The Coolidge examiner., 1933-09-01
Weatherford and GeneralJackson

| Ing but, worse still, ordered the two negroes
! hogged for causing so much alarm among the
! people in the fort. The owner of one OF the ne
| groes refused to allow this to be done, where
| upon Beasley gave him the alternative Of allow
| ing the punishment to be meted out or leaving
the fort. SO the next day, August 80, the owner
acceded to Beasley's demand and the unfortunate
! black tied TO a post
But before the whipping could take place, the
presence of force of more than 1000 creek
warriors surrounding the fort discovered.
Beasley is said to have seen them first and,
shouting Indians Indians!" he dashed toward
the east gate which had been carelessly left open
with no one on guard. The commander made
desperate effort to close the huge gate before
the yelling sayages reached 1t but the wind had
drifted sand against 1t and kept It open just
long enough for the first of the attackers to push
it back. hurl themselves upon Beasley, cut him
down with their tomahawks and rush into the fort.
The next moment a savage torrent poured in
through the open gate and dashed toward the
startled soldiers who came tumbling out of their
tents in which they had been lounging for pro-
lection against the hot midday sun. Many of
them killed in the outer enclosure but the
others retreated through the inner gate, slammed
ii shut and mounted the walls to defend the In
ner inclOsure
| For a short time there was a desperate fight
at such close quarters that sometimes an Indian
and a soldier firing their guns through the same
portfolio would kill each other simultaneously.
But under the leadership of Bailey, upon whom
the command devolved after Beasley's death, the
defenders of the fort put up such a stern resist
ance that after three hours of fierce fighting the
Indians began to draw off and plunder the houses
outside the stockade.
At this point Weatherford, riding magnificent
black horse. appeared to lead his men forward
in another attack This time there was no hold
ing In check the savage tide. The Indians cut
their way through the west gate. They forced
the east gate and poured the south wall.
The defenders fought desperately from house to
house while the roofs were burning over their
head. Minis house, in which a large number of
women and children had taken refuge, was set
on fire and there they perished miserably
| In a short time the whole enclosure except the
north bastion was in the hands of the enemy who
killed every person on whom they could lay their
hands. Weatherford. appalled, by the murderous
frenzy OF his followers tried In vain TO restrain
! them But he had unleashed tempest of saw
| agery which neither he nor any other chief could
have controlled that day. The Creeks swept for
ward against the bastion and captured 1t. About
a dozen soldiers tore openings through the pali-
sade and managed TO escape But the rest were
slaughtered. fighting desperately to the last The
only ones who were spared were some negroes
who were carried away slaves by the Creeks
Afterwards the fort was burned to the ground
and the bodies of all the slain were left lying
buried on the ground. For desperation in de-
fense. persistency in attack and absolute courage
on the part of both parties, the affair was, and
remains. almost without parallel" writes one
historian.
The usual "wave OF horror and Indignation"
which throughout the course OF our history
| bn Oft al i0r lam ffr
In Indian warfare, from ST. Clar's defeat to the
Custer battle. resulted in a stern determination
to punish the Creeks. So Gen. Andrew Jackson
took the field and began the campaign which,
after several hard-fought battles, resulted In the
breaking OF the power of the Creeks the
bloody field of Tohopeka the "Great Horse
shoe Bend" of the Alabama river.
A short time later Jackson raised his flag over
Fort Toulouse which was rechristened Fort Jack
son. There day a tall. lght-colored Indian
walked into Jackson's headquarters.
General Jackson?" he inquired.
"Yes"
| "I am Bill Weatherford."
Then, in the words of an eyewitness the fol-
lowing conversation took place Said the Indian
leader: Il am come to give myself up. 1 op-
pose you longer l have done you much in
jury. l should have done you more but my war
riors are killed. l am in your power. Dispose of
me as you p!edSe.
you not" said the general, "in my power
I had ordered you brought to me In chains. But
you have come of your own accord. You see my
camp, you see my army, you know my object. l
would gladly save you and your nation, but you
Il do not even ask to be saved. If you think you
can contend against me in battle go and head
your warriors"
"Ah," said Weatherford, "well may such Ian
guage be addressed to me now. There was time
when l could have answered you. l could ami
mate my warriors to battle; but cannot ami
mate the dead. General Jackson, have nothing
to request for myself. But beg you to send for
the women and children of the party, who
have been driven to the woods without an ear
of corn. They never did any harm. But kill me,
if the white people want it done"
Whereupon Jackson gave his promise to help
the women and children and William Weather
ford, the Indian leader who was seven-eighths
white man, strobe from the tent vanishing from
the view of the aStonished soldiery, and from
history, not entirely graceless figure"
: 20 by Western Newspaper Union.)