USA > Indiana > Marshall County > A twentieth century history of Marshall County, Indiana, Volume I > Part 3
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Ben-ak Village on the Tippecanoe.
There was an Indian village on the north bank of the Tippecanoe river, about six miles south of the present town of Bourbon, known as the Ben-ak village, as it was located on the landed reservation of the distinguished chief Ben-ak, and presided over by him and the elder Pe-ash-way. Ben-ak had other reservations over in Kosciusko county, and spent most of his time in that region and in traveling about from place to place, until he disposed of his lands, when he disappeared, probably going west with the other members of his tribe.
Au-be-nau-be Village.
There was also what was called Au-be-nau-be village, in Fulton county, on or near the southern line of Marshall county, and about two miles to the west of the Michigan road. It was on what was then known as Man- ke-kose's reserve, not far from the present town of Walnut. Au-be-nau-be presided as chief over several bands of Pottawattomies, in this and Fulton county, but made his permanent home at what was Au-be-nau-be village in Fulton county, a few miles south of Maxinkuckee lake. A large allot- ment of land was ceded to him and his band, which was called "Au-be-nan-be reserve." It extended half way up the east shore of Maxinkuckee lake, thence east a mile or so, and then south several miles into Fulton county.
Au-be-nau-be was a stout, robust, coarse featured, sullen specimen of his race, and when under the influence of liquor, which he nearly always was for a long time prior to his tragic death, was quarrelsome, vicious and unmanageable. One who knew him intimately said Au-be-nau-be was born in 1760, at the Portage between the headwaters of the Kankakee river and St. Joseph river, then called by the Indians "Lock-wock," the Indian name for portage, and was seventy-six years old at the time of his death.
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
Death of Au-be-nau-be.
Polygamy being allowed among the Indians at that time, Au-be-nau-be had provided himself with a number of wives, with not all of whom he lived in that peace and harmony that should characterize man and wife. In one of his drunken sprees he quarreled with one of his wives, and in a fit of anger killed her. A council of the chiefs of the different bands of the Pottawattomies was called, so the story goes, to deliberate as to what the punishment should be. The council, following an ancient custom, decided that the oldest son should be the avenger of the murder of his mother and slay his father. The sentence of death was pronounced and the son was given a certain number of moons to carry it into execution. The father had the right to defend himself, and if he could keep out of the way and escape the infliction of the penalty until the time had expired he was to be considered a free man. His son kept watch of him, and as he wanted the old man out of the way so he could succeed him as chief of the band, he was really in earnest in wanting to kill him. Finally the opportunity presented itself. One day the old man drank to excess and, sitting down in a chair in the Blodgett log shanty, went to sleep. His son having followed him, approached stealthily into his presence, pulled his tomahawk from his belt, and, with a terrific blow, thrust it into his head up to the handle. The blood spurted to the low ceiling above; and with a single groan and struggle, the great chief, Au-be-nau-be, fell over on the floor, dead! This was at the Blodgett log cabin, just over the county line in Fulton county.
The son, whose name was Pau-koo-shuck, succeeded his father as chief of the tribe, and the same year disposed of the lands belonging to the reservation by treaty to the government, and with his band, in Sep- tember, 1838, was started for the reservation west of the Missouri river. According to the account of one who accompanied the Indians on that expedition Pau-koo-shuck, when near the Mississippi river, refused to go any further, finally escaped and returned to the old hunting grounds, where he remained hunting and fishing, drinking and carousing, until he died not a great while afterward ..
After the death of Au-be-nau-be his remains were set up by a big tree and fenced in with poles, and supplied with pipes and tobacco and provisions sufficient to last him until he reached the happy hunting grounds "over there." The few white people in the neighborhood, however, did not approve of that manner of burial, and dug a hole in the ground and put him in it, covered him up and piled stone over him; and there he remained and his dust is probably there yet, but as the stones have all been taken away, and the ground composing the little mound that covered him has been plowed and cultivated, there is not now a trace of the spot where the old chief lay.
Anecdote of Au-be-nau-be.
