The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1897-09-29
THE GEORGIA HUM0RlST
ERRORS IN STORY OF MISSIONARY BUT.
LER CORRECTED.

LER CORRECTED.
Some Interesting and Ancient Georgia His
tory--Bartow Sage Tells of the Trouble
Experienced in Getting Indians to Leave
the State.
That is pretty and pathetic story
that my young friend Fred Govan
wrote about the missionary, DR.. But
!er, and his wife. No doubt but that
t is founded on fact, and he probably
got his data from some very old man
who still lives near Coosaville, little
village twelve miles below Rome. J.
was interested in the story, because
when | was lad that same DR.. Butler
was imprisoned in the county Jail at
Lawrenceville, where my father lived.
Another missionary, by the name OF
Worcester, was imprisoned with him,
and their offense was their refusal to
take the cath of allegiance to the state
Of Georgia or otherwise to leave the
Cherokee nation. They were suspected
Of using their influence to render the
indians dissatisfied with the treaty
that required them to 60 west. John
Howard Payne, the author Of "Home,
Sweet Home" was also suspect, and
Was arrested and taken to Milledge-
Vile to be examined. Those were hot
times in Georgia, especially north
Georgia, for Gwinnett was border
county, and we children could almost
see Indians squatted among the chin
quapin bushes or behind the trees on
/ the road to the mill. We knew they
were just over the Chattahoochee river,
and that some white people over there
had been murdered by them. Indians
were as much terror to us Us ghosts
and runaway negroes. The new gran
lite Jail had just been completed, and
nine Indians were the first prisoners.
They all escaped within week. They
took up stone in the floor and bur-
rowed out like moles or rabbits.
I never heard until Govan wrote it
that Butler was dragged to Milledge-
Vile with rope around his neck, nor
am prepared to believe that much of
the story. He and Worcester were
arrested at New Echota lin Gordon
county, and brought mounted to Law
renceyille and tried before Judge
Clayton, who was Mrs. Henry Grady's
grandfather, learned, humane and
incorruptible Judge. They had the
best of local counsel, Elisha Chester,
also native Of Connecticut; and they
had the renowned William Writ as an
adviser, and they had the president,
John Quincy Adams, on their side.
John Marshal, the chief justice of the
supreme court, issued his mandamus
to compel Judge Clayton to release the
prisoners, but he refused, and q coils
ion seemed inevitable between the
United States and the state of Georgia.
J. think that Mr.. Govan's informant is
mistaken, for Butler had lots of friends
powerful friends--and John Ross,
the chief of the Cherokees, was back.
ing him. Doubtless he was good
man, but he was stubborn and fanati.
cal, and declared he owed no allie
glance except to tie American board
of foreign missions, and to God--that
it was his duty to teach Christianity
to the Indians, and he would continue
to do so.
Both these men were convicted ani
sentenced to the penitentiary for foul
years. When they arrived at Mil
ledgeyille Governor Lumpkin kindly
advised them to take the oath or agree
to leave the state, and if they would
do either he would at once pardon
them. They refused and wrote to the
board of missions for advice. Thai
board commended their refusal and
again urged Writ and Sergeant to resor;
to the supreme court But these emf
nent lawyers advised an acceptance OF
Governor Lumpkin's offer. So they
accepted aud were pardoned and my
father always said they returned tc
Connecticut. He knew them and hat
many conversations with them, ani
gave them good advice, for he, too
was New England man. And henc,
| am surprised to learn from Mr.. Go
van that Butler returned to his mis-
sionary work and died near Coosavill,
aud was buried by the side of his wife
In fact, [ never knew before that h,
had a wife; but, of course, the inscrip
ton on her tombstone settles that
Mr.. Govan gives Butler the Christian
name of Elonez, but the records in tn
state archives show his name as b.
himself signed it to be Elizur
1t IS, however, an Interesting ant
pathetic story and very great mel
figured in it, both state and national
The conflicts between the state ant
the Cherokees and the United State
continued for II years and ended onl,
with the exodus of 1888. Severa
treaties were made-made only to b
broken. Ross and Ridge, the tw
chiefs, could never agree upon terms
, and they had their followers. Whe
, Georgia coded Alabama aud NIissis
sippi to the United States in 1902, tn
consideration was that the Unite
States should extinguish the Indians