The sun., 1897-06-06
| PLEA FOR SEMINOLES.
THKIR HOKBs Nv FLORIDA SAID
TO BE IN DANGER
N aueseA Plan 60 usDsye osreshs>s Descend
ants rrS@ tn lsuss They nave n>eu Cuiti-
vnsisE Q. Re.s,asr. E<ver-ssfeSiea KEY
wnas ylln-asa WerA Me- peae Tsr The-.

vns,sr o. = Resss.se. Y<ver~ssrrsiea Key
whst Hl.sssa WsrH nns pese Fsr THeu.
wAssINeTox, June She last hand OF semi
mole Indians to leave FIorida departed in lsSs.
About l6o including men. women. and children.
bad been induced TO come In from their remote
fastnesses ana joia the old chief Billy BowieEs.
for transportation TO Indian Territory. Ther
LETT behiad them no; oaly their Old homes and
the graves Of their dead. bot also heroic little
band Of invincfbles numbering about 100 souls.
This remnant. who in some respects might
be called the flower Of the tribe. ooaH
not be persuAded to ioin the oihers-in-
deed. few Of them veatur~d frosn their So
cure retreAts-ani they were finally allowed
to rrrain behind For thirty years thereafter
they were in peaceful possession Of the lands
they occupied. and were p-ospc-ors in their
way. They Stunned the white inAn and his set.
tieneats as much as possible. oal- visiting the
latter a. two o. three points when necessity
compelled :he purchase OF ammunition o. other
articles Of oonrson use. f-om Abozi 100 in the
year 1858. those dss>endhnis os osoeola's
patrio; varriors have gradually increased
until at the preeer: day they number in th.
neixhhp-hood Of zoo persons The Florida
Seuinoles superior 10 Indians in general
As . rule they are perfect specimens OF man.
hood; they are truthful honest. and seit--up-
porting. They neTe- beg. and they do nos ask
or expect anything from the Government, eI-
cept 20 ALLOW them to remain in peaceful pos
session Of their Old homes. Ar present. hos.
ever it Is charged that attempt is s<tnz
made TO o-s. them.
Between the years 1870 and 1858 several az
ternpts were made by the United States Govern
rDent 70 help these Indians. Coazress app-e-
pristed the sum OF 5000 in 1854 - TO enable
! the SerniuoIes Of Florida 10 obtain ho-Des-eads
upon tbe public lands OF Florida And TO estAb-
| lish them thereon-" Agents were sent 10 the
Stale rear sttez ear for the purpose Of earring
out the objects of the approp-iaSioa- bu, in DO
| e&se did any OF them accomplish anything fo-
/ the serninoles- All reported taAs there were 10
J public lands OF which the Indians could Be- set
| tle.i. and that the lands they were oocuprinE
| were owned bY the State o. bJ Improvement
| companies Congress cuntinued TO reoer the
apurop!iAtIsE each year. bat the money was
unused IL reverted 20 the TreAsurT. until haAny
! the woIaaa's National Indian Association ap-
I peAled for and received the right 70 expeaS il
to- the serninoses a. IL thought bess-
! In March. 1891. Mr.. Amelia = Quin;oa.
/ President Of the Association. visited the Se1n-
inoles in the wilds os Lee county. o. the western
| border o, the EYerz.ASes- she accompanied
| OF this trip bJ two other women ana native
FI0zidian- The object Of her visit was 30 pu--
chase suitable lands II possihle. for ihe esisb-
| lishmenr of mission among the~e Indians As
headquarters for 4c-iTe work A r-ar1 Of 800
ac-es situated in Lee comfy. forty miles south
east o: the town % Myers. was secured Th-se
n,oIths lA,e- the association sent Dr. J. I.