The following anecdote is told of Au-be-nau-be in connection with the making of the treaty of 1832. President Jackson had appointed Gov. Jonathan Jennings a commissioner to negotiate a treaty with the Potta- wattomie Indians of northern Indiana, his associates on the commission
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
being John W. Davis and Marks Crume. The meeting was held at the forks of the Wabash, where the city of Huntington now stands, October 26, 1832. One who was present tells the story of what happened there, as follows :
During the preliminary council, Dr. John W. Davis, who was a pompous, big-feeling man, said something that gave offense to Au-be-nau-be, one of the head chiefs of the Pottawattomies. Au-be-nau-be addressed Gov. Jennings, saying: "Does our great father intend to insult us by sending such men to treat with us? Why did he not send Gen. Cass and Tipton? You (pointing to Gov. Jennings) good man and know how to treat us. (Pointing to Crume)-He chipped beef for the squaws at Wabash;" meaning that Crume was the beef contractor at the treaty of 1826. Then, pointing to Dr. Davis, he said: "Big man and damn fool." The chief then spoke a few words to the Pottawattomies present, who gave one of their peculiar yells and left the council house, and could only be induced to return after several days, and then only through the great influence of Gov. Jennings. This was the treaty that set apart what is known as the Me-no-mi-nee reserve, consisting of twenty-two sections of land, extending from west of Plymouth to Twin lakes, where Me-no- mi-nee village was located and the old Indian chapel erected. The signing of this treaty was said to be the last official act of Jonathan Jennings, the first governor of Indiana. He was, probably, the most distinguished man in many ways who took an active part in the formation of the Indiana territory and later in the organization of the state in 1816. He had blue eyes, sandy hair and fair complexion. He died comparatively young, but he did as much for the well-being of Indiana as any man that ever lived. He died July 26, 1834, at Charlestown, Ind., surrounded by his family and friends, beloved by all.
Anthony Ni-go.
Among the many Indians that were here when the white people came and became distinguished in one way or another, and were well known to the early settlers, was Anthony Ni-go. He remained in the county until his death occurred in Plymouth in 1878. He was born somewhere in the territory of Kosciusko county in the year 1805, and moved into the terri- tory of Marshall county in 1828, locating near Ben-ak village in the region of where Tippecanoe town now is. His head was not clear as to numbers, but he said there was "heap Indian here then." His father was of the Pottawattomie tribe, and his mother of the Miami tribe. He claimed to have belonged to the Miami tribe in accordance with an Indian custom of designating the tribe the papooses should belong to from the mother's side of the house.
He said he was married at the chapel at Me-no-mi-nee village in the year 1828, in accordance with the rites of the Catholic church by a mis- sionary then in charge. His wife's name was Ash-nic, in plain English, Angeline. She was what is now known as a half-breed, one of her parents being French and the other Indian. It was also in this chapel, at that time, that he was baptised into the Catholic faith by a missionary sent there to look after the spiritual welfare of the Indians. For forty years he had
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
kept the faith, and at the time of his death he was a devout worshiper at the altar of the Catholic church in Plymouth.
Killing of Marshall.
An Indian by the name of Marshall, a large, burly fellow, and generally intoxicated, visited the residence of Ni-go when he resided north of Bour- bon in an early day, and attempted to take improper liberties with Mrs. Ni-go. For her protection, and in self-defense, Ni-go took his gun down from over the door and shot the brute dead in his tracks. An inquest was held and a verdict rendered that the killing was done in self-defense. Not- withstanding Ni-go believed himself justifiable in permanently putting Mar- shall out of the way, yet he always regretted the necessity that compelled him to do it.
