Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-20
FAMOUS INDIAN CHIEF
Last Resting Place to Be Found in
Quiet. saltwater in
Maine.

\
Beneath the sheftering branches of gi-
gantic pine which stands alone on the sum
nit of high ridge in the village of Still
water, where the swift running saltwater
joins the mightier Penobscot, lie the re-
mains of Joseph Orono, Names noblest red
man. the friend OF the white man and of
peace. History tells almost nothing of this
once mighty Tarsatine chief. of the deeds Of
his life or the manner OF his death, but ira
ditfon, accurate In this case beyond all rea-
sonable dovbt, fixes his burial Tltp.e under
the old pine which has stood q solitary SEN
tinel overlooking the towns of OIono and
saltwater for generations. The tree Is on
the farm now owned by Byron Porter, but
originally the home of Col Charles D. Jame-
son, famous civil war hero, who was
wounded and came home to die.
When Capt. George Weymouth, whose ex-
pioits of 300 years ago have recently been
commemorated at Thomaston, first landed
In Maine he found that two great indian
now known as Maine-the Abenaques and
Etchemins. OF the Abenaques, or Abenakis,
the Tarratine tribe was the largest and
most powerful. 1t held undisputed sway
over that region now known as Old Town,
Orono and Bangor In their contests with
other tribes the Tarratines were almost
always victorious, for the braves were
hardy and warlike and governed by couf-
ageoGs and sagaeious ch;efs.
The Tarratines according TO the carry
white settlers, were neither aggressive nor
cruel They rarely made war on the whites,
and it is claimed that for nearly full CEN
fury after the settlement o. Maine no
white man was ever wantonly Killed py
them Old settlers in this part of the state
have told many stories OF lnclan GRATITUDE
The earliest available history of the
tribe shows that it was ruled by chel
called Madockawando whose close COM
,tru ND a2t
erous medicine man. Mogg Megone- Ma.
dockawando was succeeded ~ Moxus, OF
whom little is known. TIE successor OF the
latter was Joseph Orono, born III 1893.
Devoted to American Cause.
Tra dit.on. as we'll as history. indicates
that during Orono's reign the narratives
were very friendly to the whites In lisl
Orono fitted out at its own expense an sx-
press to Machias to warn the inhanitan1s
that British flee. of five briggs ana fiSe
schooners was off the coast planning an at
tack So interested was. he In the cause
of the Americans that he gathered together
q large number Of his bravest and best
men and marched afoot to Boston. Two
days after the battle of Bunker Hill he APP
peared before the commander of the Ameri-
can forces and offered his services and
those of his men. He was publicly enter
tanned by leading men of Boston. AithouSn
his offer was not accepted, he was sent
home feeling that the white man was his
friend.
Chief Orono in his last years continued to
inculcate the principles of peace. His deal
ings with the white settlers were business
like and honest. 1t Is undoubtedly true
that the harmonious relations which existed
along the Penobseot for half century
were due to the noble nature and shrewd
mind of Orono more than to anything else.
An Orono woman who died few years
acr, h n a ri CT
chief She describes him as being more
than six feet tall sinewy and straight as
an arrow, with mild blue eyes. The latter
would seem to indicate the truth of the re-
port that he was of white origin, the story
being that he was stolen when a baby from
white parents in the vicinity of Brunswic
There is much to substantiate this state
ment particularly the belief OF Orono him
self that it was true. His belief was prob
ably founded on investigations which he
had made among the members of his tribe
when he was yet a young man.
Orono died in 1901 at the age of 113 years.
he was mourued alike by red man and
white and the exercises over his body by
the red men lasted seven days, during
which time the Tarratines tasted. His body
was placed, with his war robes, tomahawks
and stone pipe, under the old pine tree
which still marks his grave. There the
tribe had It's principal village for a century
or more Now it IS the midst of a peaceful,
populous community. The white man has
taken all the territory over which Orono
once ruled.
All that remains of the once powerful
tribe is the handful who now live on Indian
Island and who pursue the peaceful calling
of basket making and guiding.
Almost within a stones throw OF Oronos
burial place in the graveyard of the quiet
village Of saltwater is the grave of Gen.
Charles d. Jameson, who lived on the old
farm where stands the pine tree which
marks the resting place of the last chteftain
of the Tarratines. He was one OF the most
famous of Names war heroes. He enlisted
early in the war, and at the battle of Bull
Run won the star of brgadier. His regi-
ment was one of the few which kept even
the semblance of an organization after the
disasters of that battle.
While absent In the field he was nomi-
mated for governor by boiling convention
of democrats, who refused to accept the
anti-war candidate of the regular conven-
ton. Although defeated, he had the salts
faction of receiving more votes than the
regular candidate of his party.
Exposure and privation produced con-
sumption. and the gallant officer was sent
home to Saltwater to die when he was less
than forty years old. His career was one
of the most brilliant ever recorded Of an
American officer. He was close friend of
Gen. Mcclellan, and 1t had been predicted,
had he lived, he would have risen ito the
highest rank.