The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-27
Re Cites Certain Features of the Country Around Alabama to Prove Their Inaceuraey.-Much of the Accepted. Indian History Has Been Based on Their Accounts.

noticed it, for know him, to be much clearer of committing such biunders than I can think myself to be. q no doubt could prove that by you). You will find the day and month given in many places; but the hero of the expe- dition dies, the day, month, or year is not named. I notice this to show that Portuguese and Spanish authors at all times are not to be relied on. Now, sir, have travelled through Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkan- sas. and am pretty well acquainted with most of the neighborhoods that the history says De Soto travelled through.
 Now. the idea of marching an army of q thousand men, making the marches as the history describes, and raising hogs feeding on tn ein, dividing them with the Indians, many left to be killed and packed up by the successor while at seal Now, as to this swine story. not written by St. Mark, hope may be at least permitted to doubt It, without shining. There was the Christian Jean Ortez, who was captive long enough to become well acquainted with the language of the Florida In- dians which must have been the Yer macraws. or fiat.footed Yemassees, for they evidently were the first Indians that Inhabited East Florida, the low parts of Georgia and South Carolina, so far as we know: if not, then 1t must have been the Uchys. or Sowan- okees, or Shawnese, for they were the nearest neighbors: we find this man Oftez interpreting, making speeches in Spanish. and in all the Indian dialects wh ere De Soto passed.
 IMPOSSIBLE FEATURES or
 ORTEZ's NARRATIVES.
 As I have lived longer among In- dians than Ortez, and learned to speak SO little, and 1t was not Sampson that killed the panther, I cannot be bound to believe that story, to be saved Now these same Portuguese and Spanish give us a description of the country they passed In the upper parts of Geor- gia and Alabama, and down to the wa tsrs of the Coosa. Now. every person that has read the history. and now knows the country knows the account to be highly exaggerated one. As to the Indian temples, I have nothing to say; everyone that has seen an 1ri-f dian town, has seen an Indian temple. That mode of travelling in a chair, car ried by four men. differs from any travelling among them that have seen or heard of. Those large barns of corn never fell to their lots in my time, Or any of. those old ones that have been acquainted with, so far as could learn; besides, the country, a few little creek valleys excepted. Is a very poor one--that Is. if you will examine the description given by those Portuguese and Spanish gentry, and then examine the country itself
 What have written is to show that the great probability Is, that these writer's have not been faithful in heir narrations. For have traveled more or less in and among all the tribes south of latitude 36 north, and some north of that line, between Georgia and Rio del Eofte, and I think I am somewhat acquainted with the Indian character, and I am certain of this as any one thing I never witnessed, viz., that De Soto, no other man, nor any set of men, could have reduced the Indians to such abject slavery. There is not one Indian, male or female, Tn one hundred. but would have put an end to their existence, rather than submit to such treatment Even as late as lS3s-7, I knew several Indian women, who, rather than risk their children under the control of the Emil grating Indian Agent, put them to death, some of them large enough to walk; and these women had long been acquainted with the whites.
 In fact. knew two men to Kill them selves in Montgomery rather than move, when their whole town people were along, and they were not in any danger. whatever. As long as ours has been a Government, with so many tribes whose names have passed from the earth, there Is not the mark of pen, hisroglyphic, or any vestige what ever, to show that such people ever were warmed by Gods sun. I have never seen the first North American Indian slave, unless 1t was in Barbour County, Alabama. At what was known as. the Pea River Fight, there were some Indian children taken pris- oners. and they were mostly girls. was in Barbour County at late as ls4s. l there saw one or two of the children. If they have not been made slaves, have never heard of any. NO LIVING INDIAN WOULD
 SUBMIT TO SLAVERY.
 The peons, or foot soldiers, in Mex leo and the degraded Central American states are not looked upon, or at least by me, as North American Indians. have no doubt but the tribes inhabiting