Evening star., 1926-11-30

were driven to southern Florida.
Eventually they were victorious and
mingled with their defeated enemies,
until all Florida Indians became
known as Seminoles. They are phys
ically fine, outstanding men and
women.
In 1912 Capt. Bell of the United
States Army wrote to the Secretary
Of War:
"This nation was, before the de-
;truction of it's settlement in 1912,
numerous, proud and wealthy. pos
lessing great numbers of cattle,
horses and slaves" He described
them as honest and attached to the
British and Americans.
They became involved in war with
the Creek "Marauders" Of Georgia
and Alabama, and later with the
whites. The Seminole War was one
of the most desperate Of our Indian
wars In the 30s many negro slaves,
escaping from their masters, fled to
the swamp, where they joined the
Seminole tribe. Gen. Jackson headed
an army against the Seminoles to re-
capture these slaves, and he got sew
eral scores of them, which he held
subject to the order of the Secretary
of War to sell them, on Government
account
uS luGd vi lIl0 FetleIdl NIONeTu-
ment's going into the slave trade
caused such revulsion Of public senti-
ment that it was secretly planned
that all the negroes should be per-
mitted to escape into Indian Terri
tory or Mexico. That was when Chief
Osceola surrendered, and, according
to history, was betrayed by Gen. Jack
son and exiled, in violation Of the
terms Of surrender Hence the per-
sistent hatred Of the white by all
Seminoles for nearly a century there.
after.
The effort to persuade the Semi
noles to leave Florida and be settled
on reservations in Indian Territory
was never wholly successful. Some
500 remained in southern Florida, in
the great swamp or Everglades, liv-
ing by hunting alligators and other
game, and protected by a. natural
moat which was impenetrable to the
white man against his enemies, the
Indians. There they maintained
their semi-barbarity, their customs
and language.
Between 1895 and 1899, the Fed
eral Government bought for them
23.061 acres and set apart also from
Government owned land $500 acres.
| This land is held by the Govern
| ment in trust, but the Indians are
authorized to farm 1t without rent.
Later, the State Of Florida set
apart $4,000 acres for the same pur-
pose. retaining title in trust. but
| the Indians claim it is not desira-
BILE land and they refuse to move
onto it
Chief Tony Tommy demands that
| the land be given over to him as
chief The Government refuses to
| recognize any tribal chief, but holds
title in trust for all the Indians. al
lotting to any individual what acres
he can cultivate, but not permitting
him to sell it. The same is true
of the Florida State land assigned
10 the Indians In common, to be al
lotted, in particular. for bona fide
| Indian settlers on life tenure.
The Sixty-third Congress appro-
priated $4,000 with which to build
a school and headquarters building
on the State land, but the controller
Of the Treasury ruled that the appro-
pria ton could not be used for i'm
orovement of land not owned by the
Government. A movement was then
gitated among the Florida Fed
aration of Women's Clubs to have
the State transfer title to the Gov
ernment, but that was never accom-
plished.
tCspszagha 1s2e. hy Paul Y. csllissA