The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-06
THE sEMINoLE REMNANT.

denizens make a trip to Key. West
during the hurricane months, just to
keep their nerves steady.
THE SEMINOLE REMNANT.
who has not read of Osceola and
Billy Bowlegs? Thereon depends
piece of diplomatic fiction. When the
Florida war was over it was believed
that practically all of the Se1ninoles,
one of the most Warlike and capable
of all our Indian tribes, mad been
gathered I'D and escorted TO the IN
dian Territory; but this was mistake Re
A number of these gallant warriors
betook themselves 10 the Everglades,
where troops could not follow them,
and there among those fertile and PIC
turesque islands they have iVed eVer
since. I have seen many Indians, Dul
this remnant of the SeninoleS are the
finest specimens ever saw II is not
difficult TO believe in Cooper AFTER pc
ing among them The men are me,
1.-THE. sinewy fellows, with bright,
quick, intelligent faces. They wear
hat Of vast importance and curious
make It is shaped like big cneese'i
with a round hole in the middle TOT the
head the hole going clear through the
hat. They wear WOODEN huntilS
shirt, and their bare legs look IKE
shafts of mahogany. They are armed
with repeating rifles and know how 10
shoot The women are less sinewy, put
appear well. They wear cotton dresses
bought in Key West. They are SAID 10
be upright and honest in their deal
ings, and was told that they were
superior to- the whites in all the car
dinal virtues. The divorce court of the
Seminole is a very simple and efficient
piece of mocha nisrn. When an action
is laid on statutory grounds, and the
plaintiff gets a decree, the defendant
and correspondent are both promptly
shot.
These Indins are extremely Jealous
of encrOachment of white men. They
are in constant fear of another deport-
alton, as 7 learned to my sorrow. L
had resolved to gain access to their
haunts in the Everglades, and had laid
in q trunk full of trinketS to smooth
my pathway. When we got to the very
last KEY, we were close TO the Ever
glades. Here we met a trading party
OF Seminoles, and 1 made my plans for
being taken in a canoe on Trip
through that famous wilderness. My
guide and oarsman was young In
dian known as Key West Billy" be-
cause he had once been at Key West,
and had his picture taken. But Billy
must first get permission of his chief,
"Old TiSertail," who ruled the nation
with an iron discipline. No stranger
was permitted to invade the haunts
Of the Indians, unless he was VOuched
for. So one of the old settlers vouched
for my companion and myself, and we
got along famously with our prelimin-
aries with BILE. But, as bad luck
would have it. my companion had in
the recesseS of his trunk an old pic
ture of myself in uniform. In an evil
moment his desire to impress Billy got
the better of his judgment, and he
rushed off TO the boat and came back
with nv old military portrait in his
hands. Our host saw the catastrophe
from afar and tried to stop him, but
Billy's ewes were too quick. The mis-
chief was done. He took one look at
the picture then a long look into his
face, and his own visage fell. In vain
did our host explain that I was a
good soldier man once, and was no
soldier at all, now. Billy was in the
sulks. He went off to see Tigertail
and never came back. I was furious
and vowed that I would engage a
carkey and go up anyhow; but my host
explained that TO penetrate the wilder
ness under such circumstances meant
certain death, and that no fellow would
row me over the route for any price
after what had happened. These In
dams are not recognized by the gov
eminent. and receive no attention nor
bounties. The diplomatic fiction is that
the Seminoles have been removed to
the territory. On the other hand,
there is nothing these Seminoles want
so much as TO be let alone. and they
naturally look upon military man
who ever owned or wore a uniform as
a military spy.
So, after travelling 1.4OO miles to see
the Seminoles in their EvergIade
homes, l had reluctantly to turn back
SPONGE FISHING.