Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-10-17
ABOUT THE cATAWBAs.
Mr.. A. 8. White Gives Some Interesting
Facts az to Their History.

Courier: I have seen something from
time to time lately in your column.
In regard to the Catawba Indians; a,
to how they came into possession and
how they lost possession Of what 1.
known as the Indian land" situated
in York and Lancaster counties, 9
C. Thinking that perhaps am about
as we'll acquainted with the facts OF
the case as any other person now
living, I venture to write and send tc
you, IL you care to publish it, what
I can recollect about the matter.
have no access to any state or county
records at all.
The nation, or tribe, Of Catawbas
are said to have immigrated here
from Canada about two hundred years
ago. and the journey was a constant
fight with the other tribes on the way
1t is we'll known that after the
whites came among them all the
other tribes around were hostile to-
ward them. Consequently in all the
wars following the settlement Of the
country by the whites the Catawbas
always sided with the whites, and al
so in the Revolutionary and the late
Civil war
Some time about 1745 the British
government, under King George IL
granted a tract Of land thirty miles
square in this section Of the coun.
try to the Catawbas, and built them
fort on 1t as a sort Of bulwark
against the hostile tribes of the north
west. Traces of the old fort still
exist about a mile southwest Of Fort
Mill. 1t was never used either by
whites or Indians.
After the revolution a new treaty
was made with them. AS they had
lost large numbers by smallpox (per.
haps two-thirds) some time before
they were told that fifteen miles
square, half of what King George had
given, was sufficient. The Indians moi
not being well grounded in square
measure, agreed. So 10 miles square
was laid off, taking in the Indianland
township of Lancaster county, and
the townships of Fort Mill, Catawba
Bethesda and Ebenezer Of York.
I do not think the land was ever
marked by surveyor, but the state
ment above is near enough correct
for our present purpose.
There was a commission appointed
by the state to lay the land of in
allotments. These were assigned to
heads of families, who drew specified
rents from the white settlers occupy
ing the lots. For some years the
commission agents saw that the rents
were properly paid. While that last
ed things went well. Some OF the
Indians grew comparatively rich
owned negro slaves and other prop
erty. But in the course Of time they
were allowed to take the collection
of rents in their own hands, then all
went into chaos and confusion. Many,
like Sam Scott, for instance, would
take bottle Of whisky for their
whole years rent, and many white
men would do business with them In
that way until 1t became an intoler-
able disgrace to the country.
About 1910 a new treaty was made
with them. Some Of the best and
most intelligent had affiliated with the
Cherokees and had gone to live In
Haywood county. North Carolina. The
agreement in 1910 was that the In
dams were to sell their land to the
state for $4,000, and move away to
North Carolina, or the Indian Terri
tory. beyond the Mississippi river
The treaty was duly made and I be.
lieve 1t stands recorded In Columbia;
by a clerical error or not, that the
state pays $4,000 for fifteen square
miles Of land, a very fair price
$2.18 per acre-but 1t should be fif-
teen miles square (quite differently
less than Is cents per acre.
The treaty was made without con-
sulting the North Carolina authori-
ties as to our Indians going there
When the agent was ordered to ask
permission of the governor Of North
Carolina, Governor Morehead's re-
fusal was prompt and decisive.
I'VE will no more allow your In
dams to come here than you would
allow ours to go there" Then the
next alternative was, beyond the Mis-
sissippi. When it came to that the
poor Indians backed out and nobody
had the heart to use force, as they
had used 1t in Georgia a few years
before. One consolation was that
they would soon die out and disap-
pear and settle the trouble that way
A new arrangement had to be made
The agent was ordered to buy about
600 acres Of fairly good land on the
river, II possible, and stock, farming
tools, etc., and place them on It,
which arrangement all went to pieces
In a short while; indeed all knew II
was hopeless from the start.
The price paid for the land was,
believe. $6 an acre, the same land
the state bought from the Indians
two years before for less than 10
cents an acre. 1t was finally fixed
that the land should remain as
reservation for those who might
choose to live on it, and the agent
was to draw about $1,000 a year to
be laid out in purchasing supplies;
this to continue while the money
lasted, as 1t did until about the be-
ginning of the Civil war.
The event has proved that they did
not die out and solve the problem
as was expected. but there are more
of them than there were sixty years
ago, and I say the state owes help,
and a good deal of it, in their present
bad condition. A. ). WHITE.
Fort Mill, October 10.
-,oepo ppnrEcT EAPMS