The Washington herald., 1909-01-09

Miami. Fla. Jan s.-Three hundred
Seminole Indians, the miserable rem
aant OF q once powerful nation, inhaoit
the Everglades and the big cypress
swamps Of Southern Florida For three
centuries the Seminoles and the other
divisions Of the Creek Nation resisted
The encroacbuaents OF the white man IN
the great euapire OF the Southeast They
fought a great battle with De Soto, and
Chief Satourioua wrote his name in his
tory in the richest Of Spanish blood
Three hundred years later the great
chief OsceoIa led the Seminoles 10 battle
against the Americans. He was the last
oY the great chiefs, and although he was
As treacherous a scoundrel as ever as
sassinated a man from ambush. the fic-
hon writer's have given his name q glam-
our that viii not fade away. There are
two monuments 10 Osceola's defeat, that
which marks his prison grave az Fort
Moultrie and the colony OF rich and pros
porous Seminoles in the State OF Okla
homa- That colony has forgotten Flor
Ida and its ancient empire and is given
over TO State politics and cotton
But what Of the remnant in Florida?
There are. all told, certainly not more
than 500. perhaps not more than %.
They are free from al limitations I'M
posed upon other Indians as wards OF
the government. they receive no money
from Washington, and there IS no agent
among them They have been utterly
free, and they have improved their free
dom by adopting all the vices Of the
white man and eschewing all his virtues
Drink they VIII, and deeply Work they
VIII not They live by hunting. by Sc
cretly killing the protected birds Of plu-
mage 10 sell 10 unsCrupulOus and law
defying white men. and by the agricul-
tural industry Of their wives.
Whisky and disease are the chief enc
mics OF these few remaining Seminoles.
and IL is remarkable that the tribe has
not been exterminated years ago Sixty
seven years ago Gen. W J. Worth, COM
manding the United States forces in
Florida reported TO Washington that the
Seminole war was at an end II had
lasted eight years. had cost over 2,o00
lives Of white soldiers and s21.oe3.ee0 N
money. II was the longest and most Sc
rious CT all the Indian wars IN that
report Gen Worth declared that all the
Indians had been exterminated except
those who had been transferred TO the
territory west Of Arkansas and about
so who had taken refuge in the fast
nesses Of the Everglades and the swamps.
These go, he believed, would not give any
further trouble
He was right The few Indians who
refused 10 leave their home for the West
who preferred the swamp and the saw
49, 80
the hatchet Their sons and daughters
have not taken it up and peace has
reigned. They have maintained theiI
numbers practically intact. although il
Is believed that the tribe is now waning
in strength There are three division:
OF the Florida SeminOles. The Big Cy-
press Indians live in the cypress swampS
on the west coast and have their com
mUnication with the outside world
through Fort Myers The Cow Creel
Indians live near Fort Pierce, between
Lake OkechObee and the Atlantic Ocean
The Mlamis live in the Everglades no
far from the city Of Miami
Seminoles may be seen at almost any
of ths Southern Florida towns. but they
frequent Fort Pierce. Fort Myers. anC
Miami more regularly They come dowI
from their hidden homes in canoes dus
out Of cypress logs. bringing with then
the alligator hides or otter skins whicl
are their trading stock These they ex
change for bacon, grits. and cloth AM
retreat into the mysterious interior.
The glamour Of their ancient histoT.
and the mystery Of their abode throw
about them an interest which is not a
al justified by the unrOmantic realitie
Of their life. They live. a few famiIie
together. in camps pitci.ed upon som
island or bit OF high ground Thei
houses are built OF palmetto wood ant
matched over. just as they were in N
DAYS when De Soto first explored In
peninsula. The Seminoles always hav
been agriculturists. but their operation
are conducted upon a very limited scale
There IS a patch Of corn and q patch o
sugarcane That IS all The corn is
eat. but the sugarcane is provided for
much more important purpose There
a press 20 get the sugar water out o
the cane. and then there is an imprO
vised still And there IN the heart Of II
Everglades. in defiance Of the interns
revenue authorities and OF al law. Ii
last chief Of the SeminOles is maxim
moonshine rum in preparation for bi
drunk.
LlfLI
self 70 q farmer 10 work in the fields
but he rarely sticks 10 the job beyOn
the first opportunity 10 get enough mon
ey 10 buy whisky Some Everglades ex
plOrers say they are not even 1T 10
guides, that they don't know their Ow
country, and that they are too lazy an
too stupid 70 be Of real service The SUI
veyors say they viii not have an India
workman because he is 50 entirely IRE
sponsible-
II is against the surveyor that III
Seminole is making the last fight for IN
protection Of his ancient empire tn
surveyors are crossing the Everglade
here and there At one place there IS
railroad in others highways. and owe
ali the surveys for drainage canals. tn
Indians DO not openly oppose or resis
the whites They have learned that sue
a warfare Is hopeless. But they follo'
the surveyors and at night creep in an
Stealthily change the position of stake
and markers, confusing and harassin
the men whom they think are plannin
10 dispossess them Of their homes
Cheap whisky and moonshine rum ar
taking their toll OF the race, and IN
tribal medicine meE are doing their shar
OF Ine WOrk or grdUuaI eXIeTnlllaIlOl
With the advantages Of what We AZ
pleased to call modern civilization theI
come the. Disadvantages Of modern di:
cases The disadvantages have reache
the Seninoles first The aid OF a whit
physician is rarely sought and is usI
ally declined if proffered- The sick Sem
mole prefers to trust himself 10 his Ow
medicine man That ignorant creatul
half believes in his own mummery, le'
out blood in copioUs quantities. doses b
victim with powerful concOctions Of DO
sonOus herbs. puts pOultiCes Of red PEI
ners On innanaed evelids and. generall