The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-12-08
ANCESTOR OF
MRS. R. CROKER
LEADER OF RACE
Sequoyah, Chief of Cherokees,
introduced Art of Printing
In Tribe
WAS MANUFACTURES OF
METALS AND ORNAMENTS
Always Man of Peace and
Friendly With Whites-His
Dramatic Death

NEW YORK, Dec. -When MISS
Reulah Benton Edmonson, just peiors
she became Mrs. Richard Croker anu
/ as such. perhaps entitled to the rams
OF observation-disclosures or the wen
known Tammany tribe. announced &c
renorters- that she was Cherokes
and a direct descendant Oh the srea'
chief Seouoyah. she probably orouen'
| up In the minds OF most New iork
ers a vague association with the ois
trees of California, II she brought ny
any association at all But MISS Eu
mondson. In claiming descent IRON
| Seouoyah. was making as proud .
claim as that OF the Englishman whC
Announces that he Is descendant
OF William the ConQueror or tnt
I,ranchman who claims the blood OF
Charlemagne.
Whatever the name OF Seduoyah
may mean 10 present-day Americans
east OF the Mississippi, out IN OKia
homa Miss Edmonson's claim VIII
be estimated az high value, Tor IN IN
dian Territory today there are many
thousand Indians and others Win
Indian blood In their veins to whom
the name OF Sequoyah means as
much. in many ways, as the name VI
Washington TO the ordinary Amer
lean.
Most OF the great and famous In
dian chiefs succeeded in entering
their names on American history
solely by virtue of the skill. courage
and ferocity with which they tough'
the white men. King Philip, Corn
PLANTER. Red Jacket, Osceola, Tecum
sch. Sitting Bull. Geronimo, and ever
Chief Joseph. are chiefly remembered
by the trouble they gave the United
States army. even though traditions
of eloquence and generosity occa
sionally are appended to the storie
OF hard fighting
Seuuoyah. chief OF the Cherokees
alone among them all, never lifted hi
hand against the white man NJ
fame as a chief rests almost entirel.
on one great achievement-he intro
duced not only an alphabet and
written language but the art OF print
ing among his people.
| The Cherokees. when Sequoyai
was born. about 10 years before tn
War OF the Revolution, were alread.
a we'll known and powerful fr1endl.
tribe Their country covered mucl
OF what is now the mountain regioi
of Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia
but scattered communities Of TIN
tribe ranged as far west and soutl
as Mississippi and a few village
across the great river in Arkansas.
The Cherokees, moreover. were o
a much higher type than the hunting
nomad tribes OF the plains or tn
Ihalf.naked savages whom the Purl
tans first encountered In New Eng
/ land and the Middle Atlantic region
They we're Of the same stock as tn
famous confederacy OF Six Nations
the Iroquois or New York, and hat
made even greater progress TOWARD
lcivilization than they, In this respec
being inferior only to the Hopi people
/ of the southwest.
The Cherokees, when the white mel
found them. were. already living {
settled and peaceful existence, In per
manent and fairly comfortable, sun
| stantial log houses. Instead or SUI
sisting, according 10 the popular ide
OF the Indian, on game and hsh, the
lived in well-ordered and law-abidin
communities, cultivated their oNl
| farms, and were quick to seize upol
such improvements in their way o
living as they could learn from tn
white settlers. At very early dat
they learned TO keep domestic AM
mails, and most of the prosperous In
dian farmers possessed herds OF cattle
and sheep, trading butter, wool ant
SO on with the English settlements
4 Sequoyah was brought up in thu
semi civilized community, and unit
nearly 90 years old followed muel
the usual life of the young Chero
kee brave, hunting, fishing. roaming
at large over the country, although
even then, he manifested an unusua
Interest In the white men with whom
he came in contact, made man.
| friends among them, and showed re
/