The sea coast echo., 1898-03-26
THE GEORGIA HUM0RIST
SOME ADDITIONAL HISTORY OF GEORGIA
INDIANS.
Ridge's Hazardous Courtship---Nfarried a
Pale Face While Attending n Mission
school-.-other Interesting Talk and In.
cidents.

school--.other Interesting Talk and In.
cidents.
Fragments OF Indian history have
accumulated upon me Of late and as
they concern the Creeks and Chero-
KEGS and are Of romantic character,
am constrained to record them.
These two tribes are our Indians and
make up quite chapter in the history
of Georgia, Alabama and East Tennes-
see. North Georgia was especially
the home of the Cherokees, for their
chiefs lived near Rome as far back as
we have their history, and the Creeks,
or Muscogees, as they are more prop
erly called, lived south of the Talla-
poosa river. These tribes are not to
be classed with savages, for they we're
Of a higher grade, and but for the
greed Of the white man would no
doubt have continued to advance in
civilization and refinement under the
lead of such chiefs as Ross, Ridge,
Boudinot and Mcintosh.
Everybody is familiar with the story
Of Pocahontas.
Longfellow wrote o beautiful story
about Hiawatha and William e. Rich.
ards penned several pretty legends
about the Indian girls of Tallulah
Falls, and SO 1 will pen the story OF
John Ridge and Boudinot as given to
me. This story was sent to me by
Mrs. Ellen M. Gibbs, of Crystal Lake,
Ill. Her mother, Mrs. Taylor. who
died in 1878, wrote this romantic
sketch in 1877, when she was seventy.
six years of age, and left it for her
children, who had often heard her re.
peat it. By some strange coincidence
I have recently received letter from
q lady, Mrs. Virginia Williams OF
Bloomfield, Fla, giving the ancestry
Of John Ross, whose grandfather was
a Scotch refugee named Mcdonald.
The writer, Mrs. Williams, traces her
lineage back to the same Mcdonald
tree. Her mother was daughter oi
William Day, who married Agnes Nc.
Donald. Mrs. Williams would like to
learn more about Ross and his parents
and hopes this publication may attract
the attention of some one who can in.
form her.
And now coiAes marked copy of Q
New York paper called Sabbath Read.
ing, in which John Ross, O son of the
old chief, appeals for preachers and
teachers to come out to the Cherokee
nation and help to educate and train
the children in the Christian faith,
and especially to teach them in their
Sunday schools This appeal is dated
December, 1897, and Mr.. Ross ad.
dress is No. 101 Gold street, New
York.
And here is the Vinita Leader, an
able paper published in the nation,
and contains General Andrew Jack
sons letter to the Cherokee chiefs, writ
ten in 1885, and which urges and en-
treats them to accept the terms of tn,
treaty and move at once to the terri
tory assigned to them.
And almost by the sape nail comes
or ,;Y4---!, .-->a beautifully writer
sketch of the present condition of the
Muscagees Tor Creeks).s 1t was writer
by Mr.. W. w. Ramsay, of Maryville
Mo-, gifted and scholarly gentleman
who is deeply interested in Indiar
affairs. Other fragments have com,
to me, and II do not abridge ani
compile and have them published il
your paper, much valuable history o.
these Indians will be forever lost.
But to the story
In 1917 foreign mission schoo
was established at Cornwall, Conn. II
was charity school for Indians main
ly, though there were some white pu
pills there and some betrayed theil
own expenses. Students from seyera
Indian tribes were there to acquire
the English language and rudiment
airy education. Some white pupils
also acquired the Indian language and
went out as missionaries to the tribes
Besides the Chippewas and Choctaws
and Cherokees,I remember there were
two from the Sandwich islands.
Mr. Daggett was the first principal
OF the school and Mr.. Andrews the
last Every May there was a public
exhibition and the Indian boys spoke
on the stage. first in their own Ian.
guage and then in ours They were
genteel and graceful in their oratory,
They sang songs in their native
tongne, all waving their hands in
harmony with the music. They were
never allowed to go beyond the limits
or into peoples houses without invita-
ton. When they visited us we laid
aside our work and entertained them,
Among these students was Chero,
kee youth named John Ridge, tho sor
OF chief-a very noble young man,
OF fine form and feature and q perfect
gentleman in his manners and deport.
ment. For two years he was afflicted
with hip disease. While he boarded
at Mr.. Northrup's and Mrs. Northrur
had the care of him, sometimes no,
daughter Sarah, sweet and lovely
girl, waited upon him. One day DR.
Uouiu, VINO was my cousin, said tc
Mr.. Northrup, John is about we'll
He has no physical disease about him
and needs no more medicine, but hs
is in trouble, and you had better find
out what is the .sattcr.'
| "That afternoon while Sarah was
away her mother took her knitting
and went to sit and talk with John
While there size took notice Of his
melancholy and begged him to tell her
what troubled him so much of late.
At tirst ho denied having any sorrow,
but being pressed told her that hs
f'oved Sarah and knew that he could