The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-10-21

hhOW IL anu lOI yOu
Judge for yourself.
/ When the Seneca entered the Revolu-
tfonary war, Red Jacket opposed the
move, but joined with his tribesmen on
the British side. An officer, possibly
attracted by the eloquence of the In
dian, gave him red coat. and from
this he took his name. When one coat
wore out, he was given another, and
this semi-uniform became the sign OF
the laxative Seneca.
Red jacket enjoyed nothing more
than haranguing his tribesmen, eX-
horting them to be brave and fight
boldly and well. Yet he led them in
retreat, and on one occasion, after
promising to be in the thick of the
battle, he was found behind the melee,
cutting up a cow belonging to another
Indian.
Brant named him Cow-killer, from
such exploits; Cornplanter told his
young wife to leave the coward; he
went merrily on his way. His gift for
oratory and a tenacious memory made
him valuable to his people in spite of
his worse qualities.
The fact that he wore white mans
coat lid not prejudice Red jacket In
the white mans favor. what have
we here?" he exclaimed to a young
Indian who had been educated by the
white people; "You are neither white
man nor an Indian; for heavens sake
tell us, what are your" This fight
against the adoption Of white customs
of any sort, he carried to great lengths.
Indeed, for an Indian to as much as
use a chair in his cabin was an in
centive for Red Jackets contemptu-
Gus raillery.
His fight against the white mans
virtues, however, did not extend to
their vices, which he adopted with en-
thusiasm.
In spite of his propaganda against
churches and industries, they gained
hold on the Seneca people. His con-
tinual opposition made him unpopular
with the white men and his own peo-
pie alike, and at last % leading chiefs
Of the tribe signed document depos-
ing him as chief. He was accused,
among other things. Of sending false
hoods to the President; Of creating dis
sention among his people; Of stealing
their annuities from orphans and
the old; and-worst crime of all in In
dian eyes-of hiding deer which he
had killed in time Of famine, instead
Of sharing it with his people. This
loss of power was later revoked.
Although he was doing what he
could to thwart the Indian policy Of
the United States, Red Jacket never
theless became one of a delegation
which went to Philadelphia in 1892 to
visit President Washington. The Pres
ident gave Red Jacket silver medal,
and this paradoxical Indian kept it as
a treasure, wearing it proudly and
taking the best of care of it. 1t is
hard to understand what thoughts
prompted this, in the face of the
steady opposition to white mans rule
which he always showed.
Red Jackets wife was one person
who measured wills against him and
won. He had threatened to leave her
II she Joined the church, but in 1927
she and several neighbors became
Christians. Since he had made the
threat, he felt bound to carry it cut,
and accordingly left his wife and
plunged into a life Of extreme dissipa-
ton. After a few months this began
to pail. He thought of his home, as
Bill Bailey in the song thought about
his pork chops" ''and back to the
house he went"
His wife must have been fond Of the
old sinner, for she took him back. but
she made it clear that there must be
no interference with her new religion.
Red Jacket meekly acquiesced, and 1t
is said that sometimes he even aided
her in her religious duties.
1t is a little difficult to understand
this long-ago Indian in view Of the
various lights in which he appears,
History has given him contradictory
character, by turns heroic and ride
ulous, and always-to me, at least
obscure.
And so, great man or scallawag, we
leave him. One thing we know, he
made his mark on the page Of history,
and many centuries will elapse before
his name is forgotten.
&c. 1882. Western Newspaper Union.>