The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1912-01-13

Calls 10 ullIlu one Oh Tue tItS'
decisive defeats ever inflicted on the
Indians. and battle greatly import
ant in its bearing on the subsequen'1
attitude of the fierce war-like tribes
Of the northwest 1t quel.ed The
naughty spirit OF these discontinued
hostiles. and defeated the ambitious
plan. which they had almost matured.
Of attacking and destroying the border
settlements in detail If the Indians
had been victorious. the American
army would have been annih,lated.
and the whole extent OF the defense
less frontier would have been at the
mercy of sanguinary and unsparins
savages. drunk with hood and mad
dened with the COMPUTATIONS and
of their medicine men
1t was unquestionably one OF the
most spirited and best fought actions
recorded in the annals of Indian war
fare The numbers and weapons on
either side were nearly equal: and
the Indians. contrary to their usual
custom. fought hand to hand. and
with the most desperate ferocity. dis
playing a boldness and reckless dar
ing during the engagement that can
only be accounted for by their re-
lance on the specious promises held
out to them by El'skwatawa. their
commander and medicine
man. This worthy. known to history
as the Prophet and generally regard
ed by his followers as possessing the
gift of prescience In an eminent de.
gree. had promised his warriors that
'the Great Spirit would turn the pow
der of the whites into ashes. and
charm their bullets. so that they
they should drop harmless He was
wise enough to take no active part in
the battle. notwithstanding his proph-
ecies of victory. and during the whole
of the contest remained secure on a
neighboring eminence. chanting a war
song
The Prophet was Shawnee chief
and brother to the celebrated Tecum-
sch He was cunning. cruel. coward.
rior. but was an ACCOMPLISHED and
persuasive orator. A shrewd and
crafty impostor. he announced him
self as a medicine man possessed Of
vast and miraculous powers, and as
having been specially sent by the
Great Spirit to reform the condition
of the red people. to restore them tt
their former prosperity. and to re
place them in possession of their lost
prairies and hunting grounds.
The Celebrated Tecumseh.
Tecumseh. his brother. was cast II
a different mold. He was a bold ane
skiilful warrior. sagacious in council
and formidable in battle. An active
daring, energetic man, but one wht
preferred tact and secret manage
ment to open violence. Deeply i'm
bued with a hatred of the whites
against whom he had sworn an unre
lenting enmity. full of enthusiasm
and highly gifted with eloquence. h,
appealed with great success to thu
passions of the Indians. in his en-
deavors to rouse them to a hostile
feeling against the settlers and tn,
army
There had been no war with tn,
Indians since their disheartening de
feat by Mad Anthony" Wayne at TIT
Maumee Rapids in 1895 In 1906
rr.h0 hod
one of the most active braves in III,
Maumee war. and his brother begal
a series of artful and daring intrigue
among the Indians along the who'll
western border His brother tn
Prophet. had succeeded in obtainin,
so strong hold upon the credulit.
of the de!uded Indians that his infl,
ence over the warriors of several pow
erful tribes was practically unbound
ed. Tecumeeh claimed that the tres
ties. by which large tracts of India,
land lad been ceded to settlers. wer
illegal. as the land vas the conmo
property of all the tribes and there
fore could only be alienated by con
mon consent. The general disconten
was increase d by the action of srecr
lators in eiecting Indians from lands
and ty British emissaries and tn
brothers soon had large following.
During the five years from 1906 I
Sll the situation on the northwes
frontier vas undoubtedly grave TIL
threatened Indian coalition was warn
v backed by the British In Canads
10Th with arms and men. openly All
q secret II was fortunate for tn
nture of the country that the mos
"apable man for dealing with such
serious state of things was on tn
spot-N'il'iam Henry Harrison. the
governor Of Indiana territory that !.
# the whole northwest Major Ger
raj Francis Greene says Of him tina
we probably never had In the servic
better Indian fighter or one VII
ore thoroughly understood the II
an character
Harrison's Ability.
Throughout the five years India
II harrison revealed a military e
city which showed that his deslf
enter the army was born OF lateL
lilly
With the exception Of years ser,
. In congress as delegate from N
| ,rthwest. Harrison mad lived on 1t.
sntier Tor The 20 years. precedln
. bate of TirEecanoe He was a,
inted secretary OF The territory /
-. and governor TOUR years late
congress tie haa procured the pas.
Of law reyating to the sale {
dera. land in small parcels. to whic