The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-25
BRAVE NEGROES WORK
How John Stewart Preached
to the indians
IN THE OHIO WILDERNESS
Eighty Years Ago and Trans
formed Their Lives.
IN THE OHIO WILDERNESS

the early history of Ohio than that which
tells Of the exertions of the devoted men
who pushed their way into the wilder
ness to preach the gospel among the In
dams, Drawing every danger and not in
frequently sinking to death beneath the
tomahawk or perishing from exposure
and priVation. As has been the case
in many other parts of the world, the
Moravian missionaries were the first to
penetrate into this new field, where they
established number of villages and
made many conversions. The murder of
these Moravian Indians by a company Of
militia under command of Colonel Will
Hanson forms one Of the blacklist chap
tiers Of the history of the State, and has
already been referred to in the Leader.
Closely following the Moravians came
the Methodists and Catholics, and it is
of one of these that this story is writ
ten. OF course, many years before,
French Jesuites had penetrated the north
ern part of the state but the trend of
their lAbors had been along the great
lakes and down the Mississippi.
OF all the Indians inhabiting Ohio at
the beginning of this century the Wyan-
dottes were the most vicious and de-
PRAYED. Living as they did on the bord-
ers Of white population, they had quickly
acquired all the vices of the frontier, and
became the most degraded and worthless
Of their race. 1t would have seemed use
less to propose sending a missionary
among them. and yet a missionary came
to them-not a learned man-but a Negro
named John Stewart, a man of no learn
ing. but Of great faith who accomplished
wonders
Stewart was a mulatto and was born
in POwhatan county, Va. of free parents.
He became disabled through an accident
early in life and his parents moved to
Tennessee leaving him behind as worth
less. He became a confirmed drunkard.
and finally made his way over the noun
ta;ns to Marietta. Here he spent every
cent he could get in drink, and finally be-
came so i'll that his life was despaired
of. His system was wholly shattered by
intemperance, but by a miracle he recov-
cred and resolved to reform.
There had been a series of prayer meet
ings held in the neighborhood, and he
had attended some Of them until his eek
citable nature became infamer. and he
resolved to penetrate into the wilderness
and carry the gospel with him So he
packed all his belongings in his KNAPP
sack and set off to the northwest. not
knowing where he was going. He reach
ed Goshen, on the Tuscarawas. but kept
on until he came to Pipetown. on the
Sandusky- Here was remnant of poor
Delawares, under the control Of CAPTAIN
Pipe son of the chief of the same name
who had assisted in burning Colonel
Crawford. At this place Stewart stop
ped, and as the- Indians were preparing
for great dance. they paid little atten-
ton to the stranger. After the dance
was over Stewart took out his hymn
book and began to sing. He possessed a
powerful and melodius voice. and the
company was charmed and awed into per-
feet silence. When he ceased he was
asked to sing more. He asked if there
was any person who could interpret for
him and Old Johnny Lyons came forward
He called himself a hundred and sixty
years old, for he counted the summer a
year and the winter year Stewart gave
them an exhortation which Lyons trans
lated, and then ne pushed on still to the
north until he reached the Wyandotte
settlement on the Upper Sandusky. And
here he decided to stay
OF the difficulties and dangers of those
first months Of his ministry little record
remains. He afterwards related how at
his first meeting there was only one per-
son in his audience, an old woman. He
preached to her. and the next day the
oil N, -
man named Big Tree The next day ge-
ing the Sabbath. he appointed to meet at
the council house. and there were eight
or ten in attendance That day turned
the tide in his favor, and from that time
his congregations began to increase.
Nothing contributed more to their sue
cess than his singing, which delighted
the Indians. Many of these people had
been Catholics. and opposition to him was
started on the ground that he used a false
Bible and hymn book, and public and
official examination was made OF them
They were compared with the aCthpic
Bible, and were found 10 be the same
His hymn book WAS also pronounced a
good one. and SO Stewart won victory
But opposition arose from another source
and it was battle royal between Christ
family and heathenism.
The chiefs of the tribe were much or
posed to the new religion. John Hicks
which he said:
The Great Spirit has given his red
children q religion 10 guide their feet and
10 establish them in the good way, and
why should they leave it? We have been
deceived many times before by the proph-
cts of the Senecas and Shawnees, and
have always had 10 return TO our old re-
ligion We are contented with it. The
book from which you get all your doc
trines was sent to another place and to
another people, and can have nothing 10
do with US. The Son Of God was born
among white people and we never heard
of Him until the white people came. II !
they had never come We should never
have heard Of Him. To the whites only |
He spoke and left his word with them |
So the old chief won many followers, !
hut Stewart did not despair. but contin- I
Zee his work. and his influence slowly I
widened. The other party did everything /
they could against him short OF actual /
violence. For every one Of his prayer /
meetings they would hold a feast or
dance. and the two religions were pvac- !
tieed side by side. each endeavoring TO
Guido the other. Unfortunately. Stewart !
had promised 70 return To- Marietta in the |
spring Of 1877 and he kept this promise, !
leaving the Wy2ndoJtes TO their own de-
vices for several months. When he re-
turned he found that bat few had re-
manned steadfast and one Of them. a man
of much promise. had been killed in a