The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-08-13
49, 1908

and Gov Harrison managed the Inu.,esh
with great tact. securing large conceSs
sions of land from them, The constant
encroachment of the whites, aided BY
bad whisky and British emissaries, kept
the Indians In constant ferment, how
ever, and they frequently complained
to Harrison that his people were unlike
the French. with whom they lived al
ways in amity. The French settlers
took up little land for their own use,
but did not dispossess the Indians or
abridge their privileges in any way
There rose at this time two wonder
fully able leaders for these Indians. A
Creek woman had born to her on the
banks of the Mad River, near what is
now Springfield, o., three sons-Te-
cumseh, Elkswatawa and Kamakaka.
Tecumseh I'D Elkswatawa.
Tecumseh. whose name meant in
Shawnees, THE Flying Panther, or the
Wild Cat Leaping Upon Its Prey" be-
came a noted warrior. Elkswatawa
took the religious side of the situation,
and was known as the Prophet. He
claimed to have visions from Heaven
people should do. The third son, Kama
kaka, never came into prominence.
Tecumseh and the Prophet began a
systematic effort to secure ascendancy
over all the Indians, and were remark
ably successful. They went from the
Allegheny Mountains to the Mississippi
River, stirring up the Indians. assuring
them that the treaties ceding their lands
were void, and that il they would unite
they could recover all their hunting
grounds. Harrison went directly among
the Indians, denounced the Prophet as
a dangerous fool and as an emissary of
the British, and counseled the tribes to
send him about his business. The Shaw
nees followed this advice, but the Weas,'
Kickapcos and others adhered to Te-
cumseh and the Prophet.
Shortly after Harrison made treaty
by which he secured cession of 3,000,-
600 acres on the Wabash near Terre
Haute. Tecumseh and the Prophet de-
nounced this treaty, and threatened to
kill every chief who had signed 1t. There
was a remarkable council held at Vim
cennes between Harrison and Tecumseh,
in which Tecumseh played the role of
the noble red man with great dignity
and effectiveness. He refused to enter
the Governors house, saying that In
dams held their councils under the free
skies. and he made a speech of remark
able eloquence to the great crowd of
whites who had gathered. At the con-
clusion of his speech the Governor Of
IeTeu MIN IL CIidiT VIII tie IcLidl n,
Your father requests you to take a seat
by his side" Tecumseh drew his fur
robe around him, and, standing stiffly
erect, answered scornfully, my fatherl
The sun is my father and the earth is
my mother On her bosom will I re-
pose" Then he threw himself on the
ground. He was bold, even arrogant in
his demands upon Harrison to give back
all the lands which the Indians had
coded, and he reiterated his purpose to
kill all the chiefs who had assented to
the concessions. Gov Harrison told him
that he had nothing to do with the
lands which had recently been coded.
These were the property of the Miamis,
who had owned them long before the
Shawnees came into the country. Te-
cumseh's face flushed with anger; he
threw off his robe, and gave he lie to
what the Governor had said. His war
riors, of whom 80 had accompanied Te-
to the council, brandished their
the Governor drew his
sword, the guard of IL soldiers rushed
up, and the civilians present seized any
weapon that was handy. 1t was very
critical moment, but collision was
prevented by Harrison's GOODNESS in re-
straining the guard from firing. Te-
cumseh afterwards apologized for his
violence and asked for a renewal of the
but 1t was soon seen that it
would lead to nothing, as he would not
recede from his demand for abandon
ment of the country.