The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-25

the Six Nations. In extent this was
but d 1.-THE of the territory they once
had held undisputed sway over. While
ne was getting this he was secretly TO
mentins war among the Indians west
Of the Aileghanies and sounding the
temper of the tribes that rOamed the
forests and prairies clear to the banks
Of the Mississippi
When he had wrUng from his former
allies the English. the little strip of
ground in Canada, and when all along
the frontier the Indian nations were
ripe for revolt, he went TO England to
seek full settlement Of the claims Of his
people against the British crown. He
did not go as a suppliant. Fully formed
in every detail he carried in his crafty,
political brain a vast scheme plan
for winning back the empire that
Britain had lost He proposed to King
Georges prime minister. and then in
private audience to the king himself.
the plan Of forming a great COnfederacy
Of all the Indians east Of the Mississip-
pi, to make war on the colonies all along
the frontier, while Great Britain, avail
ing herself Of some plausible excuse,
should attack the sea board cities, close
the harbOrs and land troops wherever
opportunity offered. The colonies were
PROSTATE after their long struggle for
i
~ 100000 Indians between the western
boundary and the great river, and per-
haps 10000 or 50, 600 braves could take
the field If Great Britain would supply
the arms, ammunition and general
equipment.
Had it not been that England had so
much to engage her attention across the
channel. Brant's scheme might have
been taken UP. But England and all
Europe were trembling IN dread OF the
Corsican, and England's armies were
needed more at home. So Brant's great
plans came to naught. Undoubtedly he
felt that even if it did fail it would eX-
ert a greater leverage in securing his
demands for his people. At any rate,
the crown conceded some Of the things
he asked, and his years stay in London
was not altogether frUitless.
But the western Indians had no idea
Of diplomacy and plotting. They cared
little that Brants scheme had failed.
They continued to wage desultory war
on the fTOnueTsmen who were beginning
to settle west Of the Alleghanies, and it
was not until 1898, when Mad Anthony
Wayne was sent against them and ad-
ministered a crushing defeat at the bait
tie Of Falling Timbers. on the Maumee,
that their power was broken.
Brant had no part fin this uprising.
He openly exerted himself to the ut
most To brins about and preserve peace
between the Indians and their white
neighbors I'm the Ohio country. He
realized that without the support of the
British the cause of the Indians was
hopeless Brant then turned himself to
the arts of peace. He translated the
Book Of Common Prayer ana the gospel
Of st. Mark into the Mohawk tongue,
and instilled into mis- people by precepr
and example the virtues of temperance
and religion.
All through his life he had been an
abstainer from liQuor-the curse Of the
red men. But I'm his own family his
teachings awaited the least. One Of his
own sons became a drUnkard, vicious
and deDravcd One day in a drunken
rage this son menaced the lives of his
father and his family, and his father
slew him with a stroke of his toma-
hawk.
Mourning over his son, mourning over
his blasted hopes, mourning over his
people, Joseph Brant. the greatest red
man the world has ever. known, died on
the oath of November, 1907, on alien
soil, near Lake Ontario, in Canada.
Copyright, 1909 by Richard SpfIlane.