The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-24
0nondaga Nations Suit Against
John Boyd Thacher.
FOUR ANCIENT BELTS
SYMBOLIC GREAT EVENTS IN
INDIAN HISTORY.
One Commentaries the Hiawatha
Confederation In the Sixteenth
Century-Were Sold By the Wam-
pum-keeper to Census Enumer-
ator-Cmefs Sue For Recovery.

Syracuse, N. Y, Dec. pa wampum
case is on trial before Judge Frank S.
Hiscock in the supreme court Four
wampum belts, which are the subject
of the controversy, were spread out on
the attorneys table Heaps of docu-
ments and books accompany them.
John Boyd Thatcher, former mayor
of Albany, possesses the four wam-
pums which the plaintiffs are trying
to obtain. The most valuable is the
Hiawatha belt, said to commemorate
the confederation by Hiawatha in the
sixteenth century of the five nations
now forming the Iroquois. The other
belts are supposed to symbolic other
great events in Indian history.
Mr.. Thatcher bought the belts for $500
from Rev. Oliver Crane of Boston. Mr..
Crane purchased them from General
Henry B. Darlington, who took the
federal Indian census i'll 1891. General
Darlington got them from the late
Thomas Webster of the Onondagas.
MIR. Thacher exhibited the wampums
at the Worlds Fair. Soon afterward
suit was brought against him in the
name of the Onondaga nation by Te-
Hes-La, an Indian chief, known in
English as Daniel La Fort, and others
OF the tribe. The contention was that
the wampums were national records,
and could no more properly be pur-
chased than a. marriage certificate on
file in a county clerks office.
1t is said that the university of the
state of New York is really plaintiff in
the suit, as it was last February voted
official Wampumkeeper for the five ma
lions. A bill of sale of all wampums
in existence was given at that time by
the Indians to the university, which
now has all the wampums, except the
four which Mr.. Thatcher says he in
tends to keep.
Washington's treaty with the Indians
and other points in their history an e
involved in the suit. In arguing along
this line Edward Winslow Paige, at
torney for the plaintiffs, referred to a
court of appeals decision that the his
tory of the Indians was not a part Of
the state records.
General John c. Clark Of Auburn, an
archaeologist, was the only witness
called by Mr.. Paige. General Clark tes-
titled that he was told by Daniel La
Fort and other Indians that Chief
Webster was the official wampum-
keeper, and kept the belts under his
bed. Mr.. Paige introduced the designa-
ton of the University of New York as
wampumkeeper, signed by representa-
lives OIL all tVe nations. MI. RdISe also
introduced the bill of sale of the wam-
pums to the university for $500.
Mr.. Delahanty thereupon moved to
dismiss the complaint. He said that
the Onondaga nation had no standing
in court, and that the individual Indian
plaintiffs have no authority to bring
such a suit. He took the position that
the belts were ordinary chattels, and
must be treated as such, but testi-
mony was continued.
Rev. John Sanborn, who had charge
of the Indian exhibit in Chicago, tes-
titled that Daniel La Fort told him the
belts were merely relics, although he
is nominally one of the plaintiffs. Mr.
Sanborn added that John Boyd, an In
dian living in Canada, was and had
been for many years, official wampum-
keeper of the Onondagas.
General Clark was then recalled, and
swore that after the revolutionary war
part of the Onondagas went to Can
ada, after which each party had d
wampumkeeper.
Baptist Thomas, one of the chiefs of
the Onondagas, testified that he first
saw the wampums in possession of his
grandfather, thirty or forty years ago.
His grandfather was Wampumkeeper,
he said, and from him the belts passed
into the hands of Chief Abram La Fort.
and when he died Webster took
them On discrimination, Mr.. Del
ahanty evoked the statement that each
chief received $25 for voting to desig-
nate the University of New York as
official wampumkeeper. Justice His
cock reserved his decision.