The Van Buren press., 1897-12-18
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
Some Interesting Information Con-
cerning Certain Indian Tribes.
How De Soto Overran the Country of
the Five Civilized Natfons-The Cro-
atoans and the Early Settlers
An Ancient Powder Horn.


1t seems to me that am haunted by
indians. The other night as | came
from Macon to Atlanta my friend,
Judge Hall, introduced me to Dr.. Pet
erson of St. Louis. a very learned and
cultured gentleman who was connected
with the chronological department of
| the government and was engaged in
examining Indian mounds and in writ
/ ing up the history of the Indian tribes,
especially of the five tribes known as
civilized, viz, the Cherokees, Creeks,
| Chickasaws, Choetaws and Seminoles.
As these were our Indians, | became
much interested in his discourse, for he
had been careful and diligent in his
research, and what he knew, he knew
well. We talked about De Soto and
how, with a handful of brave soldiers,
he overran this country and took
captive as many Indian girls as his men
wanted.
why did not these Indians over
whelm De Soto and his handful of fol-
lowers and eXtinguish them?" asked.
Because, said the doctor, they were
paralyzed with fear of this new and ag
gressiye race of people-just as the
Peruvians were paralyzed by Pizarro,
who oyerran and conquered Peru with
less than hundred men,
The doctor has been to eastern North
| "a rolina ipvert II ra + n r tho +rihe of 4 OOO
Croatoans over there. They were orig
inally called Hatteras Indians, but
about 300 years ago Sir Walter Raleigh
planted colony of English and Portu
guese on Roanoke islandand put them in
charge of Gov. John White, very prac-
teal and accomplished gentleman. A
few days after landing Gov. Whites
daughter Eleanor, who had married a
Mr.. Dare, gave birth to child and she
was named Virginia, and so Virginia
Dare was the first English child born
on American soil. Let the boys and girls
remember that. But no man knows
anything more about her. Gov. White
and Sir Walter went back to England
for supplies and farming tools for the
colony and on their return trip got into
a fight with some Spanish cruisers and
lost their cargo and many of their men
and had to go back to England, and it
was several Years before they made an
other venture, and when they arrived at
the island the colony was nowhere to
be found and little Virginia has never
! hppp bnorH Of Tho oolOnIr loft
marks on a tree pointing to an Indian
| town called Croatoan, but the town was
! deserted. The doctors Investigations
have satisfied him that the colony did
not perish nor were they killed, but that
| the men wanted wives and went into
the interior and eo-habted with the
Croatoans-for it was found a hundred
years after that these Indians were of
mixed colors and many of them spoke
broken or mixed English and Portu
guese, although they had no inter
course with white people until the colo
ny came nor for hundred years after.
He believes that Virginia Dare prob
ably grew up with those Indians and
her descendants are now of mixed
blood.
It seems that these Croatoans were
never Americanized until the last civil
war, when many of them came to the
front with their guns and said they
wanted to fight some. They were ac-
cepted and enrolled and did fight for
the confederacy. During the war there
was an election held in a county where
scme of them lived, and they were per-
suaded by an ambitious candidate TO
60 to the polls and vote for him. Their
votes were challenged by the other fell
low upon the ground that they had
some negro blood in their veins. They
were very indignant and said: when
you want us to fight for you, we are
same as white folks; when we want
TO vote, you say we are nagurs." And
so a committee of four doctors was
appointed to examine them and say
what they were. The committee took
them out to a sandy place in the road
| and had them take off their shoes and
make tracks barefooted. Five of them
| made fair Anglo-Saxon tracks and were
| accepted, but of the other two the re-
port was that the hollow of their feet
made holes in the ground, and they
were rejected. There are some of these
Crcatoans on Newman's ridge, in Ten
nessee. | remember that, some years
go. a party of us were riding in the
negro car on the state road, and when
we reached Kingston a colored con-
vention of preachers got aboard and
| claimed the car. Sanford Bell ordered
us out, and we retired, of course, but
one man did not move. He was a dark,
cadaverous individual, with black eyes
and black hair. What are youY' said
Sanford; "are you a white man or a
nepro?" He smiled and said: Mine
fsder a Portugee, mine mudder ma
CUR" Sanford looked perpleXed, and
turning to one of the colored preach
ers said: What must do with him.
And he said: Let him alone, Ireckon. "
| learned afterwards that he was a
Croatoan.
And now TO keep up the Indian SEN
sation, am receiving papers from the
territory that aequaint me with the
peculiar situation of the tribes over
there. What shall be done with their
lands is the great question. The Dawes
commission appointed by congress
wants to divide the lands per capita
and let the Indians sell them or part
OF them to the white men, II they