner. editor of the
Peru Sentinel who died in this city
July %, 1895. 1t contains information
touching tho question that has hereto
fore been widely disputed. The death
of Mr.. Conner prevented the fulfillment
of the task says che indianapolis News:
My fathers family was captured by
the Indians about the year 1885. 1t may
have been earlier or year OF two later.
They were carried to Michigan, and
were afterward ransomed by some Mo
ravians, and the family settled about
four or five miles below the present site
of Mount Clemens, on the Clinton river,
23 miles north of the city Of Detroit.
"When captured, the family lived at
place called Conner's Town, or Con
ner' 5 Station, near what is now the east
line Of Coshocton county, o.. adjoin-
ing Pennsylvania. The long journey
through the wilderness then covering
the distance from eastern Ohio to the
Clinton river in MichigEa was most
painful and fatiguing.
My father settled ON White river in
central Indiana in 1902, but he had
made II trip to the Wabash in 1900. He
remained at his trading post until the
breaking out Of the war with Great
Britain in 1872, when he joined the
forces under General Harrison at Fort
Meigs, on the Maumee river, and with
his brother John acted as guide and in
terpreter for General Harrison. He was
sent by the general down the Wabash
to the Miamis, Rattawatomies and
Shawnees, to learn if possible their in
tentions and attitude i'll the approach
ing trouble with British forces. He
knew Tecumthe and his brother, the
Prophet, intimately. The Prophet often
befriended him, and was a trustworthy
friend. My father always spoke well of
those Indians. He had many cOnversa-
tions with Tecumthe i'll regard to the
attitude of the Indian tribes under his
direction and his reasons for his adher-
ence TO the British cause, and his CO.
operation with that country in the war
that followed Tecumthe complained
bitterly of the lack of faith on the part
of the United States i'll regard to per-
formance of treaty stipulations and
contrasted it with the policy as carried
out by Great Britain in its management
of Indian affairs in Canada. He felt
that there was no security for the In
dian and clearly foresaw that the time
was not distant when the Indian would
possess little or no part of the domain
he had inherited from his fathers
"Tecumthe seemed to be fully aware
that step by step the tribes would be
pushed farther west or exterminated
by the bitterness and hate of the white
man. With n power warlike and ag-
gressive as Great Britain to back and
ally the Indian. he hoped to put off the
final day and possibly save remnant
| of his people.
"These, in part at least, were the
reasons that actuated him in that Won
derful crusade he was making, visiting
the tribes covering the country from
the lakes to Arkansas My father said
he had persuasive tongue and power
to move his fellow savages rare indeed,
and he never failed to rally the red man
on to the war path. His nature was not
naturally a savage one, and he often ex
pressed adherence of unnecessary blood
shed.
He declared that he would not toler
ate cruelties or predatory warfare on
peaceful, noncombatant settlements of
white people, but he felt it his duty to
rally the tribes and inflame them to a
point of resistance and fair warfare
against the government Of the United
States, which had for hundred years
persistently pushed the Indians from
their homes and the places which that
government had assigned to them with
solemn pledges that they should always
retain such as their future homes, and
that it would protect them from the
restless greed of white pioneers.
My father was in command of 800
friendly Indians at the battle of the
Thames, in Canada. His command was
attached to Colonel Paul's regiment in
that battle His Indians did some good
service and contributed TO the defeat of
the British and Indians.
after the battle, late in the after
noon. he was summoned to the headquar
ters of Colonel r. M. Johnston, who
stated to him that it was the rumor that
the great chief Tecumthe was among
the slain III battle and requested my
father to take some of his friendly In
dians and search the field and ascertain
if it were indeed true My father i'm
mediately took with him four or five
Delawares and began the search, which
was successful. When they found the
body, some of the Indians were not sure
that it was that of Tecumthe. There
was IA striking resemblance between the
two brothers, Tecumthe and the Prophet,
but one Of them had "A spot or defect on
Opa of hic avae (1pa af tho In1n1Narae