The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1909-07-23
THE INDIAN WHO
INVENTED AN ALPHABET

once organized party of about eight
men, and started out TO find the lost
band OF Cherokees. His relatives
were very sad at seeing Sequoyah
start on his trip, and tried to per-
suade him not to attempt it. They
told him he would never get back.
But he was in good spirits and seemed
hopeful, and laughed and chatted and
told them to have no fears for him.
Then he examined the provisions of
his party to see how they were sup
piled. Each man carried little sack
of kuh-whes-i-tah, which is Indian
corn parched and pounded up and ce-
mented into a ball with syrup. 1t
was one of the main foods the Indian
depended upon on hunting trip.
The party expected to kill enough
game to furnish them with meat.
All of the men of the party except
Sequoyah returned in few weeks.
They said that when they came to
the plains Sequoyah became sick
with dysentery from drinking the al
kali water, which was all they had
there. On account of his sickness
they frequently had to stop to let
him rest and recuperate. Game was
very scarce, and Sequoyah would send
the men out each day to hunt while
he stayed in camp. They made it
point to return every evening. but
one day they went so far that they
did not get back that night. Next
day when they got back to their
camp, which was in a cave in the
hills, Sequoyah was gone, but had
left them letter stating that they
would find him at cave little fur
Their on. They went on to that cave
and found him dead He had sue
cumbed to the dysentery and thirst.
and had left them no words that they
could find, except his history manu-
script of the Cherokees, which he had
taken with him. They decided at
once to return home, so, wrapping
his body together with the manu-
script of his history in blanket. they
laid him high on the shelf of rocks in
the cave, and started back, intending
to return with larger party for the
remains.
When those men got back home
and told their story another party
was at once organized and started
back to get Sequoyah's body, but they
could not find the cave where the
men had left him. In vain they
searched, and after being gone sew
eral weeks they returned and report
ed their bad luck. Other parties were
sent out. but they had no better sue
cess. The men who had been with
Sequoyah were utterly unable to find
even the caves where they had
camped, and consequently the last
resting place of the great Cherokee
has always remained unknown.
Several years ago skeleton was
found in cave in the Wichita noun
tains, which was thought at first to
be that of Sequoyah, but it could not
be identified with certainty. One of
the thigh bones of the skeleton was
defective. showing an injury in life.
Sequoyah limped from lame thigh
caused by white swelling in child
hood, and that seemed to be one point
of identity. A Jeffersonian medal
was also found with the skeleton, and
it is believed that Sequoyah had such
a medal given him by the United
States Gover1ment-but that is not
certain. While Sequoyah was still
living in Alabama he was sent by the
Cherokees as a delegate to Washing
ton on the question of the removal of
the tribe, and while there he received
many complimentary attentions from
the officials, His picture was made,
and is now preserved among the ar
chives at Washington, but whether he
received a medal is not known.
OF all the brilliant Cherokees, Sc
quoyah was the greatest, and his
name is still held by the Cherokees in
profound reverence. He was inlet
tered and knew no English, but that
did not affect the powers of his active
mind. Not only his own people, but
also the whites, recognized his genius
and strove to do him honors. 1t is
after him that scientists have named
the big trees of California Sequoyah
Gigantuss He is said to have been the
only person on the Western Hemis-