The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-16

and continued his work among the
southern tribes, to which he had been
forced to flee.
He was wise Indian, was old Te-
cumSeh, and knew how TO work on the
superStitions of his fellows He had
been told by the British. whose ally he
had become, that a comet was soon to
appear. II is related that when some
southern chieftain expressed doubt as
to the Wanted strength of Tecumseh's
northern armies the old chief told them
that as evidence of his truth he would
have his warriors appear TO them as
a great white trail across the sky, hav-
ing the comet in mind when he made
the promise. Indian-like. though he
was not satisfied with this, but added
that when he returned 10 Detroit he
would stamp his foot on the ground
and shake down every house in ToOc-
kabatcha, the village in which the
council was beng held. Tecumseh de-
parted and set out for Detroit A few
months later there came an earth
quake, and the terrified Indians ran
from their dwellings crying 'Tecumseh
is at Detroit" The appearance Of the
comet shortly afterward was taken to
/ be Tecumseh'S warriors stretching
| across the heavens like pale fire" and
/ they were stirred to an uprising, for
l
the whites.
In the war of 1872 Tecumseh Joined
forces with the British. and after being
/ wounded at Maguaga was made a.
/ brigadier general in the royal army.
At the battle OF Fort MeiSs he led 1000
/ braves against the Americans, but
/ when the fort surrendered he forgot his
! grievances and savage instincts and
prevented his braves from massacre
/ inc Before he hat 81
I the Thames he had a presentiment that
I he was TO be killed, and laying aside
his uniform as a British general. he at
tired himself in the hunting dress of
his people, and fell mOrtally wounded
while braVely and skillfully command
/ ing the right wing of the British army.
All this has nothing TO do with Big
/ Jim and his claims upon the govern
ment, but il shows from what noble
/ lineage the old chief springs The
! father of -pah-meap-tO. the son
of TecumSeh. has no place in history,
d there being no record even of his name.
He was only an ordinary Indian, and
/ probably Succumbed to the cOrrupting
| influences that the white man brought
his red brother along with civilization.
Wah-pah-meap-to was born in Texas
sixty-three years ago. He was living
/ in the Indian territory when the civil
! there and a lot of cattle and horses. but
/ they were forced to move. and went
/ into Kansas and left it behind. Their
original grant was from Mexico. but
when the Texans whipped the MeXi-
: cans, General Sam Houston renewed
( the grant. Their reservation was thir
! ty miles square. but it was never re-
} stored to them after the civil war. The
difficulty now is TO prove their title to
/ the land. If this can be done. it will
+ probably be restored to them, but d
/ trip to the Mexican capital by d law
/ yer must be made, and other expenses
would have to be incurred. Big jim
and his people are without funds. and
their case seems well-nigh a hopeless
one He came to Washington to see
+ if the Indian Office could not help him
! in securing the necessary evidence, but
there is no money at the command Of
f. Commissioner Jones for such a pur-
/ pose
Seven years ago Big jim came to
Washington and called at the White
House and shook hands with President
Harrison, the grandson of the man his
grandfather fought against. The Incl
dent passed almost unnOticed at the
time. but it was full of pathetic his
], torical interest.