The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-08-02

Harkins as first mate. Ct make men
tion Of Capt. Harkins because many
years afterwards we again met under
most unpleasant circumstances, when
as a naval officer during the Civil War
he was ordered to effect my arrest.J
It was a delightful moonlight night
that the good ship Challenge pulled
out from Kenosha harbor, bound for
the Michigan coast. Of the passengers
besides myself was Col John Y. Aver,
owner Of our ship and one of the fore
most fnanciers of the northwest
have vivid recollection Of that
night on the bounding deep" for it
was my first experience in storm at
sea. Col. Aver, it WILDE remembered,
was man of massive proportions and
of elephantine avoirdupois, tipping the
beam at $50 pounds, and we occupied
the same spacious berth, built into tie
side of the ships hull; and as the yes
sci reared and plunged, like an I'M
tanned bronco, as it crested the raging
pillows, only to pitch headlong into the
yawning depths, it can be conceived
that my situation lin the back of that
berth was not on bed of clover. But
when on climbing up the latchwayo
and peering out upon the toiling sea, it
comes to my remembrance across more
than half century that new SEN
sation engaged my personal efforts as |
sought to separate myself from some of
the good things which / had enjoyed
as the evening meal, before we left the
other shore.
We reached our destination none the
worse for the rough experience of the
night, and few days later | had as
sumed my duties of mobilizing the
school children of the town. The chair
man of the school board was Judge
Chauncy Davis, of honorable mention,
and he wished to pattern the Muske-
gon schools after the model schools Of
Kenosha, then everywhere rated as the
"paragon of public schools.
Incidentally inquiries were made Of
me regarding Mr.. Ellsworth who had,
/ was told, made his home for a year
or more in that vicinity.
There was inhabiting the region
about Muskegon Lake and Newago
River, and around the many bodies of
water, which made western Michigan
ideal hunting and fishing grounds, the
remnant of a once powerful tribe of
Indians. From times remote they had
held undisputed title to all this SPLEEN
did region, and through its openings
had reverberated the war shouts of
their braves, when Tecumseh led his
savage hosts to battle, This remnant
of Aboriguees of about 700, all told,
was the tribe of Ottawas. It is prob
able that some of them are still living
in that region at this time.
The men of the tribe fshed and hunt
ed when not hanging about the grog-
shops of the town; but the women al
ways industrious, wrought many arti-
cles of apparel as well as souvenirs of
bead work and feathers, evincing much
taste and skill
| learned that Mr.. Ellsworth had af-
filiated with these supplemented peo-
pie, and had been adopted into the
tribe and made a chief, upon whom
was lavished honors and favors unlim-
tied, and to whom the people of the
tribe were much attached Responsive
to these honors, the young chief had
equipped his person with an elaborate
expenditure Of striking decorations, Of
bucksin breaches and jacket, embellish-
eG and encrusted with beads and war
bonnet of rare eagle feathers. All the
members of the tribe were honestly
proud of the handsome chief
But, alas, when the novelty of bar
barrie glory and display had become
stale, and the craving for other con-
quests and other scenes, and perhaps
dreams of awaiting glories had dis
turbed his vision this eccentric child of
genius suddenly disappeared from his
tribe and had gone no one could tell
where. His people waited long, but he
returned no more, and the red-skinned
maidens of the tamrack swamps waited
and sighed n.vain for the handsome
young chief, on whom they had dotted,
and for whom they had hoped and
dreamed And the seasons came and
passed, and the moons had filled their
horns manv times only to wane and the
white chief came no more.
Subsequently it developed that ELS
worth had drifted to Chicago. And in
1s56-57 we find him living in recluse
obscurity, but applying himself, with
persistent diligence, to the study of
military tactics and the manual of
arms
1t was about this time that the
"Sardinian war, between the French
and the Austrians was raging, involv-
ing the Northern Italian states, and
the noise of battle had reached our
shores
A new system of tactics and COM
pany evolution in battalion forma-
items. amnlified bv the French ouazes.