The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1897-11-12
BILLARP'S WEEKLY LETTER.
FURTHER INTERESTING HISTORY
OF NOTED INDIAN CHIEFS.
DISCOVERS EXISTENCE OF OLD BOOK
which Throws Light Upon tho Subject
An old Lady In Texas writes 90
william.


having. A book that is 2lxlS inches
aud weighs twenty-five pounds. It's
sixty-one years old, and has 100 large
size plates Of the most notable Indian
chiefs, each plate covering page and
being accurate and graphic likenosses
and all done in colors, with the fuss
and feathers aud tribal ornaments and
as finely executed in face and features
as oil paintings. / did not know that
there was such a book or that such
work could be done in those days.
Each plate has a biographical memoir
accompanying, which is in large type,
so large that 1 can read it oifband
without glasses. This work seems 10
have been compiled from the records
in the Indian gallery Of the war de-
partment at Washington by Thomas
M. Mckinney. The book have is the
property Of Mr.. David Black, Of At
lanta, and as it has came down to him
in the family, I did not suppose there
was another in the state, but my friend
Joe NJ. Brown tells me that his brother
Elijah has it, and also another volume,
which wish to see, for this one has
neithor Ross nor Osceola. 1t has Ridge
and Mcintosh and other Creek aud
Cherokee chiefs, and Paddy Carr, the
famous interpreter, whose father was
| Scotch-Irish and his mother an In
dian For many years he was in Gen
eral Jacksons service and in govern
ment service, and got rich and invest
ed his money in land and negroes, and
owned eighty slaves when he died. A
warm friend of his had a beautiful
daughter named Ariadne, and when
Paddy's wife gave birth to twin girls
he named one AIRY and the other Adny.
This book has a charming biography
of Major Ridge, and makes him a very
strong minded and noble man. His
! likeness shows as much force and de-
cision of character as does that Of Web
stcr or Calhoun. Indeed, some of the
speeches made by the Indian chiefs in
their long protracted discussions with
the government are as pathetic, elo-
quent and unanswerable as if they
came from Patrick Henry or any other
great orator. 1t is touching and tear
full to read the pleading, pOetical elo-
quence of Black Hawk and Keokuk
and Tustenuggee and Major Ridge and
Big Warrior. Mr.. McKenney was the
governments agent in all these trea-
ties, and declares their oratory to be
a natural gift, and no race of people
could excel them. They speak with
out art or effort, and most of them had
a low, soft, sweet and musical voice
that gave fit expression to their earn
est pleadings.
The account given Of Major Ridges
greatest embarrassment in contending
with John Ross is very amusing. Ross
was bitterly hostile to Ridge and his
policy, and in order to alarm the In
dams he got o half-breed named
Charles to pretend to come down from
some far-off mountain with message
to them from the Great Spirit. Charles
said: "The Great Spirit is. angry with
you. He tells me that you are follow
ing the customs of the white peoples
that you have already gotten mills and
clothes and feather beds and books
and cats--yes, cats and, therefore,
the buffalo and other game are fast
disappearing. The Great Spirit is au-
CRY, and says you must cut short your
frocks and kill your cats and give up
your mills and quit living in houses,
and then your game will come back, y
This excited the Indians very much
and they cried out that the talk wa
good. Ridge arose with anger in hi
face and voice and said: "The talk i
not good. 1t is false. 1t did not com
from the Great Spirit" The Indian
rushed upon him with fury and viii
fight ensued, and some Of his friend
were stabbed, but Ridge was yer,
powerful man and defended himse
with great courage. The tumult v a
Quoted after time, and Jesse Vaul
and John Harris and some old mel
brought about a reconciliation.
There was much trouble all alon
those years. 1 have long lette
from Mr.. r. M. Edwards, a yenerabl
lawyer Of Cleveland, Tenn. He says
GIN my youth spent many happ
days in fishing, hunting and playin
with the Indian boys of the Ocoee dis
trict in east Tennessee and among tn
many sad scenes of an uneyentful life
one of the saddest was to see my littl
play fellows start on their long an
weay journey to the west. They lei
) the most beautiful country / ever be
held. It resembled more a magnif
. cent park than a forest, owing TO thei
tribal custom of burning the woods t
keep down the underground.
q It is singular that SO great concours
+ of people-fourteen to sixteen thoui
t and-could be gathered up by force q
it were and removed, going thropg
: Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana an