Evening star., 1933-08-19


beech in Congressional Gene
i tery is calling attention to the
ost-forgotten grave OF Chief
Pusnmataha, 1.-The white mans friend"
The proud old chieftain himself, who
once held the fate of Mississippi Ter
ritory whites in ''the hollow OF his
hand" could not have wished a nobler
memorial.
Since his burial under the spreading
limbs in 1924, the beech has come to
dominate the whole vicinity OF WASH
ington's oldest cemetery.
And of late afternoon, in that at
mosphere of departed glorles ana
crumbling inscriptions, it is not hard
to imagine the old tree as the REIN
carnation of the forest monarch from
which Pushmataha stepped at birth, "a
full-hedged warrior"
Fills Death Bed Injunction.
Or to suppose the minute cannonade
of wind-tossed branches but the fulfill
ment of Pushmatahas death-bed in
junction to his white friends:
When am gone let the big guns
be fired over me"
The simple masonry shaft over his
grave is inscribed with the above words
and also with tribute by an orator
of the day:
''Pushmataha was a warrior OF great
distinction He was wise in counsel,
eloquent to an extraordinary degree,
and, on all occasions and under all
circumstances, the white mans friend.
Strangely enough, the great warrior
and hunter, Injured alike to hardshlps
of war-path and chase, succumbed to
a children's disease while in Washing
ton on mission for his people. Push
mataha came down with the Group at
the age of 60 and died on Christmas
eve, 1924.
Account of His Funeral
An early account of his funeral says:
The remains of Pushmataha were
committed to the earth in the Congress
burying ground amid the roar of artil-
lery and the music of muff1ed drums,
and his last words were engraved upon
his tomb Thus closed the career of
one who in civilized life would have
adorned the Senate and been regarded
by posterity as we now regard the
heroes of antiquity; man OF the
noblest attributes, who had 1t In his
power to depopulate our Territories, but
whose arm was always extended for the
protection Of the whites"
Americans of that day were too well
aware of the threat Of tomahawk and
scalping knife which hung over the
frontier to discount the services of so
stanch an ally. Writing of the tribute
which the then small city of Washing
ton paid the fallen chief, another re-
porter said:>
From the ground contiguous to the
place Of interment, there was an i'm
mense concourse of citizens, long
train of carriages, Cavalry, military,
bands of music, the whole procession
extending at least mile in length, and
there were thousands lining the ways
and filling the doors and windows"
Pleads for White Man.
It was the eloquence of Pushmataha,
matched against an impassioned plea
for vengeance upon the whites by the
great Shawnee chieftain, Tecumseh,
which saved the population of the Mis-
sissippi Territories from threatened
murderous alliance of Indian tribes
during the War of 1872.
Tecumseh came to enlist the power
full Choctaws against the ColoniSts, and
these two primitive orators debate for
days before a great council OF braves
while the fate of countless white men,
women and children hung in the bal
ance.
Pushmataha at length prevailed upon
the Choctaws to throw in with the
Americans and he became lieutenant
colonel in the United States Army dur
ing the war which followed.
The legend of Pushmataha's birth
was his own invention. "PuShmataha." F"
he declared, had no ancestors. The
sun was his father, the moon his
mother A mighty storm swept the
earth: midst the roar of thunder the
lightning split mighty oak and Push
mataha stepped forth full-1edged
warrior"
Puts Others to Shame.
Thus Pushmataha put to shame the
other chiefs when they would boast OF
their mighty ancestors while seated in
council, passing the peace pipe from
hand to hand. The truth was, Push
mataha's own parentage was obscure.
His father and mother were muir
dered by Greek warriors while Push
mataha was a very small child. He and
! a young brother and sister were the
| only survivors of their village to make
their way from that dark Mississippi
| forest.
The orphan developed rapidly, how
ever, as q warrior and hunter. he
came to be a great student of civiliza-
ton, forseeing that the white man
must eventually cultivate the hunting
grounds of all the Indians.
Pushmataha was a great admirer ol
Gen. George Washington. Here was
man who thought in terms Of the fu.
ture, and Pushmataha believed the red
man could benefit from his wisdom as
well as the white.
Advocated Education.
Even in a day when few savages had
emerged from the wilderness Pushama-
taha was convinced the red man would
| take. their place with the whites. He
| aduocat ted education for his people anc