Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1908-12-19
LAST OF MEDICINE
men OF CREEKS
Alabama PrOhet'' Had
Wonderful Career.

St. Louis, Mo-, Dec. 1S.-Hutcho
Nuppar, the last of the medicine
men of the Greek tribe, and a prohet,
statesman, and soldier, died at his
home in the wilderness in the wes-
tern part of the Creek Nation, a few
days ago. About his life are woven
some of the most interesting Incl
dents of the later years of the Creek
tribe. He died at the age of 50
years.
To all English-speaking people
who knew him Hutcho Nuppar was
known as the Alabama Prophet. -
He came from Alabama when a
child, and until his dying day main
tanned that he was under the guild
ance of the Great Spirit who direct
ed all his movements 1t was he who
made the medicine, powerful enc
tic, drunk by all the Indians, just
before they started their annual
stomp dances, and no Indian thought
lof beginning to dance until he had
been thoroughly purged.
; 1t was their belief that this enc
tic relieved the body of impending
disease and the soul of sin and kept
them free from evil influences un-
til the next annual stomp dance.
when the same ceremony was re-
peated No one except Hutcho Nup-
par knew the secret of this medi-
cine, and he died without passing
it to any of his clan.
Hutcho Nuppar was principal adj
wiser of the great Isparheecher, when
the latter was chief of the Creeks
and during the Green Peach war.
In fact, it was Hutcho Nuppar who
precipitated this war. He was loyal
Union man during the civil war, and
when the emissaries of the Confed-
eracy attempted to enlist him with
majority of the Creeks who went
with the Southern cause, he refused
to listen and exhorted his friends to
remain loyal to the treaty made with
the Great Father at Washington.
He and his followers took cause
and made fight for the Union, and
have since been termed Loyal
Creeks" and have drawn large sums
of money from the Government for
losses sustained to property during
the four years of war when their
homes We're overrun and devastated
by Indians who had joined the Con-
| federacy.
In 1880 Hutcho Nuppar became
involved in a quarrel with another
Indian and killed him in self-de-
tense, he pleaded He was arrested
and taken before the Indian Court,
which was held where the town of
Wetumka now stands for trial The
clerk of the court at that time was
an educated half-breed. Hutcho Nup-
par was unconcerned about his trial
and insisted that the Great Spirit
would not permit them to harm him,
no matter what would be the decis-
ion of the court
The clerk sneered at the old medi-
cine mans theories. and called him
an ignorant and superstitious inn
poster Hutcho Nuppar became in
censed, and, stretching forth his
hand, pointed in scorn to the young
man. and exclaim: Young man, I
can call down lightning from the
heavens to destry you as easily as
can raise my arm, And just
then, so it is related, there came a
terrific bolt of lightning that Jared
the building in which the court
was being held
The officers of the court before
which Hutcho Nuppar was being
tried belonged to the Southern ele-
ment of the Creeks, and his zeal
Gus adherents, believing he would
not get a fair trial, surrounded the
Court House just after the incident
mentioned, and without bloodshed,
succeeded in taking him away from
the court
This precipitated the civil war
among the Creeks, which is known
as the Green Peach war, because it
happened in the early summer, the
principal battle of which was at
Rock Creek, three miles south of
where Okeemah now stands, and
in which more than fifty Indians
were killed. Although the faction to
which Hutcho Nupper belonged was
successful in battle, he later was
tried and convicted of the murder on
the same charge that had started
the war and was sentenced to death.
The same Indifference that had
characterized his actions during the
first trial was apparent, and he in
sisted that the Great Spirit would
not permit them to execute him.
And, sure, enough, Isparheecher,
who had then come into power, not
only pardoned the old medicine man,
but made him his chief adviser.