The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-25

especially as it recalled a pleasant intro- duetion had in the year 1S42 to the cele- hrated chieftain, his wife and two daugh- ters. through the politeness of Mir. Reeves Of Virginia, at the Presidents mansion in Washington; but it also recalled one of the well-remernbered notifications of my life, when from mere bashfulness l permitted President Tyler, who was in- troduced few minutes later to the young ladies, to offer his arm and walk off with both of them just as we were getting into a pleasant conversation; and l have felt ever since that notwithstanding he was President of the United States it was my duty to have offered at least to apply the maxim of divide and con quer' At the time of this meeting at the White House Chief John Ross and his tribe of Cherolees were living in the Indian Territory. Two Of his sons were editors The Cherokee nation, from the earliest records, have attracted. great at- tention among learned antiquarians, sci entists and philosophical societies, per- haps on account of their superior intelli- gence and marked difference between them and the other tribes In very many ways Cut off and far removed from the kindred tribes of their group, the Iroquois, they still retained those dominant traits of heart and brain that betokens good blood in their veins. Compared 10 their neighbors, they were like the Japanese to their surrounding nations. They were conspicuous for sincerity and a high sense of personal honor, and appreciating the advantages of civilized life, adopted many of the customs of the whites. At the period of their removal to the west, numbers of them had comfortable dwell- ing houses and well cultivated farms. Of arfn ala mi among them as there Is in all races, but upon an average they show up mighty well. A small remnant of them never emigrated, but remained on a special res ervation in western North Carolina; their dialect was somewhat different from that of the lower Cherokees (those residing in east Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama) and was spoken from the Blue Ridge to the Cowee mountains, formerly by the middle Cherokees. Some important man. uscripts relating to the tribe were ob- tained by Mr. Mooney. on the East Cher ol1ee reservation, in the autumn of 1888, and are now in the library of the Bureau of Ethnology at Washington and of spe cial value are the writings of Inali, known as Black Fox. 'who died at an ad- vanced age about the year 1885, and who was a prominent man among his people, and endowed with literary tastes and dur ing his long life filled the various offices of keeper (secretary) of the council of records; preacher, Sunday school leader, officer of Cherokee troops in the Con- federate service, doctor and conjurer, ap- parently returning in his old age to the Indian faith of his forefathers. The manuscripts were found in possession of his daughter"
 "A History of the Province of Geor- gia," by John Gerar William De Brahm, His Majesty's surveyor-general for the southern district of North America, printed in London in 1919, contains list of Cherokee Indian towns in the province of Georgia, on page 54 and list of the Creek Indian towns in the province of Georgia, pages 54 and 55; copies are in libraries and in the Boston Atheneum and British Museum. Their work fur nishes reliable data to the student of his tory being compiled from notes made during the English occupation and pub lished in after years. It settles all dis putes upon the localities mentioned, dis tance apart, size and style of houses along with many explanatory notes
 It is difficult to realize that such people ever existed in our present domain, and in years not far remote; 1t impresses us while reading of them that they belong to a world fast passing away and leaving hardly trace of wreck behind. We do not know how long the Indians held pos- session of our territory, but we behold the evidence of what the white race has done in half a century. Industry and commerce are now lords of all they sur vey.
 Blount Springs, Ala, October T, 1909