When the Indians were removed in 1838, Ni-go was taken along with the Pottawattomies that were gathered up around the various localities in the county and taken to Me-no-mi-nee village to be removed with the caravan then ready to start. Ni-go obtained an interview with Gen. Tipton, the removing agent, and informed him that he was a Miami Indian, and did not come under the provisions of the treaty made with the Pottawattomies. Gen. Tipton told him that was true, but under the excite- ment and bad feeling then existing among the Pottawattomies it would not be safe for him to leave then, as they could not see why he should be released, and serious trouble might result from his departure at that time, and advised him to go with the caravan the first day of the journey, and after they had camped for the night and all had gone to sleep to come to his headquarters and he would tell him what to do. That night they camped at a place called Chipe-way, on the banks of the Tippecanoe river, Gen. Tipton's headquarters being a deserted log cabin. Along about mid- night Ni-go stealthily found his way to Gen. Tipton's lodge. He was told to go up a ladder in the corner of the room into the garret above and remain there next morning until the caravan had moved away and was out of sight. He did so. It was ten o'clock in the morning before he ventured to leave the cabin. Upon looking around he found 'that he was all alone, his brother redskins having all departed on their long journey. He still had friends here, and not far away, of his own tribe, and not wishing to leave the scenes of his early life among the red men of the forest, he bade farewell to his red brothers, turned his face homeward, and, having secured and settled on a piece of land suited to his ideas of civilization, he became a peaceable citizen and had been an exemplary and law-abiding resident of the county to the day of his death.
Historical Sketch of Me-no-mi-nee.
The Pottawattomie Indian chief who was the central figure in the dis- turbances that led to the raising of troops and the removal of the Indians by force from Twin lakes September 4, 1838, was personally known to many of the original settlers of Marshall county, nearly all of whom, however, have long since passed away. In his history of Indian affairs, Rev. Isaac McCoy, a Baptist missionary, and the founder of Cary mission on the St. Joseph river, a short distance west of Niles, Michigan, thus speaks of Me-
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
no-mi-nee, for whom the Menominee village was named. Writing from Fort Wayne, about 1821, he said.
"I had been informed by an Indian trader that on the Illinois river, some hundred miles from Fort Wayne, there was a company of religious Pu-ta-wat-o-mies, at the head of whom was one who was a kind of preacher, whose name was Me-no-mi-nee. As this man exhorted his followers to abstain from ardent spirits and many other vices and to practice many good morals, and as a part of their religious services consisted in praying, I was induced to hope that their minds were somewhat prepared to receive religious
Pottawattomie Indian Chief, Me-no-mi-nee.
instruction. My circumstances were such that I could not visit them at that time, but I wrote the leader a letter to come to Fort Wayne to see me, which he did about April 1, 1821. He professed to have been called some few years previously by the Great Spirit to preach to the Indians that they should forsake their evil practices, among which he enumerated the vices of drunkenness, theft, murder, and many other wicked practices. He had a few followers, the number of which was increasing. Menominee appeared to be more meek and more ready to receive instruction than could have been expected from a wild man who had arrogated to himself claims to be a leader, not only in temporal, but also in spiritual things. At his particular
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
request, I gave him a writing in which I stated that he had been several days with me, that I had heard him preach and pray, and had conversed much with him; that I hoped his instructions would do his people good, and there- fore requested all to treat him with kindness. 'Now,' said he, 'I will go home and preach to my people all my life. I will tell them that my father says I tell the truth.' "
In June following, Rev. Mr. McCoy visited Menominee at his village near Twin lakes, in what is now Marshall county. It was then unorganized territory. Of that visit he said :
"As we approached the village, Menominee and others met us with all the signs of joy and gladness which could have been expressed by those poor creatures. Menominee immediately cried aloud to his people, all of whom ( 1821) lived in four little bark huts, informing them that their father had arrived. I was no sooner seated by their invitation than men, women and children came around and gave me their hand-even infants were brought that I might take them by the hand. A messenger was immediately dispatched to a neighboring village to announce my arrival. In his absence Menominee inquired if I had come to reside among them. Receiving evasive answers, he expressed great concern. He said the principal chief of their party, and all the people of the villages, with few exceptions, desired me to come. He showed me a place which he had selected for me to build a house upon. The huts being exceedingly hot and unpleasant, I proposed taking a seat out of doors. The yard was immediately swept and mats spread for me to either sit or lie upon. We were presently regaled with a bowl of boiled turtle's eggs; next came a kettle of sweetened water for us to drink. I was then shown a large turtle which had been taken in a pond, and asked if I were fond of it? Fearing that with their cooking I should not be able to eat it, I replied that I was very fond of corn and beans. This I knew was already over the fire. It was placed before us in one large wooden bowl, and we ate it with wooden ladles. Menominee had two wives, each of whom presented me with a bark box of sugar containing about thirty pounds each. "In a short time the principal chief, Pcheeko (Che-kose?) and every man and almost every woman and child in the village were at Menominee's, and all came and shook hands. On the arrival of Pcheeko we had resumed our station in the house, where I handed out my tobacco, and all smoked until the fumes and heat became almost insufferable, but mustered courage to remain, as I supposed it would be impolite to leave the room at that time."
