USA > Michigan > Cass County > History of Cass county, Michigan > Part 8
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The morning of the 15th dawned, beautiful and bright. The day that began as the sun rose from the waters of Lake Michigan was in strange contrast to the dark deeds of man to be enacted before the sun went down.
The following graphic account of the massacre is from James R. Albach's " Annals of the West :"
"Early in the morning, a message was received by Mr. Kinzie, from To-pe-nee-be, a friendly chief of the St. Joseph's band, informing him that the Pottawatomies, who had promised to be an escort to the detachment, designed mischief. Mr. Kinzie had placed his family under the protection of some friendly Indians. This party, in a boat, consisted of Mrs. Kinzie, four young children, a clerk of Mr. Kin- zie's, two servants and the boatmen, or voyageurs, with two Indians as protectors. The boat was in- tended to pass along the southern end of the lake to St. Joseph's. Mr. Kinzie and his oldest son, a youth, had agreed to accompany Capt. Heald and the troops, as he thought his influence over the Indians would enable him to restrain the fury of the savages, as they were much attached to him and his family.
" To-pe-nee-be urged him and his son to accompany his family in the boat, assuring him the hostile Indians would allow his boat to pass in safety to St. Joseph's.
"The boat had scarcely reached the lake, when another messenger from the friendly chief arrived to detain them where they were. The reader is left to imagine the feelings of the mother. 'She was a woman of uncommon energy and strength of charac- ter, yet her heart died within her as she folded her arms around her helpless infants.' And when she heard the discharge of the guns, and the shrill, terrific war-whoop of the infuriated savages, and knew the party and most probably her beloved husband and first-born son were doomed to destruction, language has not power to describe her agony.
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
" At 9 o'clock, the troops with the baggage- wagons left the fort with martial music, and in mili- tary array. Capt. Wells, at the head of his Miamis, led the advance, with his face blackened after the manner of Indians. The troops, with the wagons, | containing the women and children, the sick and lame, followed, while at a little distance behind were the Pottawatomies, about five hundred in number, who had pledged their honor to escort them in safety to Fort Wayne. The party took the road along the lake shore.
" On reaching the point where a range of sand-hills commenced (within the present limits of Chicago City), the Pottawatomies defiled to the right into the prairie, to bring the sand-hills between them and the Ameri- cans. They had marched about a mile and a half from the fort, when Capt. Wells, who, with his Miamis, was in advance, rode furiously back, and exclaimed :
"' They are about to attack us ; form instantly and charge upon them.'"
." The words were scarcely uttered, when a volley of balls from Indian muskets behind the sand-hills were poured upon them. The troops were hastily formed into lines, and charged up the bank. One man, a veteran soldier of seventy, fell as they mounted the bank. The battle became general. The Miamis fled at the outset, though Capt. Wells did his utmost to induce them to stand their ground. Their chief rode up to the Pottawatomies, charged them with treachery, and brandishing his tomahawk, declared he would be the first to head a party of Amer- icans and punish them. He then turned his horse and galloped after his companions over the prairie.
" The American troops behaved most gallantly, and sold their lives dearly. Mrs. Helm, the wife of Lieut. Helm, who was in the action, behaved with astonishing presence of mind (as did all the other females), and furnished Mr. Kinzie with many thril- ling facts, from which are made the following ex- tracts :
"' Our horses pranced and bounded and could hardly be restrained, as the balls whistled around them. I drew off a little and gazed upon my husband and father, who were yet unharmed. I felt that my hour was come, and endeavored to forget those I loved, and prepare myself for my approaching fate. While I was thus engaged, the Surgeon, Dr. V., came up; he was badly wounded. IIis horse had been shot under him, and he had received a ball in his leg. Every muscle of his countenance was quivering with the agony of terror. He said to me, ' Do you think they will take our lives?' I am badly wounded, but I think not mortally. Perhaps we might purchase our lives by promising them a large reward.' 'Do you
think there is any chance ?' 'Doctor V.,' said I, 'do not let us waste the few moments that yet remain to us, in such vain hopes. Our fate is inevitable. In a few moments we must appear before the bar of God. Let us endeavor to make such preparation as is in our power.' 'Oh ! I cannot die, exclaimed he; I am not fit to die-if I had but a short time to prepare-death is awful.' I pointed to Ensign Ronan, who, though mortally wounded and nearly down, was still fighting with desperation upon one knee.
