The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-07

wrong, the half or which mas never Deen
told. From the early days OF the traders
they have paid exorbitantly for every COM
modify they bought, and have been encour-
aged to revel in credit wherever their lands
or annuities would secure their debts. To
the present day the whites sustain this at
titude toward them, and sharks operating
from the shady side Of the law have left
them all but penniless. The remnants OF
the Me-shin- go-me-sio band are now max
ing an effort through the courts TO regain
possession of their reserve, advancing the
argument that said land, never having
been possessed by the United States gov
eminent was not subject 10 the law as
applicable TO estates deriving their
title from the government, and further
citing a clause in the original treaty which
exempts these lands from standing for
debts This statement of it was made to
me by William Peconga. Litigation OF
one sort or another has been pending for
years in the courts at Marion and one
does not have to inquire far to hear OF
lawyers who have grown richer as the In
dams have grown poorer. Among the lat
ter exists the feeling generally that they
have been overreacned in every way; that
they have no chance against the white
man. Even history, they say, is but the
white mans perversion of truth, and the
legends preserved among them, as 1 got
them from Godfrey. breathe bitterly of
wrongs done them in the early wars
wrongs that have never been chronicled.
Along the beautiful Mississinewa, from
fits union with the Wabash to the Missis-
snewa battle ground, linger the sorry rem
nants of tribe that once ranked among
the noblest of the North American saw
ages AS one makes his way up this ro-
mantle stream so long beloved Of the red
men, he finds them here and there, often
with a skin more or less Caucasian, but
always with the unmistakable, fine, dark
Indian eye, which has in it something OF
the eagle. One notable thing is the per-
sistence of the Indian instincts despite
this liberal admixture of white mans
blood. Gabriel Godfroy's boys are as alb
original in their proclivities as the Miami
striplings of a century ago. They are
skilled in the use of the bow, and, perched
in some tree top overhanging the river,
kill many a fish with their deadly arrows
The mellifuous Miami language is not
suffered to die out. nor the Indian custom
of naming children for some natural OBJ
ject quality, and not the least interest
ing recollection of my visit to Godfroy's
is that OF him and sundry of his young
sters going through their weird, curious
dance for my delectation.
SCENE OF INDIAN ROMANCE.
One with the disposition, time and pa
thence might make an interesting study in
this region of the Indian as he is after
long contact with the civilized life, and
pick up much lore cherished by them
which reveals the nature Of these people,
No stream in our State is pleasanter to
loiter along than this one where such
student would go to seek his material. No
stream more stimulates the imagination
with romantic associations for it was a
| favorite abiding place with the Miami,
and up and down its beautiful, winding.
narrow valley stood his picturesque wig
| wan, part of the sylvan solitudes Here
| slumbers forgotten the dust of many a
| chief and warrior once famous among his
people Here lived and now rests Frances
| Slocum, who, stolen from her Pennsylvania
home when child, spent a long life among
| her captors, so content with their Gus
| toms that, when discovered and identified
| in her old age by her own people, she could
not be prevailed upon to go TO them. A
movement headed by Mr.. Statesman, of
| Peru. is now afoot to erect over her
| grave modest monument commemorative
| of her romantic story.
| Here, also. overlooking b beautiful bend
| and stretch of the river, about a mile
| from the little town of Jalapa. Pleasant
| township, Grant county, is one of the most
| famous Indiana battle grounds in the
State, known as the Mssissnewa. II is
now stretch of titled fields, owned and
| farmed by one Jacob Lugar, unmarked
in any way, and only known vaguely to
| the surrounding countryside as the spot
where some sort of battle once took place.
| 1t merits more explicit celebrity, for here.
| in the early dawn of Dec. Is. 1872. occurred
| a fierce and bloody conflict, akin to that of
| Tippecanoe between about 600 whites I'M
/ der Lieutenant Colonel John b. Campbell,
| and an uncertain number of Miami and
| Munsee Indians. About all the records that
| exist of the fight are based on Colonel
CampbelIs official report, which gives the
| victory to the whites, but the Miami tradi-
| ton, as told by Godfrey, varies from the
received account, and CLOVIS with indigna-
ton at the violence previously committed
| on a Munsee village, which led the Mi
amis to side with the Munsees and make
| the early morning attack.
GEORGE s. COTTMAN.
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The Cult of Dirt.
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