The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-04-15
g.. Mas really George GIgt.

Guess, was really George Gist
One day in January, 1922, Sequo-
yah and several of his companions
were Lii small Alabama village, Sah
Ia, discussing the white mans won
derful talking leaf which they
thought was far beyond the ken OF
red man But even before this Sc.
quoyah had often pondered on the
slibiect in his blind endeavors TO
solve the mystery As he listened TO
their hopeless admission t1at it was
beyond the power OF the Indian minu
to make 20 wonderful Il thing, he re-
ceived an inspiration out Of which
grew the link he had sought Being
both a profound thinker and Jester
it was as a jest that he gave his first
ntunauOn OF his inspiration,
When one companion said that the
talking leaf was too deep a mystery
for indian wisdom SequoYah turned
and said, with an air Of gravity
le are fools can do the thing
myself II is easy
Then he picked up stone, and
with pin made several marks upon
it Then showing the marks to the
Others hc pretended TO read sOue
thing which he said he had told TO
the stone, and II u.ade them all
mugh But Sequoyah realized that
be had found the beginning Of The
solnlion he had been seeking lle
had made d mark for each word spuh
en 10 the stone aud now he could
make i mark 10 represenl every word
In the Cherokee language When he
bad done this aud taught the people
20 assO late these words with the
marks represented, they would all
knoa how to make the leaf talk
The branding Of cattle had moth
Ing to do with The invention for IN
Alabama and Georgia cattle was
neNer branded
Entire Life Was Changed.
Io eIyc his entire time and con
centrate his thought on this subject
cnapgto inc whole tenor
Of his life. lie had uutil then loved
ms elu"d. and uis stories aud his
Jokes. as Wen as his sunny tempera
ment had long before made him
tayorite But now he retired to his
homie In Willis Valley De kalb couu-
tN Alabama, neglected his fields
he Cherokees long before that were
tillers OF the soil-and there alone
with his wife and daughter. who gave
material aid he began to think and
TO carve so inteutly that he rarely
spoke to visitors.
SeQuoyah listened to the exact
sound Of every word spoken aud was
assisted bN his wife and daughter
WAC could distinguish sounds Thar ne
could not But there we're SO many
words that the sounds Tor them over
wheln ed them He then began to
plan how the number might be- re.
dgei His neighbors and friends
became alarmed AZ what they first
supposed was INSANITY Finally they
suspected that ne was possessed OF
The devil and they admonlshed aim
moi ~ SIN against God aud his own
family Sey0Oyah said afterwards
that they would have murdered him
for such impiety but lor his previous
popularity and reputation as a kind
nelehhor he listened to them pa.
tiently. smonug an the while. but
he never attempted to answer their
arguments When they departed he
would again carve signs In smooth
bark for he had neither pen, ink nor
paper
Not dls outraged by hls failures to
represent every word In the langu,
sagE by different sign. he observed
bAK compariVg the words spoken in
IS presence Hthat In many wolds
there were identical sounds and fur.
ther obsewai ION showed him. that
combinations OF Il few sounds made
many words Then indeed, he had
solved the mystery, and iu few
days he made sings 20 represent ey.
ery syllable or sound in the Chero-
kee language tkmanosied of eighAy-
six characters Then he called IN
The chief men aud explained TO them
the nature OF his work. But they
we're suspicious and afraid that he
was ia league with the devil At
his request sone of the men went