"' Look at that man,' said I, ' at least he dies like a soldier.'
"' Yes,' replied the unfortunate man, with a con- vulsive gasp, ' but he has no terrors of the future-he is an unbeliever !'
" At this moment, a young Indian raised his toma- hawk at me. By springing aside, I avoided the blow, which was aimed at my skull, but which alighted on my shoulder. I seized him around the neck, and while exerting my utmost efforts to get possession of his scalping knife which hung in a scabbard over his breast, I was dragged from his grasp by another and an older Indian.
" The latter bore me struggling and resisting toward the lake. Notwithstanding the rapidity with which I was hurried along. I recognized as I passed them, the lifeless remains of the unfortunate surgeon. Some murderous tomahawk had stretched him upon the very spot where I had last seen him.
" I was immediately plunged into the water and held there with a forcible hand, notwithstanding my resistance. I soon perceived, however, that the object of my captor was not to drown me, as he held me firmly in such a position as to place my head above the water. This assured me, and regarding him attentively, I soon recognized, in spite of the paint with which he was disguised, The Black Partridge.
" When the firing had somewhat subsided, my pre- server bore me from the water and conducted me up the sand banks. It was a burning August morning, and walking through the sand in my drenched condition, was inexpressibly painful and fatiguing. I stopped and took off my shoes, to free them from sand with which they were nearly filled, when a squaw seized them and carried them off and I was obliged to pro- ceed without them. When we had gained the prairie, I was met by my father, who told me that my husband was safe, and but slightly wounded. They led me gently back toward the Chicago River, along the southern bank of which was the Pottawatomie en- campment. At one time I was placed upon a horse without a saddle, but soon finding the motion insup- portable, I sprang off. Supported partly by my kind conductor and partly by another Indian, Pee-so-tum,
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY. MICHIGAN.
who held dangling in his hands the scalp of Capt. Wells, I dragged my fainting steps to one of the wig- wams.
" The wife of Wau-bee-nee-mah, a chief from the Illinois River, was standing near and seeing my ex- hausted condition, she seized a kettle, dipped up some water from a little stream that flowed near, threw into it some maple sugar, and stirring it up with her hand gave it to me to drink. This act of kindness in the midst of so many atrocities touched me most sensibly, but my attention was soon diverted to an- other object. The fort had become a scene of plunder to such as remained after the troops had marched out. The cattle had been shot down as they ran at large and lay dead or dying around.
" As noise of the firing grew gradually less, and the stragglers from the victorious party dropped in, I received confirmation of what my father had hurriedly communicated in our rencontre on the lake shore, namely, that the whites had surrendered after the loss of about two-thirds of their number. They had stipulated for the preservation of their lives and those of the remaining women and children, and for their delivery at some of the British posts, unless ransomed by traders in the Indian country. It appears that the wounded prisoners were not considered as in- cluded in the stipulation and a horrible scene occurred upon their being brought into camp.
" An old squaw, infuriated by the loss of friends, or excited by the sanguinary scenes around her, seemed possessed by a demoniac ferocity. She seized a stable fork and assaulted one miserable victim who lay groaning and writhing in the agony of his wounds, aggravated by the scorching beams of the sun. With a delicacy of feeling scarcely to be expected under such circumstances, Wau-be-nee-mah stretched a mat across two poles, between me and this dreadful scene. I was thus spared in some degree a view of its horrors, although I could not entirely close my ears to the cries of the sufferer. The following night five more of the wounded prisoners were tomahawked.
" But why dwell upon this painful subject ? Why describe the butchery of the children, twelve of whom, place i together in one baggage wagon, fell be- neath the merciless tomahawk of one young savage ? This atrocious act was committed after the whites, twenty-seven in number, had surrenderedl. When Capt. Wells beheld it, he exclaimed, ' Is that their game ? Then I will kill too!' So saying, he turned his horse's head and started for the Indian camp near the fort, where had been left their squaws and chil- dren.
