The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-05-10
A Group Of Sen1inoles

to believe that his people had played the part
of hold outs" long enough and that he
should go to Washington, smoke the pipe of
peace with the White Father and take the
oath of allegiance for his people.
In no uncertain terms the Seminoles have
Informed Tony that he is chief only of his
own little band and that they cherish their
independence as greatly as did their fore
fathers. They further informed him that
they enjoy the distinction of being the only
unconquered race on the North American
continent and the only independent people
within the confines of these United States,
and that they purpose to continue to enjoy
that distinction.
So that was that, and nothing more was heard
of the proposal to lend officially" non-existent
"war" until recently when Secretary Ickes, on
vacation in Florida, was reported to be making
peace medicine" with the Seminoles. The fact
that he and "seven Seminole Indians" among
them "Sam Tommie, the chosen spokesman"
had revived negotiations may have reminded
newspaper editors of the negotiations started by
Chief Tony Tommy eight years ago.
Perhaps they remembered also that as far back
as 1917 arrangements were completed for acquir-
ing land for those Seminoes who had been wan
derng around in the Everglades as kind of
"lost tribe; that in 1924 they came under the
provisions of congressional act which made
them citizens of the United States and that in
1926 reservation, divided between Lee and
Broward counties, was established for them with
an outpost agency halfway between Miami and
Fort Myers and that, under the direction of Maj
Lucien A. Spencer, special commissioner, these
Seminoles really began to travel the white mans
road. So the picture of a group of savages
smoking the peace pipe to end 100-year-old
war, painted by the recent press dispatches,
didn't seem so authentic.
But whether this was a press agent stunt by
some enterprising white men or bid for notori-
ETY. by some publicity-minded red men, it has
served to bring back into the news the name Of
a famous Indian leader and to recall to Amer
leans the tragic story of his people, although
they cannot be very proud of some parts of that
story. Even If the war with the Seminoles
wasn't really "100year war;" it was the longest
and costliest ever waged by this nation on a
tribe of red men.
In reality there were two Seminole wars. The
first one was comparatively short affair. 1t
took place in 1S17-1S and lasted less than year.
An aftermath of the Creek Indian war, it was a
minor incident in the larger field of diplomacy
and international relations.
After the defeat of the Creek Indians in 1917,
many of those tribesmen sought refuge among
the Seminoles in Florida, then held by the Span
ish. To the Seminoles also had fled many run
away negro slaves. So there was constant fric-
ton between the Indians and slave-catchers, Of
fcers of the law and settlers on the southern
border of what was then the United States.
After number of Indians and whites had
been killed in the spasmodic warfare which fol-
lowed General Gaines sent with force of
regulars to demand the surrender of some of the
Seminoles accused of killing white settlers. The
Indians refused, claiming that the whites were
responsible for the first aggressions, which was
probably the truth.
So Gaines attacked party of Seminoles at
Fowltown just north of the Florida border ana
stirred up a veritable hornets nest, which re-
suited in attack by the Indians on his gar
rison at Fort Scott The War department then
ordered Gaines to continue his offensive against
the Indians, pursuing them into Spanish terri
tory if necessary but not to modest any Span
ish garrison. The department next ordered Gen.
Andrew Jackson, the hero of New Orleans and
the Creek war, into the field and gave him ex-
tremely vague instructions as to the course he
TO pursue.
With his usual high-handed methods "Old
Hickory" invaded Florida, captured the Spanish
post of st. Marks, summarily executed two Eng
lshmen named Arbuthnot ard Armbrister whom
he accused of stirring up the Seminoles against
the Americans. He fought few minor skir-
mishes with the Seminoles who promptly scat
tered like quail, making pursuit impossible and
then pushed on to capture the Spanish town Of