! Bracht and his wife to This remote place for
uIisstoasry work Here. living "a AZ o.t
couple Commented iheir laho-s. and n This ted
the? h@ve rsanaiaei ever S.nse- devo,ing AL
Afser, lGlse Of two a I'd a hat yeArs- the MS
sion being firmly ESTABLISHED. the ASSOCIATION
Transferred i-s land and the school work over 20
the Protestant Episcopal CT arch in Florida
In the mean time the tnite- states Govern
usent had teen interested and h8Iz bexln active
work bT purchasing etgtty acres .; Ihe Aseocis-
tons land and appointing Ir. Brecht tIit =
tTiHl tsAehf. s4wnil was erected Ia, and i :Gr.
was continue in mission work by tie assl--l2-
tion and az its e1pense. Tae Eniss-onAE! ~o: L
n Florida en- brace visits 10 she camps o. s=s-
Elements os the lndi2ns: medical ATTENDANCE
buying what they have to sell, and sell
ths.rue;ins ;hsm IN hoa.<sold aea iaas::
trial work: religious ana other instruction.
Government 20 assist the se7nino:es 10 help
thernSeives-noi TO decnorAl1e then by giving
noles are quick TO learn the white mans way $
The young men especially have genuine tesirs
;hest Indians in the sod in,snrtoas ot the GOV "
eTnment ard its representatives is establish I'd
and ths; is a great Voin; gained. for they were
/ the n1os; distrUsttul o: all Indians
The leading oeyecS OF the association was he
purchase OF suitable lands :or :ae Indians which
Z
were wiling 20 remove to them and assume etti
zership. Through the efforts o: DR.. Rrechi
purchastd By the Iaite-; states Government
So far Ns possible the lands Dow ocrupiet by Tx
SeInlnoles, and whil n IN soCE- cases they have
cultivated for generation. have becn embrace
in the purchase. Several OF their former home
the home q. Old Doc;or Tofnsa;. the ogtes
member o: the trbs. This j. also ;he poiicy o
;he Up:tei states GoveEpmea;- Ii is foz:unA;'
that this is so. for the lAnds occaFied by th'
Indians arc coveted by the whites Indeed
:. coonAnut and other f-uit ;rees h>ve been tAkeI
away from them by white rncn- under The home
stead laws: And their old homes are constAntl!
IN dancCr from the same direction.
While Ms Quinion was in Florida In March
1881. she interested several prOcliHenS uomEI
in the cause. wroIe 10 the Governor and pen
tionei the srate legislature for donation o
the fooWtns Ok june 900 aesSe s o. swamp rgA am
; 9rernowei lands were SC, apart, by !oini reso
IgiiSI sSF this DGEF % The Governor thea az
: bod in trust the lands. No funds were sppru
5 ortaici. however. toT CARRYING out ;he pGrposes
OF the resolution, and nothing was conc by n
/ trustees nnrL recently. On April - .ast III
: trustees held meeting at St. Augustine, an
Gov. BloNhani. which the friends OF the Indian
| describe as remarkable.
: ineton. who s deeply interested in the matte,
: STATES thai the trustees when appointed 6s
the EverSiadc. any e;;ort to ioros them on 10
Z | reservation would Be useless and arouse the!
D ! 6n.mOslty. The trustees therefore decided I
e ! secure the reservation OF Zach tact OF land o
: town on which Indians were already located an
had improvements. Their efforts in this 6iTe<
= tiou have not been altogether successful. OWN
10 lack OF funds with which TO locate an
survey these tracts. II is stated on the best sr
rhority thar absolutely nothing has been accom-
> piished by the trustees 10 this Crd Indeed. IN
members OF the hoard would not agree anon
. themselves 10 such y course.
The object OF this report. in the success {
which the hopes OF certain real estate men an
cattle owners rest. is disclosed by the stAtemcr
O that. no funds were available FOR surveys, ID
1, trustees do now recommend the reservation
the whole OF Long Key. an island in the Eve
n giades. situated partly in Lee, Monroe, and Dad
l. counties, which they say contSins some 5.OO
. acres OF land: also all the marsh for distance
+" two miles on all sides OF said key. - IL Lon
Key l. made an Indian reservation, it is the pu
n pose of the trustees to advise and influence IN
removal OF the Indians to il, the cultivation OF n
Island, and its permanent improvement. II
Y not thought necessary by the trustees that II
"a Indians Immediately remove To Ihis key. bU
=, that they would thus always be sure OF HON
4 when the advancing tide ot civilization ha
= pushed them from the lands which they no
occupy. ana where they would be free from a
- H..