" Several Indians pursued him, firing at him as he galloped along. He laid himself flat on the neck of
his horse, loading and firing in that position. At length the balls of his pursuers took effect, killing his horse and severely wounding himself. At this mo- ment he was met by Winnemac and Wau-ban-see, who endeavored to save him from the savages who had now overtaken him ; but as they supported him along after having disengaged him from his horse, he re- ceived his death blow from one of the party (Pee-so- tum), who stabbed him in the back.
" The heroic resolution of one of the soldiers' wives deserves to be recorded. She had from the first expressed a determination never to fall into the hands of the savages, believing that their prisoners were al- ways subjected to tortures, worse than death. When, therefore, a party came up to her to make her pris- oner, she fought with desperation, refusing to surren- der, although assured of safe treatment, and lit- erally suffered herself to be cut to pieces rather than become their captive.
"The heart of Capt. Wells was taken out and cut into pieces and distributed among the tribes. His mutilated remains remained unburied until the next day, when Billy Caldwell gathered up his head in one place and mangled body in another, and buried them in the sand.
" The family of Mr. Kinzie had been taken from the boat to their house, by friendly Indians, and there strictly guarded. Very soon a very hostile party of the Pottawatomie nation arrived from the Wabash, and it required all the skill and bravery of Black Part- ridge, Wau-ban-see and Billy Caldwell (who arrived at a critical moment), and other friendly Indians, to protect them. Runners had been sent by the hostile chiefs to all of the Indian villages to apprise them of the intended evacuation of the fort and of their plan of attacking the troops. In eager thirst to participate in such a scene of blood, but arrived too late to par- ticipate in the massacre, they were infuriated at their disappointment, and sought to glut their vengeance on the wounded and prisoners.
"On the the third day after the massacre, the fam- ily of Mr. Kinzie, with the attaches of the establish- ment, under the care of Frangois, a half-breed inter- preter, were taken to St. Joseph's in a boat, where they remained until the following November, under the protection of To-pe-nee-be and his band. They were then carried to Detroit, under the escort of Chan- donnai and a friendly chief by the name of Kee-po- tah, and, with their servants, delivered up as prisoners of war to the British commanding officer.
"Of the other prisoners, Capt. Heald and Mrs. Heald were sent across the lake to St. Joseph's the day after the battle. Capt. IIeald had received two wounds and Mrs. Heald seven, the ball of one of
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
which was cut from her arm by Mr. Kinzie, with a penknife, after the engagement.
"Mrs. Heald was ransomed on the battle-field by Chandonnai, a half-breed from St. Joseph's, for a mule he had just taken, and the promise of ten bottles of whisky.
"Capt. Heald was taken prisoner by an Indian from the Kankakee, who, seeing the wounded and en- feebled state of Mrs. Heald, generously released his prisoner, that he might accompany his wife.
"But when this Indian returned to his village on the Kankakee, he found that his generosity had ex- cited so much dissatisfaction in his band that he resolved to visit St. Joseph's and reclaim his prisoner. News of his intention having reached To-pe-nee-be, Kes-po-tah, Chandonnai and other friendly braves, they sent him, in a bark canoe, under the charge of Robinson, a half-breed, along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan 300 miles, to Mackinac, where they were delivered over to the commanding officer.
"Lieut. Helm was wounded in the action and taken prisoner, and afterward taken by some friendly Indians to the Au Sable, and from thence to St. Louis, and liberated from captivity through the agency of the late Thomas Forsythe, Esq.
"Mrs. Helm received a slight wound in her ankle, had her horse shot from under her, and, after passing the agonizing scenes described, went, with the family of Mr. Kinzie, to Detroit.
"The soldiers, with their wives and children, were dispersed among the different villages of the Potta- watomies upon the Illinois, Wabash, Rock River and Milwaukie. The largest proportion were taken to Detroit and ransomed the following spring. Some, however, remained in captivity another year, and ex- perienced more kindness than was expected from an enemy so merciless."
The Chicago massacre well illustrated the Indian character, the prominent traits of which were blood- thirstiness and treachery. The occurrence affords one of the strongest elements of opposition to the theory held by some persons that Indian hostilities were always commenced by the aggressions of the whites. Although the St. Joseph Pottawatomies did not take a prominent part in the horrible affair at Fort Dear- born, and notwithstanding the fact that the chiefs- Topinabe and others-endeavored to prevent the mas- sacre, they almost immediately afterward engaged in hostilities elsewhere. Capt. Heald, who, taken as a prisoner to the St. Joseph, lived with Burnett, the trader. says: " In a few days after our arrival there, the Indians all went off to take Fort Wayne."
