The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-17

been very long in their settlement when he became attached to young Indian girl. the daughter of widowed squaw Whether they were regular ly married or not Is not known.
 Tn the year 1903 or 1894 tthere can be only approximate dates), a son was born to them: and as the first rays of the rising sun darted through the door of the wigwam and fell across the new born child. they named him Osccola or the IRising Sum-. For some cause or other he was also called l "Black Drink" but among the white 1 people he was commonly called Pow ell. Where the event of his birth took place is not definitely known. but 1t . was probably in Florida near the 1 Georgia line and somewhere near the confluence of the Flint and Chatta- hoochee rivers.
 Whether Powell, senior, died or be- came enamcred of some other squaw and went off to Arkansas Is not known. I have heard that the latter is true. But the little squaw- mother chung 10 the baby, the boy. and the man. Osceola, as long as she lived. Her little brown hands held him. and nursed him. and led him. and made bows and arrows for him. until he was able to take care of himself. Man may come and man may go but the wo-
 
 We are not sufficiently well ac- quainted with Csceola's early life to know whether or not, in his youth, he gave evidence of that power to impress men which was so marked in after years. Nor does any known act of his boyhood characterize him as cruel lawiess murderer. But 1t is known that he was a typical Indian loafer, much around the white mans settlements and stores, but was not drunkard
 His appearance was such that he might have been taken for full blood Indian, rather than a half-breed. is an acsertained fact that a pure blooded white child born and reared among Indians. Chinese. Japanese or other distinctly marked people, will have somewhat of the appearance of that people by which he is surrounded.
 Osceola's hair was very black and straight and coarse. He was not stout and was a little below the com- mon height of the Seminole; nor was he as straight as the Indian usually is. The muscles over his shoulder blades were quite large, which gave him the appearance of being a little hump shouldered. He was fond of good dress but cared little for very bright colors. His buckskin shirt reaching
 
 or leggings and moccasine were pro- fusely fringed and beaded. His tur- ban of gray and white stun was adorn- ed with feathers and his long earrings were of coin silver.
 Osceola was not an hereditary chief and seems to have had nothing to do with the making of the laws for the government of his tribe.
 OPPOSED EMIGRATION.
 When the United States Government determined to send the Indians to Ar kansas, meeting or council of all the head men of the tribe was proposed at Paine's Landing in 1892, to get their opinions concerning the subject A sufficient number of chiefs and promi- nent men were present to bind the tribe to emigrate. A cash payment of $15.40O was to be made then and an amount of $3,o0o annually thereafter for fifteen years, and suitable amount of land In Arkansas. This was the consideration, which was thought quite a fair proposition at that time. even by the Indians themselves. Time was given them to dispose of their be- longings and they were required to meet at designated points to emigrate.
 In the mean time committee of ln- dians had been sent to Arkansas. to in- vestigate the lands. An unfavorable report had been made and there Is where the trouble began. Thus when the time appointed for the exodus ar rived, the Indians failed to appear at
 Osceola, after the signing of the treaty, became very active to defeat it's provisions. From town to town, from council to council he went All the eloquence that he could command was used; his energy was raised to its utmost and never flagged His vehe- mence astonished and alarmed the chiefs and conservative men of the tribe, while the younger men cheered him. calling him the power of the tribe" and swore to follow him even to their extermination. Old Micanopy, the king or head chief was disposed at first to obey the government. but was intimidated or otherwise influenced by Osceola, and he also refused to go.
 At this juncture. the Government sent General Wiley Thompson to