Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-11-16
CHAPTER x.
The couqar crouches.

OF the three died in infancy; two lived
10 become the most famous leaders the
Ferr1bie inhabitants of the forest will
oeruess ever knew. AS one of the two
grew 10 manhood and forced his way
% the head of his tribe by his daring,
his cunning. his matchless eloquence
and power, the red man, with his love
Imagery in names, chose the cou-
gar, the panther, the great cat of the
forest as the fitting type of the chief
whose fightest word was law.
The cougar! 1t was from this demo-
Slfac beast that the Shawnee chief
received his name-Tecumseh, 1.-THE
cougar about to spring."
A Yankee surveyor predicted one
day an eclipse of the sun. Tecum-
seh's brother, on account of his fire.
qUent drunken babblings, had been
dubbed "'The Open Door," but a glim-
1ner of shrewdness lighted up his rum
asodden brain at the words of the white
man; he returned to his tribe, and say
Ing TO all who would listen that he
had been given q message from the
Great Manitou himself, prophesied
chat on a certain day the sky would
be darkened-a sign that he, "The
Open Door," was divine and was
h%eHceforth TO dead his people. They
laughed; but the darkness came as he
mad foretold, and from that day he
was looked up to by every warrior in
1Re forest as the greatest of conjurers.
He was no longer called 1.-THE Open
door" but Elkskatawa, 'The Loud
Voice" and his voice in council was
the voice of authority. But years had
now passed and he prayed in secret
Hsr another sign to bolster up his
wavering strength.
The white men came farther and
Farther into the wilderness, reared
their cabins in greater and greater
Numbers in the red mans forest, bar
GEEed and bought larger and larger
EerrEtorteS from the stupid savage, who
reached out eagerly for a handful of
toys. a jug of the white mans fiery
drink, and gave in return the countless
acres of his hunting ground. But now
far years his dumb resentment grew
more and more bitter. To Tecumseh
1and his brother, Elkskatawa, the
Prophet, the red men looked inpatient
~ for a leadership which should re-
strain the %encroaching settler, or
which might even regain for them
their lost lands.
The young warriors could not wait
E0r council; here and there they struck
down a settler, took a woman captive,
dashed out the brains of a child. and
tEzErried back into the forest. To Har-
&as0n in V%incennes came Tecumseh
Ssr council and promised redress; then
slipped away to the South, down the
great river, to the tribes along the
%TUif, to implore them to stand with
their brothers of the North against the
white mans advance. The Prophet
meanwhile remained at his village. 100
lT1iles north of Vincennes, and spent
Che time in nominations and ominous.
1lutterings; and the little town of
Tincennes lay in anxious uncertainty
ON the banks of the Wabash river.
FIOwn which came the news of the
Prophets restless plotting.
The little village presented a scene
of the most unusual activity. Here
and there in vacant fields the various
companies of the territorial militia
eTere drilling-four companies of
amounted men and eight of infantry
"A force of some six hundred men.
7Sghich Harrison had caused to be as
tsembIed hastily.
Women and children stood watching
She evOlutions of the volunteers. The
Wrench inhabitants chartered away in
tremendous excitement. AS far as
T1iIitary drill and accouterment were
concerned, the men were ridiculously
awkward and unframed. They could
not keep step to save their souls, and
only one Of the twelve companies made
amy pretense at a uniform; this one
was the company commanded by Spier
Spencer of COrydon. These wore vel
How hunting shirts trimmed with red
Feathers; they were promptly dubbed
the Yellow Jackets" and were marked
men But the rest wore whatever
clothes they Were possessed of in their
daily hfe-tow jeans or linsey-wOolsey,
or the hunters dress of tanned deer
skin; and each man carried the rifle
of HIS choice, firearms of every make
and OF any length1Of barrel.
One morning was enllvened by a
shooting match. Someone got a white
~ood plank, and pacing off 60 yards,
dropped it up firmly. A circle ten
Anches in diameter was smeared on
tIe board with wet powder, and in
Ifiic center Of this black spot a bit of
white paper, the size of a dollar, was
Nlinned. One after another of the awk-
STard militiamen stepped to the line
9aad hred, seemingly without pausing
Aso aim. Not 4 man failed to send his
Outlet into the white. Then the tar
yet was moved to so yards distance.
When a hundred; and the deadly accu-
lracy continued, as the better marks
Fnen took their turns. And then they
TOSSED pieces of wood into the air.
These too, came down pierced by the
miraculous bullets.
The afternoons passed In the same
stnte of suppressed excitement. The
tmen tolled around the shady side of
the taverns and chewed their tobacco
SILENTLY. The long, hot hours dragged
nv AT sunset they heard the bugle
'at Fort Knox, the stockade Enclosure
fhree miles up the river, sound family
the end Of the day.
Night came on and a group Of men
gradually gathered on the benches and
one grass In front of the Jefferson
MnfNQn 40 thn favaru 40 DoA