The Pottawatomies not only fought at Fort Wayne, but at Fort Harrison, where, in company with the
Shawanese and other tribes, they were stoutly resisted by a small but brave band, under Col. Zachary Tay- lor. The tribe appeared in large force at the battle of Frenchtown, on the River Raisin, in January, 1813, and in the summer of the same year took part in the operations under Proctor, opposite Fort Meigs, on the Maumee, and on Sandusky Bay. They were, in fact, one of the most valuable and active allies of the British throughout the war.
INDIAN CUSTOMS.
During the period intervening between the close of the war of 1812 and the time when actual settlement of their country was begun, the St. Joseph Pottawato- mies led, so far as is known, a quiet and uneventful existence. The only outward influences brought to bear upon them were those exercised by the traders, and by the little band of missionaries which the Rev. Isaac McCoy led among them. The pioneer of Chris- tianity among the heathen (the founder of Carey Mission upon the site of West Niles in 1822), was a close observer of the people among whom he lived and labored for eight years. His book, "A History of Baptist Missions among the Indians," affords many interesting glimpses of Pottawatomie life and customs as they appeared during his residence on the St. Joseph, and we therefore make ample extracts from its pages.
In one place he says, " If we would form a correct opinion of a people, we must notice small matters as well as great," and then he proceeds to give an ac- count of a social gathering among the Pottawato- mies :
" In the summer of 1825," he says, " I attended an Indian festival, which, according to custom, they accompanied with dancing. These festivals professedly partake of a religious character, but in reality it seems otherwise. Different festivals have appropriate names. The scasons for some occur regularly, but most of them are occasional, as circumstances are supposed to sug- gest or require them. That which occurred at this time was one at which singular feats of legerdemain, such as taking meat out of a boiling pot with their naked hand, drinking boiling hot broth, eating fire, etc., are attempted. Some ignorant whites who have mingled with Indians, have reported that the latter were very dexterous in these feats, but we have never seen anything of the kind attempted among them that was not very clumsily performed.
" On the present occasion a little tobacco prepared for the pipe, was placed in the center of the hall, on the bottom of a new moccasin (Indian shoe) with a small bundle of cedar sticks, resembling candle matches. Three large kettles of meat, previously
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
boiled, were hanging over a small fire near the center of the house.
" The aged chief Topinabe, led in the ceremonies. He delivered a speech of considerable length, without rising from his seat, with a grave countenance, and his eyes almost closed. He then sat and drummed with one stick and sang at the same time, while his aid at his side rattled the gourd. At length four women appeared before him and danced. A while after this he arose, delivered another speech, then drumming and dancing, turned round, and moving slowly around the dancing hall, was followed by all the dancing party. When he had performed his part in leading, others went through the same ceremonies, and these were repeated until every pair had twice led in the dance. These exercises were accompanied with many uncouth gestures and strange noises. Occasionally, a man would stoop to the kettle and drink a little soup. One fellow assuming a frantic air, attended with whooping, lifted out of a kettle a deer's head, and holding it by the two horns, with the nose from him, presented it, first upward, and afterward toward many of the by- standers, as he danced around, hallooing. The drop- pings of the broth were rather an improvement to the floor than an injury, it being the earth, and now be- coming pretty dusty. At length he tore asunder the deer's head, and distributed it to others, and what was eatable was devoured with affected avidity.
" At the conclusion, which was after sun setting, each brought his or her vessel, and received a portion of the food. Chebass, a chief, sent to me and in- vited me to eat with him, and I having consented, he placed his bowl on the earth beside me and said : ' Come, let us eat in friendship.' The same dish con- tained both meat and soup. The chief took hold of the meat with one hand and with a knife in the other, severed his piece, and I followed his example. After eating, another speech was delivered, the music fol- lowed, all joined in a dance with increased hilarity, and most of them with their kettles of meat and broth in their hands, and at length breaking off, each went to his home."
THE "ME-TA-WUK," OR MEDICINE DANCE.
