Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-06-16
Mr.. Ships GRAFTON AT
CHEHAW ELOQUENT one.
Notable Contribution to the History of the Period Com
bining Both Inspiration and Logic He Was Happily
introduced By Mrs. Charles A. Thicker

this river and Cutafchiqui creek. This
spot was within the memory of pe0-
pie now living the granary of the Gre
Greek nation. Cutafichiqui creek took
the name of the village called by Da
Soto Cutofichiqui and named on early
maps OF Georgia as Chokeefichiqui
ROW corrupted to Chokee. At this SPOT
the Adelantado was received by the
Indian Queen Cutafichiqui and hos
pitably entertained with provisions
and abundance of supplies for his
hungry men and horses. The hospital
. ity of the Indians was grossly abused
The beautiful Indian Queen was made
a prisoner and carried off by the Ade-
| lantado to pine and grieve until he-
final escape from. her repacious cap
tors. Within less than a dozen miles
from this historic spot the village Of
Cofachiqui was located; within
this very county of Lee where
this Cavalier of Old Spain with
fierce and fiery cavalry, with
glowing helmets and ringing armor
and with champing steeds and waving
tanners burst upon the enraptured
vision of the untamed savage for the
first tins. He was accompanied by
many of the nobility of old Spain and
with numerous priests bearing aloft
the symbol of christianity pushing his
way through the wilds like the path
of some fiery dragon through the i'm
memorable homes of the untamed
Muscogulgee whose superstitions were
marvellous. This new untrodden path
marked the first journey of a white
man through the noblest region that
the sun ever illuminated, still in its
fresh and unshorn verdure. These
Chokeefichiqui Indians as well as
those at Chehaw where we now stan
all belonged to the great Muscogulgea
tribe called by the English Creek
Indians" because of the prevalenc4
of so many small streams throughout
their country. Shehiah or Chehaw is
the Creek word for potato. The town
taking its name from the abundance
of this field crop at this place. DeSoto
writes glowingly of these natives who
were clothed and shod and lived in
houses and were superior to ali other
aborigines he had met
From the time of De Soto to the
removal of the last Indians from
Georgia in 1885 the treatment that
they received from the whites has
been one to cause national shame.
The many sad revelations of broken
faith with the children of the forest,
of violated treaties and inhuman
deeds of violence will bring a flush
of shame to the cheek of those who
love their country. To narrate them
would but cause you to wonder how
our people have in the long distant
past so trified with justice and right
as to provoke the anger of the AL
mighty. The seed sowing in iniquity
has replied in a harvest of blood. The
American people accepted as a truth
the false teachings that the Indians
were degraded and brutal race of
savages who encountered the land
that the whites wanted, and for this
reason it was the will of God that
they should perish at the approach of
civilization, and that the manifest
destiny should drive them from the
earth. The inexorable had no tears
or pity at the cries of anguish of this
unhappy fortune of the doomed race.
Ahab never speaks kindly of Naboth
whom he has robbed of his vineyard.
1t soothes the conscience to cast mud
on the character of one we have
wronged. We never forgive those we
wantonly injure. The Indian was
the only human being in all of free
America who was not amenabIe to
or protected by law. The executive.
the judicial and legislative part of the
Government recognized in him no in
dividual right in the soil-he of
course had possessory right, but
his title was viewed as merged into
the tribe, the individual had no stand
ing before the law. The venal Afri-
can, the Chinaman may have but the
native American was left pitiahlys
helpless a prey to the ravages of ths
greed and graft of the rapacioMa