The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-13

Indians would likely stop long in, par ttcularly travelling on foot. as they were obliged to do, for the Southwest ern Indians knew nothing of horses until they were introduced in this country by the Spaniards.
 And building forts with logs by a people who knew nothing of the uses of the axe. nor had any, would l, think. be tough undertaking. All that I have seen and heard satisfies me at least that the Creeks, Alabamas and other little bands connected with themi originally inhabited the skirts of the timbered country between the Rio Grande or Del Norte and the Missis- sippi River, near the Gulf Coast, which the names of creeks. rivers and many other things win show. The Choc- taws. Nitches, ChiclSasaws. Nacodoches and Nathichoces. inhabited pretty much the same country.
 CREEKS AND ALLIED
 TRIBES WE'RE WARLIIkE.
 It is true that cortez found a much more civilized and much more tinid race to contend with than any of the tribes that I have mentioned, and that the Creeks that have mentioned ever were, or considered themselves sub jects of the Great Mexican Empire, I am very much inclined to doubt. from what know of them. Even the pres ent civilized and Christiantzed rulers of Mexico who are almost to q man, of the old race, never exercised any 'ong troI over the Indians within her bor- ders, and this has been the case ever since she got from under the Spanish rule.
 I can neither read French nor Span- ish, but the few translations that have seen taken from the travels of European visitors, both French and nfa RnnfFa dfct0TV and for that reason have been inclined to credit the Indian tradition. And. even if a history, taken from European trav- elers, somewhat in the shape Of a novel, is to be relied upon. some man in his account of the conquest of Flor ida admits that the Creeks, Muscogees. or Coosas, disputed the passage of Soto through the country--that is Alabama and Georgia. It has been a long time since read 1t, and then but little, but if am not mistaken 1t spoke of war or battle with Chief called Tuskaloosa.
 The Creeks themselves said that there was once among them giant chief, Tustanugga Lusta, or Black War rior, and that his home was on the river of that name. l have seen no history of Louislana--except the Tax Collectors book-and that record l dislike to read and I cannot say at WlldI IlluG blSHNllG anu HIS OAothNAs Iberville, came to the country but one thing is certain. the French knew something of Mobile and It's immedi- ate vicinity at an early day; but they knew very little of the interior of Alabama, until after the defeat of Gen. eral Braddock near Pittsburg, which was in 1755.
 The newt year they came down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and drove the Witches Indians from where the present city of Natchez, Miss, now IS. The Witches immediately emigrated to join their old friends. the Creeks, and settle at the Talisee old Fields, on TalIiseehatchy, or Talisee Creek. m TaIladega County. and the French very shortly afterwards moved up. the Ala bama River to the junction of the Coosa and Tallapoosa River and built a little village near to old Fort Jack son.
 have seen Indians as we'll as ne- groes who traded with the French, while there. though their stay was but for a few years. James McQueen-a Seotchman, the first white man l ever heard of being with the Creeks and Polander by the name ofAMoniac, with the Witches and Creek Indians. broke up the French settlement at the fork of the rivers. And fl was on the re- turn of the French down the Alabama River that they threw up an entrench- ment at Durnad's or Durants Bend. and another at the mouth of Cahawba and the Alabama Indians were said to be the most bitter enemies the French had, except the Witches.
 We are to judge from what Colonel Pickett said in his version of the mat ter, that there were neithef AIabamas or Muscogees in what is known as the Creek country before Soto passed through. The ChattahOochee Indians, who were fMuscogees. would show as long as they lived, many places where De Soto. or Soto. camped.
 OLD CAMPING PLACES OF
 DE SOTO AND HIS MEN.
 There is a place on the Apalachtcola River that Is yet known as DeSoto's Camp. The Indians call it "Spanny Wakka," that is, "the Spaniards lay there" The Indians could tell of the old Spanish Notifications in Jones County. Georgia, also the one on the Ocmulgee. above Fort Hawkins, and 1t is evident that they must have been in the country before DeSoto passed through--and. besides. was in Flor