One of the festivals most punctiliously observed by the Indians was the " Me-ta-wuk," or Medicine Dance. Mr. McCoy makes mention of one of these assem- blages which occurred on the 11th of October, 1824, near the Carey Mission, probably upon Pokagon Prai- rie, and which was attended by a number of his peo- ple who wished to gratify their curiosity by witness- ing the curious exercises. He adds that "Old Topinabe, the principal chief, had a child lying a corpse, but he was so intent upon attending the festi-
val that he could not attend to its burial, but intrusted the management of the funeral to another."
Elsewhere, McCoy gives in his valuable book a de- tailed account of one of these medicine dances which we reproduce. He says :
" The apartment in which the services were per- formed had been specially constructed for such occa- sions. Stakes were driven into the ground at proper distances, on which poles were tied horizontally, with bark ; on the outside of these, grass mats were fast- ened, which raised a temporary wall about as high as a man's breast. The hall was about twenty feet wide and sixty feet long. On three sides were spread mats and skins for the company to sit upon. Through the center, three posts were erected, ranging with each other the longer way of the apartment, and extending so much higher than the sides that a temporary roof, in case of rain, might be made to rest upon poles that lay along their tops.
"On our arrival, the chief was delivering to the few who were with him short speeches to which the others occasionally responded with O-oh, in a more plaintive tone than is commonly heard among Indians. Between speeches the chief drummed and all sung. Two of them held in their hands a gourd, to which had been fastened a wooden handle. Gravel or corn within the gourd made a rattle resembling a child's toy. The drum consisted of a skin stretched over the end of a small keg, after the heading had been dis- placed, and was beaten with one stick only; the strokes, without changing their force, occurred regu- larly at the rate of about one hundred and thirty a minute. The gourds were shaken so as to make their rattling in unison with the strokes of the drum.
" About 11 o'clock, thirty or forty persons, in- cluding men, women and children, assembled about thirty yards from the dancing house, at which place they had left most of their children and some of the women. The others formed in single file and marched until the leader reached the door of the dancing hall and halted, the whole maintaining their order. The leader stamped a few times with his foot, crying Ilo! ho! ho! Those within responded with their Ho! Several who were on the front end of the line sung for a few minutes and then all marched into the hall, and around the room three times, halting and singing twice each time. Invariably through the whole day, when they marched around the room, the circle was described by turning to the left so that if a person seated near the door to the right desired to walk out, he never retraced his steps, but walked around the room with his left hand toward the center, until he reached the door. All took their seats with their backs against the wall.
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY. MICHIGAN.
" A principal man then arose and addressed the company in a speech of considerable length ; after which one drummed, two rattled gourds, several sung, and two women and one man danced. The musicians and dancers then passed round the hall, severally pointing a finger to each one seated, as they passed, and using words which I did not understand. The person pointed at responded each time with a mourn- ful groan, A-a-a; then all took their seats. Another man arose and made a speech ; two men held a short private consultation in a low voice, and then mixed some powders which they called medicine. A little tobacco, or rather the common mixture of tobacco and the leaves of some other plants which they use in smoking, made fine as if prepared for the pipe, was ' sprinkled at the foot of the two posts of the door, and of those planted along the center of the building, and a small quantity put into the fire. Another man arose and delivered a lengthy speech, which was fol- lowed by drumming, singing and dancing. A little respite ensued, which the men employed in smoking ; another speech was made, and followed by the danc- ing of ten persons to music ; another turn of smoking ensued and the two men who had charge of the medicine allowed each person to take a little between the fingers and put it in an otter's skin, with which each was furnished. These skins had been taken off the animals entire, including the bones of the head. The sack thus formed by a whole skin has an opening into it on the throat, which is generally the fashion of an Indian's tobacco-pouch. These medicine-bags are esteemed sacred, and are used for no other purpose than those belonging to this festival occasion, and to hold the sacred medicine. Artificial eyes, usually of metal that will glisten, are inserted; the teeth are disclosed by the drying of the skin, and the sides of the mouth are ornamented by soft feathers, dyed red, extending along the sides of the jaws three or four inches. The tails are ornamented with porcupine quills, to the end of which, and also to the feet, small brass thimbles and bells are suspended. which make a tinkling sound whenever the skin is moved. Each keeps his or her skin hanging upon the arm at all times while in the house, during the festival, except- ing when seated, when they are hung upon the wall by the owner's seat.
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