Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1907-04-03
WANT BODY or CHIEF
 RETURNED.

'ution for relies as well as the un"uc nrdor displayed hy n contributor |" that institution, in the state of Flofidh, has culminatcd in n matter of serions importance. The body of Tom Tlg'f' n Seminole chief, was taken from its prayc and sent Co the Smithsonian in | stitute at Washington, it is charged | hv the Indians, who charactcrizc the d,cd as an net of vandalism and are greatly wrought uP. Feeling ran so nigh among inc In dinns that in tribal council assembled
 the decision was reached that if the | bones were not returned to their earth
 ly ,,pec within ono moon they would
 kill many white men.
 Owing to the fact that these IndilhS
 can muster jj able bodied warriors, all
 well armed with knowledge of the
 impcnctrablc everglades which inSutcs them safe ana sure retreat, the white people in the locality through inc coun " commissioners. opened communica' ton with the Indian office at Washing
 ton expressing fear that serious trouble
 will occur unless the demands of the
 Scminolcs are immediately complied
 with and urge haste. as the time limit
 set bv the Indians iS shortening and it
 is feared that they could kill many
 white people before they could h"
 checked.
 Although the Indian office has n" lur
 isdiction over these Scminnlcs. who are
 m Floridn. the matter was immediately presented to the notice of inc smith
 sonian institution. and that institution
 promptly disowncd the deed as we'll a~
 the collector. whom they say K in no
 manner associated with the institution.
 wbcrcupon the Indian office notified tho
 county commissioners for St Lucic
 county that the ease was one for their
 local courts to prosecute.
 lt appears that q collector of antrr,- biological relics has been m communica
 'ion with the Smithsonian institution
 concerning some Seminole relics which , hc desired to ship to the national nu.
 scum. and the Smithsonian institution
 believing that the relics consisted oi
 antiquntcd bones. weapons ana dcm's
 lie implements had practically acccptcI
 the contributions and was in core
 spondcncc with the collector concern . ing the packing and shipping of the
 exhibit.
 | Meantime the bones of Tom Tig'i n cry loud for vengeance, and the dis h agreeable duty of replacing them in ;h, , grave will no doubt dcvolvc upon th, I anthropologcal expert and in who's, !. custody tho remains appear to be a' r present.
 [ The officials of the Smithsonian ir | stitution have stoutly denied al s knowledge of the matter, however, il was aseertaincd that they were shor,l,
 expecting the relies to arrive.
 n In event the remains of the Seminol, }. chieftain are not restored within tho n time limit set by the angry braves il ' is altogether probable that serious acti }. of retaliation will occur, and though !. the number of rcd skinned warriors i, |, not as great as formerly, yet it will b' Q remembered that it took the govern
 ment seven years to stamp out ths last l. Indian trouble in that section and co. T hundreds of lives and millions of dol n lars, and probably would not have end t ed then had it not been for the treach [ erous captur, of the chief. Oseclo, wh, l. was made prisoner during n convention c under the flag of truce.
 q The early reports of these Indian, r. dating as far back as l75O, show then C t0 be vagrant tribe of Greeks wh, r. ara called tho Scminoles or wanderers f They numbered about A,OOO men ant
 women and children, and since tla'
 time the number has decreased to ,. about 5000, only about goo of whicl
 arc in Florida, the balance being in
 Indian Territory, with the exception !. of few in Mexico and Texas.
 !. That the residents of that part of ], Florida are thoroughly alarmed con c corning the matter is shown by ths n correspondence of one of the official, ,. of St. Lucie county. who writes: wv, n are on the verge of another Seminol, c war. A collector of relies robbed th, { grave of the late Tom Tiger, n Sem c mole chief, taking thercfrom his bone, !. and belongings. and said he intended d to take them to the Smithsonian insti n tuition. The Indians say that if hi, | relics are not returned before anothe,