The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-01-12

INDIANS
ALssRT TsaB6us
H,LLkHApJo.

Around closed hut Ieaped and
howIed Shawnee Medicine Man"
q while at q respectful distance .
throng OF awed Creek Indians watch
ed the performance. For ten long
days and nights the Medicine Man
had danced about the hut, singing.
praying, screaming. Now at the close
Of the tenth day the result Of his in
carnations was about to- be made
known to all.
.Tecumseh. the willy Shawnee sach-
EN-, had come south to rouse the
Creeks against the United States gov
eminent. He had brought along
shrewd Medicine Men to work little
handmade miracles for the benefit OF
any savage who might be reluctant to
join the enterprise. Red Eagle the
Creek chleFtain, was already on the
Shawnees' side, and many Of the
Creeks were willing to take up arms
in. Tecumseh's behalf with the British
against the United States in the war
Of 1912. But many others were still
doubtful To win these Tecnmseh
promised to make one of their own
tribesmen prophet and to let the
Great Spirit speak to them through
this new prophets voice. So he chose
for this purpose Hilli.Hadjo, better
known as Josiah Francis, half-breed
Indian.
How Francis Became Prophet.
Francis was loc;:ed into hut and
kept there ten days while one Of Te-
cumseh's Medicine Men invoked the
Great Spirits aid in making Francis
a prophet. AS the tenth day drew TO
close the Medicine Man threw open
the door of the hut and led Francis
forth. Francis had seemingly been
stricken blind and CROPPED his way
awkwardly to the circle Of onlookers.
The Medicine Man explained that soon
the Great Spirit would not only re-
store the mans eyes but would add
prophetic vision to them. While the
Medicine Man was speaking Francis
suddenly called out that the miracu-
linus sight had come upon him.
In honor of his gift OF prophecy
Francis was made chief He was
appointed one of Red Eagles lieuten-
ants and performed many bloody
deed in the Creek war that ensued. Red
eagle sent him with a force Of braves
to DESTROY the white mems farmhouses
and stockade forts in the forl, Of land
hounded by the Alabama and Tombig-
bee rivers Francis first attacked
fortified farmhouse. burning It and
killing twelve of its seventeen defen-
ders The garrison and women and
children of the reighboring Fort Sin!
nucfe1d turned out in body to at
fond the burfal Of these victims. AS
the garrison started to march back
IN advance Of the women and chill
drrn Francis attacked the fort The
soldiers reached the gates ahead of
him bnt tbe he1nless women and chill
! drcn were cut off from safety by a
throng or furious Indians. Then it
was that young huntsman named
{ TTaden performed one of the most
spectacular acts in all warefare He
! had a pack of sixty ferocious hounds
With which he was returning to the
/ fort from a hunting trip. He shouted
an order to his dogs and charged,
With he whole snayling, biting pack,
! straight into the Indian ranks The
DOGS New madly at the savages, rend-
: ing them and hurting them to earth.
Before the maddened animals could
! be beaten off the garrison had rallied
and had carried the women and chill.
I dren safely inside the stockade.
When thc Creeks were at last over.
! wbclmed nv Gen, Andrew Jackson and
the war was at an end Francis was
lucky enough to ESCAPE. None knew
Z whether no had fled. Jackson in his
renort written on April IS, 1914, says.
.TilIn.I1edio their great pfophet, has
absconled" Soon afterwarI Francis
made his wav to England to beg for
certain concessions be believed the
Rrit,sh government could grant his
triho An English paper thus de.
scribes his public appearance In Lon.