The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-12-15

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loscEoLA.

An Indian chic ight OF akin, glen:
der. graceful. handsome stood con.
fronting hundred saYaEes With his
drawn bow. The threatened men were
chiefs and slb-chiets OF The Seminole
nation. Brave they we're and fierce
warriors. Yet they shrank before the
leyeled arrow Of this one leader, For
1t waa well known he never tSansed
bowstring nor pulled trigger without
killing. While the seminoles hesitat.
ed he spoke: l9is
mo treaty shall be signed said he.
which robs us or our land! The man
who sets his name to such o paper
dies at my hand" -. q .is AZ
The speaker was As.se.he.holai
(meaning Black Drink.rj The name
has been shortened in history to SOS.
ceola." His mother was daughter Of
a Greek Indian chief. His father waai
William Powell an Englishman. os:
ceola was born near Chattahoochee,
Ga, IN 1904 When lie vas q mere
child bis mother fed from her English
husband, taking, her son with her. and
never parslng IN her flight until she
reached her fathers tribe in southern
Georgia. Whether because her hus
band had maltreated her or for some
other cause, she had a mortal hatred
for all white men. and she made her
son hate them even more bitterly than
did she. Both she and osceola spoke
English as readily as thelf own Ian
guage. 81
"A Boy Warrior. ,;
The Greek tribe which Osceola and
his mother joined went to war in 1918
with the United States. osceola was
only fourteen years old. yet SO valiant
was he and already so brilliant COM
rnander that he was chosen as one OF
the tribes sub,chiefs, He and his
people fought in vain against the gov
eminent troops and we're forced to re-
treat southwark into the "Eyerglades'
OF Florida. There they Joined thS
Seminoles. Micanopy, the seminols
sachem. was old and a peaceful no
ture. So the boy. osceola, quickly be
came q real war chief Of the Semi.
noles. For the next few years he
went from tribe to tribe of the ma.
tion," preaching against the white
men and preparing the savages for
war, Then came the first great CLASH
with Uncle Sam.
The government decided to ship the
whole Seminole nation west Of the
Mississippi and to pay them . 'nomi'
nal sum for their Florida land. few
chiefs were induced on March ., 1892.
to sign treaty to this effect. osceola.
in fuzzy, denounced such an act and
dashed his people TO rebellion. Then
twas that. he called the council ant
Threatened to shoot dead the first mar
who should agree to leave Florida.
Micanopy was as wax in the hands o.
the local Indian agent. But he feared
TO disobey osceola more than he
dreaded the power OF the white men;
The agent saw that Osceola was tho
real power In Florida. so he spread be,
fore the young savage a copy OF the
treaty, begging him to sign It. By way
Of answer, oseeola drove his knife
through the paper The agent threat.
ened him with the wrath OF President
Jackson, former cohqueror Of FLORIDA.
osceola retorted: Pl,'i' stSy,i '5s'N,, -
JthIifear Jackson no more than / feat
your Y = : 4 isl''St ~ '4G
The conference broke up in dlsor,
der. osceola's hatred Of the whites
was increased tenfold when they CAP.
tured his young wife AMI sold her al
Q slave. He himself was captured, bu.
escaped from jail inside OF two days.
After that, 1t was war to the death.
0sceola looked on the Indian agent az
his worst enemy. Soon afterward the
agents dead body was found, pierced
by fourteen bullets. Major Dade, with
ITO soldiers, was marching inland
from Tampa when 0sccola and u band
Of braves flung themselves on tho
troops and slaughtered all but three
Of them. Then with an inferior force
he marched against General Cllncl,
and 1000 soldiers. He martialed his
little army Ike an expert tactician.
The Indians held of the troops until
all their ammunition was gone, the.
retreated in safety. osceola himself
is said TO have slain 40 white men Iii
that fight.
An Act Of iTresehery.
Battle followed battle, with varying
results. AT times osceola used all the
WHY tricks Of his race, pretending to
agree to ths governments wishes;
then, as soon as he was strong enough,
breaking out in some new section.
When hard pressed he and his men
would take refuge in tho "Ererglados."
The Everglades is huge. lnRr,hy
Florida lake, go miles wide by l60
miles in length, dotted with impene-
trable islands and altogether 4 hope
less maze to one not used to its many
hiding places. Thence osceola would
dash forth Sn his murderous raids.
Yet. at his worst, he would never per.
ini; his followers to harm pyman or
Q child. ~
At last, in 1897, a temraSry peace
was patched up with the government.
Under flag Of truce rvs a promiso
Of safety osceola wen. ~ Invitation