The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1907-07-27
KING OF THE IRooUoIs.

SOnuhhGnI 10 SEeaa DEhtAAAs
In the draamtic struggle between
France and England for the mastery Of
this continent 1t was one Irishman's
genius that gave the magnificent prize
to Great Britain.
If the great IroQuois confederacy.
known as the "Six Nations" had
thrown its power upon the side of the
French it Is morally certain that Eng
land would have lost the battle, and the
supremacy would have gone to the
Latin rather than to the Saxon. But
the Iroquois sided with the English,
and that fact was the death knell of
French aspirations.
1t was the great good sense, consum-
mate tact and marvellous personality Of
Sir William johnson that won over,
and held fast, the friendship Of the
powerful red men.
1t was disappointed love affair that
sent johnson to America. In the land
Of the shamrock, a land that he loved
with all his heart, and where, doubt
less, he would have been content to re-
main, he fell in love with a beautiful
girl, who was unable to reciprocate his
affection, and, broken hearted, the
young man sailed for the New World.
He was only % when he landed in
New York, but young as he was he was
intrusted with most important task
that Of the management Of a large
landed estate In the Mohawk valley
belonging to his uncle Sir Peter War
rem.
Sir Peter could not have picked out
a better man to look after his interests
in the New World. johnson attended
to his responsible trust in way that
was both businesslike and honorable.
and his uncle never regretted the conf
dence he had put in him.
In the meantime johnson went into
business for himself, and at a point
some twenty-five miles west of Science
tady began a systematic Indian trade.
In all of his dealings with the red men
he was scrupulously fair, never per-
mitting his agents to wrong them In
any way. He also, automatically and
yet firmly, held the red men to the
rule Of strictest justice. He never
cheated them himself, nor would he
allow them to cheat him.
Johnson's absolute integrity appealed
to the Indians, ard they soon grew to
trust him implicitly. The savages felt
that at last they had struck a paleface
who intended, come what might, to
speak and act truly and honorably.
The wild Mohawks had such rever-
ence for the great-hearted, good-natur-
ed Irishman that they made him
sachem, and when Sachem johnson
spoke the braves listened and obeyed.
BY the time of the breaking out of
hostilities between the French and Eng
lish, johnson had made the powerful
masters Of the Mohawk valley such fast
friends that 1t required but word
from him. to make them the friends
also of Great Britain
The French would cheerfully have
given millions to have procured an
Iroquois alliance, but the mingled BLAIR
ney and fair dealing of the Irishman
defeated the realization of their wish.
and with that the contamination of
their high designs upon this North
American continent.
After the treaty Of 1853, as a token
Of Its appreciation Of his services dur
ing the war, the British government
gave johnson 100000 acres of land
north Of the Mohawk river which had
previously been knighted by the King,
and full Of honors Sir William died
at Johnstown, N. Y, 1774. In his fifty
ninth year.-New York American.