The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-03-26
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ALBEp TEpH6NE


llIl6S fG16 w ~ y y - -
and white men alike AZ ant Billy!
Caldwell. He was hslf Pottawate.
/; niie. half white. HIS immediate nha-4
tionallty was even more mixed than,
Ills ancestry. on his mot her ssde he
came 81 the binest POttawa tQmia In
dian stock. ais father was ~ irish
officer He was brought up French
man. received a captalncy ftom the
British government, and was civic
ofIicial IN the United States. First
and last, however, by histown choice.
he remainedsan Indian chief.
Caldwell was born. in 1880 in Can.
ada. AS a. child he fell under the
wise, kindly influence Of the Detroit
Jesuits. From them he received an
excellent education and became mas
ter Of both the French and English
languages in addition to his knowl-
edge Of many native Indian dialects.
When only a lad he met the great
Tecunseh and instantly enrolled him
self as that Shawnee spellbinder's adj
mirer and disciple. Thetwo were dear
friends until Tecumseh's death. But
the Shawnee could never Undue Cald.
we'll with his bitter hatred against the
white men. Although Caldwell pro.
claimed himself a loyal Indian he
could never wholly forget that he was
half English. He fought for the Brit
ish against the United States In the
war q 1872. Rising rapidly in rank
he became captain IN Great Britain's
Indian department" Though he
lived in the United States after the
war was over, he never renowned his
allegiance to the British crown He
held Office under our government, but
was proudest OF his rank Of captain in
England's army. Apart from this CAP
taincy he was also achief of the OF
tawas and the Pottawatomies, X
The Chicago Massacre.
Caldwell is said byisome historians
to have been flercest Of the Indian as
sailants at the Chicago massacre" in
1872 others say he refused to take
part in the conflict. :
When the prisoners there who had
ESCAPED the hatchets and rifles Of the
attacking Indians were dragged to an
omen square for torture and death
Caldwell hurled himselibetween them
and their .bloodthirsty captors. BY
pleas, threats and caiolery he saved
many Of the helpless prisoners from
the fate that usually overlook such
unfortunates as felltinto hostile In
dian hands. rs tef.s so {
Henceforth, Caldwell was known as
'the white mans sfrieRd.H This fact
made some OF his Indian comrades
hate him; and more than one plot
was formed for his assassination. Yet
undisturbed by praiselorrhate, he con
tinued to befriend hesettlers and L
administer wisely the affairs of his
own people. = go
BY iS2O Chicago had become 8
thriving settlement for what was ther
known as 1.-THE far west And, leav
ing the wild life Of his people, Cah
] we'll went to Chicago to. live as the
] white man did. This caused still
further ill-feellng among the Potta
watomies and ottawas, But the man:
iron Will dominated the situation
Even as he was half white and hal
Indian by birth, so he lived among the
white townsfolk and at The same tint
held his rank among the sayages.
So readily did Caldwell take to thu
ways Of his adopted people and Sc
quickly did he demand the respec
and trust of the western pioneers tina
in 1896 lie was sworn in as justice
| of peace. He sat In Judgment OF
countless involved frontier cases
where his shrewd common sense ant
ideas Of right more than connterbal
acted his partial Ignorance Of law,
The End Of a Career. s,.s
So many clashes between settler
and Indians did he avert that the gov
eminent decided to reward him. Ac
cordingly, in 1898. the Indian depart
ment built for him the first. franz
house ever erected in Chicago. 1t wa
situated near the corner of Chicag
avenue and North State street. Their
Caldwell lived until 1895. Then h
went back to the Indians Of his owl
tribes ind settled with them at CopT
ell Bluffs, la. In the meantime tn
government had presented him wit
a 1.24Cacre tract Of land on the mort
branch of the Chicago river. He sol
this for a trifiing sum before he turn
ed his hack on civilization.
After 1G-year sojourn with whit
men, the old sauganash found roug
: Indian life less to his taste than Ii
had hoped. Yet he stayed with hi
tribesmen at Council Bluffs until hi
death on Sept. 2S. 1S4l
Billy Caldwell, the Sauganash, ha
a less melodramatic career than di
many other famous Indians. Yet h
. did more than most Of them to he'll
along the cause OF progress and c!vi
ization in the far west, To him, j
great measure, was due the usual
. | -, .-1..4.... st,ntmaay1 onIflar