Continuing his narrative, Rev. Mr. McCoy said :
"In compliance with an invitation from the-principal chief, Pcheeko, we paid him a visit on the twelfth of June, 1821, accompanied by Menominee and several others. Pcheeko, to show his loyalty to the government, or rather as an expression of respect for me, had hoisted over his hut the Ameri- can flag. A large kettle of hominy and venison was ready for us on our arrival. To my mess, besides some choice pieces, they added sugar With the help of my knife, a wooden ladle and a good appetite, I dispatched a reasonable meal, endeavoring at the same time to indulge in as few thoughts as possible about the cleanliness of the cooks. In private they intimated to my interpreter, Abraham, that they suspected me to be partial to Menominee. The lad replied that my mission was to them all. They said that they were glad to attend the preaching, for they were afraid that Menominee did not
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
know how to preach good. On this subject Abraham replied to them that my business was preaching, teaching school and instructing the Indians in mechanical trades and in architecture ; that Menominee being a preacher re- ceived but little pay, and had but little to give away. I then informed them that I desired to address them solely on the subject of religion, and wished the women also to hear. They were called, but were ashamed to come into the house, it not being customary for women to mingle with men when in a council, from which they could not distinguish this assembly. The females generally seated themselves outside of the house near enough to hear. All listened attentively to the discourse, then retired about half an hour, which time the principal men employed in private conversation. When we re- assembled they made the following reply :
"'Our father, we are glad to see you and have you among us. We are convinced that you come among us from motives of charity. We believe that you know what to tell us, and that you tell us the truth. We are glad to hear that you are coming among us to live near us, and when you shall have arrived we will visit your house often and hear you speak of these good things.'
"The bowl of hominy was then passed around the company again ; all smoked, shook hands and parted in friendship. On leaving, some of them gave their blessing. The benediction of one was as follows :
"'May the Great Spirit preserve your energy and health and conduct you safely to your family, give success to your labors, and bring you back to us again.'"
Mr. McCoy remained two days. "During that time," he said, "Me- nominee delivered to his people a lecture. He had no ceremony, but com- menced without even rising from his seat, and spoke with much energy."
Continuing, Mr. McCoy said: "A little after dark the company dis- persed, and all shook hands with me as they had done in meeting. When we were alone, Menominee informed me that he had two wives. Some had said that if I had knowledge of this circumstance I would push him away from me. 'I tell you,' said he, 'that you may know it. It is a common custom among our people, and often the younger sister of a wife claims it as a privilege to become a second wife, that she, too, may have some one to provide meat for her. This is the case with regard to my two wives who are sisters. I did not know that it was wrong to take a second wife; but if you say it is wrong, I will put one of them away.' This I thought appeared like cutting off a hand or pulling out an eye, because it offended, and I there- fore said I must think before I speak in regard to it.
"Menominee at one time showed me a square stick on which he had made a mark for every sermon that he had preached. I then showed him in my journal the lists of texts from which I had preached at different times, showing at the same time that what I had preached had been taken from such and such places in our good book. He immediately began count- ing his marks and mine in order to ascertain which of us had preached most frequently in the course of the year. Finding a considerable difference in my favor, he pleaded his inferiority. He must now see all my books and papers, hear me read, notwithstanding he could not understand a word. I attempted to write in my journal, but he kept so close to me that I had to
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
defer it. I retired into the bush to make some hasty notes with my pencil, but he followed and in a few minutes was seen gazing at me.
