The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-12-21
Once Powerful CataWbaS.

fIldSS VI ElNl Ill Nol ooa anu NAA0'' o~>N.o
Harris, Indians of the Catawba res
ervation in York county, recalls to
mind the fact that the remnant OF
this once powerful tribe is rapidly
becoming smaller and because of that
fact a marriage among them is
subject of unusual interest since
there are so few young men and
maidens among them.
Now it is sad to think that this
once powerful tribe, whose Warrlors
as late as the year 1850 numbered
5000, is now reduced to some eighty
or ninety persons, all of whom live
onthe small reservation on the banks
offthe Catawba, on the eastern out
shirts of York county. Some 500 or
msre acres of land comprise the res
aviation, whereas the whole OF York
comfy and other territory adjoining
was once the hunting preserve OF this
diving race who have ever been the
friend of the American white man
and who have lost their all through
the avarice, chicanery and robbery of
the white man.
Support from State.
The State of South Carolina an
nualIy makes a donation of several
thousand dollars toward the support
of the Catawbas; but the appropria-
ton is so small that it does not pro-
vide them with the bare necessities
of life and many of them are actual
ly reduced to want. A number OF
them till the rough and unsuitable
land that forms the reservation, sew
eral of the men are good carpenters,
who secure employment at odd times
in Rock Hill and around the COM
munity surrounding, and others do
odd jobs; but taken altogether it is
a hard matter for them to keep soul
and body together.
Just now D. A. Harris, chief or
the tribe, as he is known, is making
a living operating ferry across the
Catawba, between Ebenezer and Fort
Mill townships. He is paid the
princely sum of $50 per month by
York county for his services. Harris
lis chief of the tribe only in name.
He is the most influential among
them and ne performs the duty of
arbiter in minor disputes among
them. Although they have not the
rights of other citizens, the Catawbas
are subject to the laws of the State.
They give little trouble, however, and
not in several years, to say the least,
has one of them been hailed into the
courts.
The Old Order Gone.
Up until short while before the
war between the sections the law
among themselves was their own, and
what was between themselves was
among themselves. Old inhabitants
of the Indian Land section, as the
vicinity of the Catawba reservation
used to be known, have handed down
a story that on one occasion an In
dian named Sam Scott killed a squaW
named Canted, also a Catawba. Al
ter the murder Scott ran away to the
Cherokee tribe in North Carolina for
fear of retribution. He stayed there
for some six or eight years, but the
desire to return to his own tribe
was strong, and finally he returned,
armed to the teeth, and always on
his guard for fear of being killed.
Scott was lover of whiskey, but
after his return to the reservation
he tried hard to avoid liquor, fear
ing that he might be taken of his
guard while drunk and killed.
All went smoothly for year. The
Indian kept sober and slept with one
eye open. Finally, on one occasion
with others of his tribe, he made al
visit to Columbia, and while there
he got drunk. He returned to the
tribe and after becoming sober and
finding he had been unharmed, he
was much relieved from his fears and
forgot his caution. After that he got
drunk as often as he could get the
liquor.
Liquor Finally His Undoing.
His love of liquor caused his death.
One day he was lying drunk on the
side of road. A party of Catawbas
came by, among them a young girl
who was a daughter of the woman
Scott had killed. She picked up a
huge stone and hurled it at his head,
cracking his skull. Other Indians in
the party picked him up and carried
him into wigwam where ne
breathed several days, although he
was given no attention., the Indians