The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1904-01-14
sEQuoYAn on Nor sEouoYAiIY


bones of human being who is supposed to have beeu
killed by the Indians about a century ago The bones
had been quite we'll preserved but showed that they had
lain there for many years On the ground rle hua
man remains the irons of nnt-lock rifle pair "
bullet moulds three bars of lead and jefferson medal
with the date 1901 on H. When Sequoyah departed from
the Cherokee Nation he supposed to have gone south
or west With him he took old int-locx rifle and was
the proud possessor Of Jeersonan medal bearing tie
date of lsOl Nothing has learned of the end
of sequoyah Where he ourneyed how long he lived or
how he passed TO the great beyond all is couded In mys
terry May not these human bones found in the noun
a near Snyder be those Of the noted and reyered orig
nator Of the Cherokee alphabet?
So runs the story and query TO which Rev. w A. Dun.
can in the Arrow, says nay" sequoyah went OF into
the southwest In search Of health and home far beyond
the possible encroachments Of the troublesome white
man just how far he and his small party of friends IN
cuding his iouneyed is known probably as far
as New Mexico and possibly, south Of the Rio Grandc
Becoming ILL., Sequoyah remained somewhere the south
west and his son came home, probably for aid When
the sons parg returned IN search of the old gentleman
no trace ~ lm could be found nor has his last resting
place ben discovered When the news OF the recent
Oklahoma find made public, Mrs. L. L. Keyes dis
tant relative Of sequoyah residing Ia ynIta wrote 10
the gentleman who made the discovery for full parcu-
lars From the contets Of her letter and the specific in
II
than ever convinced that he had found the noted Chero
kee He even offered to pay the ladys expenses 10 sny
der II she would visit the place but her state of health
would not permit the journey
But this little story IS rudcy shattered by .swatr Dun
can, who knows, probably as much about the cfcun1
stances surrounding Sequoyahs disappearance as ans l,
ing Cherokee He says
There has been much 'sagasm written about seauo
yah and sam Houston that any one conyerant with facts
nj Is IL
things new or unusual always wish 70 drift into the
wonderful prodigous startlirgg Is It because Of tie
almighty ego that dominates al, or what? That
Wichita find cannot be the relics Of George Guess wish
Il could be proven The medal dates too FAR back
Truly Jefferson made president In ls0I:bu Guess did
not complete his alphabet till ls2 OF course no one al
Washington could have known Of that invention until
after that date II appears that officials of the govern
ment were eognlzant OF Guess invention IN this way
David Brown writing from Willstown Cherokee Nation
East, under date Of September 1925 informed the ed
itor Of the Family visitor at Richmond Va Of that In
Venion; and under date Of December u. is25 Thos l.
Mckinney superintendent Of Indian affairs IN letter
addressed TO James Barbour secretary Of wa having re-
eeyed his Information from Browns letter. Informed that
officer Of the invention Of the Cherokee alphabet and
gave the name Of Guess its inventor and also trans
mitted a fun copy Of tie alphabet to him.
The American Board OF Commissioners Tor Foreign,
Missions established their mission In the old Cherokee
nation N 1871 ON March 3 1884, they submiteda mem.
oria TO congress asking for aid n carrying on their work
In this memorial they dwelt upon the progress made on
tie part Of the Cherokees but said nothing about the IN
yention Of tie Cherokee alphabet which they could not
have failed 70 do had they known that such Invention
had been made by Cherokee In Ike manner. about
the same date agents Of other missions among tie Cher
okees N representing 70 the government tie progress 81
The people said nothing about the invention Of the a.
phalel.
70 writer @ the present day has presented tie public
with an adequate representation of SeQuoyah a. man
II Is not al all adequate to simply say he was great
MANA Cadmus lie greater man than Cadmn,
Cadmus did not invent bis letters lie only picked them
up among The Phoenlcans who lad borrowed from the
Hebrews Was not Hiram Phoeniclan. aud did not he
md Solomon live IN closest nelghb0rshpY II was sad
BY line scholar Nor Is Il less worthy or note that not
M Instance Is known IN which any man. or set ef men
'yef Invented the Of etteb by their own nnaided
oowerA But who ever aided sequoyahY Locked up m
ne Cherokee language alone without an idea ofithe vast
mount Of research being made hy scholars IN the field of
linguistic SCIENCE without the aid Of any pen to ot down
otes IA aid Of his memory he undertook tho work o de
ueng from The nebulous elements Of the Cherokee
ongue the eghysx principal sounds Of which IT Is com
osed' and marking them down IN letters Aud lie sue.
eeded too. II will take a greater man than ans news
aper writer to tingly tell about soqnoyah 10 do hat
% wlll have to take up The mind Of the man. inspect
ae faculty and tell is force and the service il rendered
2 TIE grand achievement Which crowned his labors IL
lc such Is the only way 10 gauge the magnitude Of an
IAN Environments are nothing but a nestlofistleks
a. DUNCAN