"The weather being exceedingly hot, and we being obliged to use water taken from a filthy pond, the flies exceedingly severe on our horses, and our situation in every respect being very unpleasant and unwholesome, Abraham, who was already sick, insisted on our leaving. He said: 'We stay here, I'm sure we die ; our horses die, too. Me no want to die here.' Menominee called together all his people, of whom I took an affectionate leave after promising them that, if practicable, I would visit them again when the leaves began to fall. Menominee walked with us half a mile, begged a continua- tion of our friendship, declared that he would continue to please God and do right-and so we parted."
Concluding his remarks concerning Menominee, Rev. Mr. McCoy said :
"Among these tribes we rarely saw the men laboring in the field. The cultivation of the field was almost universally esteemed the business of the women. On our return trip we passed a small field in which a company of men were also laboring. Men, women and children came running to meet us at the fence, and gave me the parting hand. I did not see among them a particle of either bread or meat, excepting a few pigeons which they had killed with sticks ; some deer might have been taken, but they were destitute of powder and lead, and had not anything with which to purchase these articles. Excepting roots and weeds, their only food at this time consisted of corn and dried beans, of which their stock was exceedingly small."
What Became of Menominee.
It may be a query in the minds of many, what finally became of the good preacher. Menominee. The twenty-two sections of land ceded to him and Pe-pin-a-wa, Na-ta-ka and Mak-a-taw-ma-aw were never transferred by Menominee to the government, and, were he living, whatever interest he then had would still be his. The other chiefs who shared with him in the ownership received $14,080 for their interest, but Menominee refused to sign the treaty, and never transferred his interest either by treaty or sale to the government or others. He was placed under military surveillance at the time of the removal and guarded by soldiers on the 900 miles march to the western reservation. He was at that time a man well along in years. and it is more than likely, as he was never heard of afterward, that he died of a broken heart.
Father Benjamin Marie Petit.
The Catholic missionary, Rev. Father Petit, who was in charge of the chapel at the time of the removal of the Indians from Twin lakes, was a remarkable character and performed a prominent part during that exciting period. He was born in France, and was about twenty-five years old at the time of his ministrations, which began probably in the summer of 1837 and ended in September, 1838, when the Indians were driven away. This ardent, youthful spirit evinced an intense enthusiasm from first to last in the work of his chosen field, and in an outburst of fervency he tells some- thing of his feelings and ministrations. "How I love these children of mine," he exclaimed, "and what pleasure it is for me to find myself amongst them. There are now from one thousand to two thousand Christians.
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HISTORY OF MARSHALL COUNTY.
Could you see the little children, when I enter a cabin, crowding around me and climbing on my knees-the father and mother making the sign of the cross in pious recollection, and then coming with a confiding smile on their faces to shake hands with me, you could not but love them as I do." Again he said: "When I am traveling in the woods, if I perceive an Indian hut, or even an abandoned encampment, I find my heart beat with joy. If I discover any Indians on my road, all my fatigue is forgotten, and when their smiles greet me at a distance I feel as if I were in the midst of my own family." This was at Twin lakes, six miles southwest of Plymouth, then known as "Chi-chi-pe Ou-te-pe."
Of the chapel exercises he gave the following interesting account :
"At sunrise the first peal was rung; then you might see the savages moving along the paths of the forest and the borders of the lakes; when they were assembled the second peal was rung. The catechist then, in an animated manner, gave the substance of the sermon preached the evening before ; a chapter of the catechism was read, and morning prayers were re- cited. I then said mass, the congregation singing hymns the while; after which I preached, my sermon being translated as I proceeded by a respect- able French lady seventy-two years old, who has devoted herself to the missions in the capacity of interpreter. The sermon was followed by a pater and ave, after which the congregation sang a hymn to Our Lady, and quietly dispersed. The next thing was confession, which lasted till evening, and sometimes was resumed after supper. At sunset the natives again as- sembled for catechism, followed by an exhortation and evening prayers, which finished with a hymn to Our Lady. I then gave them my benediction -the benediction of poor Benjamin. Many practice frequent communion. In the first three weeks of my pastorate I baptized eighteen adults and blessed nine marriages."
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