Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-12-28
THE STORY OF WAUBONsIE, AFTER WHOM
GOOD ROADS ARE Named is INTERESTING

tiles against the United States. When
| the treaty was signed at Greenville in
1914 Waubonsie was one of the seven.
teen chiefs who buried the tomahawk
and ever since then he was the unfail-
ing friend of the American govern
ment.s He was one of the chiefs who
negotiated the treaty Of 1926. After
the close of the treaty the Indians
who were encamped on the banks OF
the river near which the town of Hunt
ington now stands, engaged in frolic
and INDUCED rather too freely in fire
water. In the course of their savage
revel friend Of Waubonsie's plunged
his knife deep into the side of the
chief, severely wounding him. Gen
eral Upton. the agent, secured for the
wounded chief the best of medical at
tention and nursing obtainable and he
survived. Waubonsies friend, the in
nocent perpetrator of the accident,
fearing the wrath of his chief, fled
as soon as. his recovery was evident
In the spring Waubonsie called upon
Gen. Upton to announce his recovery
and thank the latter for his Kindness
General Upton sought to make peace
between Waubonsie and his fugitive
friend He explained the accidental
nature of the wound and cleverly de.
picted the friends sorrow. Waubon-
sic quickly replied: Tell him to come
back. A man that will run off like
dog with his tail down for fear of
death is not worth killing will not
hurt him." = -:
At the time the treatry of 1928 was
closed the chiefs and the braves in
council assembled agreed to the terms.
Later one of the braves, who wa
thought to be under the influence of 4
trader, refused to sign the treatry un-
less the commissioners would give him
large sum of money. Waubonsis
waxed very indignant when he heard
OF this circumstance. Said he, IAN In
dian who will lie is not worthy to be
called a brave. He is not fit to live. If
he refuses to sign what we agreed to
IN council / will cut his heart out" His
comrades with difficulty prevented his
carrying out the threat. Ee
During the Black Hawk disturbance
in 1882 Waubonsie and his warriors
joined the United States army, thus
proving their allegiance to the great
white father. In 1893 the Pottawatta-
Indiana to the government and in re-
turn were allotted new lands west of
the Mississippi. Waubonsie and his
band took up their abode in Mills
county and roamed through all the
country which now comprises the
counties of Pottawattamie, Mills,
Montgomery, Page and Fremont, A ia :
vor1te haunt was the peaceful sylvan
lake in northern Fremont county and
to this day the lake bears his name. In
1895 Waubonsie made a journey to
Washington, D. c., for the purpose OF
taking his great white father by the
hand he said. H.. - -
After the final treaty was made in
1912. many of the Pottawat tamies.
loath to leave their familiar hunting
around and game trails. lingering on
until the thrush of settlers in 1876
Waubonsic was one who remained UNI
til the last During his sojourn here
Waubonsie had contracted some debts
and after the manner of some Of his
white brethren, prepared to leave with
out paying. Thus he became entangled
In the meshes of the law. The follow
ing writ Of attachment Is among the
oldest records OF Fremont county:
State of Missouri. SIS 55
County of Atchison.
Before me, James Cummings. jus
tice of the peace. of the county afore-
said, this day personally came Rufus
Hitchcock. who being duly sworn say
eth that Wahbonchey justly owes him
twenty-t two dollars, and that said
Woubonchey is a leaving the country
without paying him or leaving proper
ty for him, and that he wants a writ Of
attachment against the goods, chattels,
monies of Wauboncey and further
sayeth not this November IA. 1916.
Rufus Hitchcock.
Sworn to and subscribed to before
me this 14th day of November, 1916.
(SeaD James Cummings.
Justice of Peace.
That is the last that is certainly
known of Wauhonsie. Presumably he
went with his band to the reservation
set aside for them by the government
in Kansas although legendary stories,
impossible to verify, state that he
chafed under the restraint of the res
ervation and that he retraced his aged
steps to Fremont county that he might
die amid the scenes he loved and that
his bones now rest in the hollow of d
great tree under whose branches he