The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-18
DEATH OF A MILLIONAIRE INDIAN.
SplitIOg, Who Was Chief of the Sem
ecas, Goes to the Happy Hunting
Grounds.

SENECA, Mo-, Jan, 17.-Matthias
Spitlog, the millionaire Indian who was
conspfcuously identified with the early
history of old Wyandotte and who was
once owner of a large part of the val
liable land in the KaW valley on the
Kansas side, is dead. He died in Wash
ington Jan. Of an acute attack OF
pneumonia. His body was sent to Sen
eca, Mo-, and from there it was taken
to Caugra, in Indian territory, and
buried in the Indian burial ground by
the Senecas, among whom he had spent
his last years and whose chief he was
at the time of his death
MI. Splitlog was one of the most
famous Of the surviving Indians, due
to his business methods and to the
fact that he was a peaceful, law-abid-
ing citizen. He was a native of one
of the tribes Of Canadian Indians which
occupied the region below Detroit dur
ing the earlier part Of the present CEN
tury. He was in his seventy-eighth
year when he died. He married a wy
andotte in Ohio and was adopted into
the tribe. In 1843 he came West with
the Wyandottes, arriving by steamer
up the Missouri river at Westport
landing in July Of that year.
The Indians were encamped on the
site Of the present Kansas City for q
Few months, after which they crossed
the Kaw river and took possession OF
the lands on which Kansas City, Kan
now stands, 1T having been ceded tc
them by the government under a treaty
In 1855 the Wyandottes ceded thei1
lands back to the government, and il
was then divided among them, each
member Of the tribe receiving his por-
ton. The lands on the uplands, on
which the old town Of Wyandotte was
laid out, were considered quite valua.
BILE, but Splitlog wanted plenty of land
so he chose nearly all Of the low
marshy land in the Kaw bottoms
which in time made him a millionaire
Sphtlog's possessions include the site
OF the Riverside Iron works and the
new power house Of the METROPOLITAN
Street Railway company and the Cy-
press yards Of the Missouri Pacific rail-
way. He contracted to sell the land
for. $780, 900, and the sale was to be
completed in the Office of the Northrup
Ranking company, in Kansas City
Kan. When the agent Of the syndicate
rendered check for the amount Split
leg refused to accept it. He declared
he would take nothing but gold Mr..
Northrup's assurances that it was all
right did not change him. A hurried
consultation was held and Splitlog
agreed to wait three hours.
Inc agents of the syndicate took g. carriage
and went from bank to bank gathering sacks
OF gold until $3.50, 900 had been secured. They
returned and the money was counted out
and staked0 upon the marble-top table in the
private Dfiee before Splitlogs eyes, He grunt-
ed his satisfaction and the small blue eyes
showed It. too, as he executed the deed Then
the gold coin was put into the hack again
and distributed among the banks 1t had
been drawn from. Splitlog never knew the
difference.
In 1874 he went to Indian territory. where
he established himself with the Indians and
lished towns and did many other things To
help advance his people He invested lrage
part Of Is wealth in a railroad extendins
from Neosha, Mo-. south. which it now 8
part Of the Pittsburg and Gulf system