USA > Ohio > Mercer County > History of Van Wert and Mercer counties, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 19
USA > Ohio > Van Wert County > History of Van Wert and Mercer counties, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 19
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It appears to me that if the Great Spirit, as you say, charged your forefathers to preserve their lands entire for their posterity, they have paid very little regard to the sacred injunction, for I see they have parted with those lauds to your fathery the French -and the English are now, or have been, in possession of them all; therefore, I think the charge urged against the Ottawas, Chippeways, and other Indians, comes with a byl grace indeed, from the very people who, perhaps, set them the example. The English and French both wore hits; and yet your forefathers sold them, at various times, por- tions of your lands. However, as I have already observed, you shall now receive from the United States further valuable compensation for the lands you have ceded to them by former treaties.
Younger brothers! I will now inform you who it was who gave us these lands in the first instance: it was your fathers the British, who did not discover that care for your interests which you ought to have experienced. This is the treaty of peace made be- tween the United States of America and Great Britain twelve years ago, at the end of a long and bloody war, when the French and Americans proved too powerful for the British: on these terms they obtained pence. [Here part of the treaty of 1753 was read.]
Here you perceive that all the country south of the great lakes has been given up to America ; but the United States never intended to take that advantage of you which the British placed in their hands; they wish you to enjoy your just rights without inter- ruption, and to promote your happiness. The British stipulated to surrender to us all the posts on this side of the boundary agreed on. I told you some days ago, that trea- ties should ever be sacredly fulfilled by those who make them ; but the British, on their part, did not find it convenient to relinquish those posts as soon as they should have done : however, they now find it so, and a precise period is fixed for their delivery. I have now in my hand the copy of a treaty, muds cigut months since. between them and us, of which I will read you a little. [ First and second articles of Mr. Jay's treaty ren.l. ]
By this solemn agreement they promise to retire from Michilimackinac, Fort St. Clair, Detroit, Niagara, and all other places on this side of the lakes, in ten moons from this period, and leave the same to the fuit and quiet possession of the United States.
Brothers! All nations prevent, now listen to me!
Having now explained those matters to you, and informed you of all things I judged necessary for your information, we have nothing to do but to bury the batchet and draw a veil over post misfortunes. As you have buried our den I with the concern of brothers, 80 [ now collect the bones of your slain warriors, put them into a deep pit which I have dug, and cover them carefully over with this large belt, there to remain un disturbed. I also dry the tears from your eyes and wipe the blood from your bodies with this soft white linen. No bloody traces will ever lead to the graves of your departeil heroes ; with this [ wipe all such away. I deliver it to your uncle, the Wyandot, who will send it round amongst you. [A large belt with a winte string attached. ]
I now take the hatchet out of your heads, and with a strong arm throw it into the centre of the great ocean, where no mortal cnn ever find it ; aud I now deliver to you the wide and straight path to the fifteen fires, to be used by you and your posterity for- ever. So long as you continue to follow this road, so long will you continue to be a happy people. You see it is straight and wile, and they will be blind indeed who deviate from it. I place it also in your uncle's hands that be may preserve it for you. [A large road belt. ]
I will, the day after to-morrow, show you the cessions which you have made to the United States, and point out to you the lines which may for the future, divide your lands from theirs; and as you will have to-morrow to rest, I will order you a double allowanco of driuk, because we have now buried the hatchet and perforined every peces- sary ceremony to render propitinus nur renovated friendship.
Tarkee, chief of the Wyandots, arose and spoke as follows :-
Brothers, the fifteen Gres, listen! and all you chiefs and warriors present. This is a dny appointed by the firent Spirit abore, for us; he has inken pity or us all nut drs- poved us to perfect this good work. You have all beard what our eller brother hieruid on these two belts. We will all now return thanks to this great chief, and to the great chief of the fifteen Gres, for their gaminess towards us; and wo will at the same time, offer our acknowledgements to the Great Spirit, for it is be alone who has brought us together nud caused us to ngree in the good works which have been done. My thanks are also due to you, chiefs and warriors prescut.
Council adjourned.
644
HISTORY OF VAN WERT AND MERCER COUNTIES, OHIO.
RATIFICATION OF TREATY.
Monday, 27th July. In Council. Present as before. The General arose and addressed the Indians as follows :-
Younger brothers! When we were last in council I informed you that I would on this day, describe the general boundary line that shall be proposed to divide the lands of the United States, or fifteen great fires of America, from those belonging to the ludian nations, which I will now proceed to do, in such a manner as to prevent mistakes or dis- putes in future respecting that boundary. I will therefore rend and explain to you the several articles of a treaty, upon which a permanent peace shall be established between the United States of America oud all the ludion tribes northwest of the Ohio.
You will therefore, younger brothers, open your ears to hear, and your beurts to understand the articles of agreement which I hold in my hand.
[Here the General read the proposed articles of treaty, and in expla- pation of the third, made the following observations :]-
Younger brothers ! I wish you clearly to understand the object of these reservations. They are not intended to annoy you, or impose the smallest degree of restraint on you, in the quiet and full possession of your lands, but to connect the settlements of the people of the United States, by rendering a passage from one to the other more practi- cable and convenient, and to supply the necessary wants of those who shall reside on them. They are intended at the same time, to prove convenient and advantageous to the different Indian tribes residing and hunting in their vicinity, as trading posts will be established at them, to the end that you may be furnished with goods in exchange for your furs and skins at a reasonable rate.
You will consider that the principal part of the now proposed reservations were made and ceded by the Indians at an early period to the French ; the French, by the treaty of peace of 1703, ceded them to the British, who, by the treaty of 1783, ceded all the posts and possessions they then held, or to which they had any claim, south of the great lakes, to the United States of America. The treaty of Muskingum embraced almost all these reservations, and has been recognized by the representatives of all the antions now present, during the course of last winter, as the basis upon which this treaty should be founded.
Younger brothers! I have now proposed to you articles of a treaty calculated to insure our future friendship and happiness; and which may continue till time shall be no more. I present this belt, emblematic of the ten articles which compose it, to your uncles the Wyandots. [A belt. ]
Tarkee, chief of the Wyandots, arose and said :-
Brothera, the fifteen United States, listen! and you, my nephewa, the Delawares, brothers Ottawas, Chippeways, Pottawatamies, Shawances, and Miamies! This is the day the Great Spirit has appointed for us, wherein we have completed the good work of peace. We bave opened our ears and we all understand well what has just now been Baid. We have paid the utmost attention to all your words in describing the boundary between the United States and us Indians, and the roads you have made which shall lead through our country to the different posts and reservations you have mentioned. We thank you for your information, and we are persuaded you have actel with great equity and moderation in diviling the country as you have done; we are highly pleased with your humanity towardy us.
Listen, you chiefs and warriors present! Our elder brother has made proposals to us which require the greatest deliberation among us all. I do now request of you to consult upon this business without delay, that we may be enabled to return an answer to our brother to-morrow. Make no delay in deciding. This is all I have to say.
The Little Turtle, a Miami chief, arose and said :-
Listen, you chiefs and warriors, to what I am about to say to you! To you I am spenking. We have heard what our elder brother has said to us this day. I expected to have heard him deliver these words ever since we have been here; for which reason I observed that you were precipitate on your part. This is a business of the greatest consequence to us all; it is un affair to which no one among us can give au answer. Therefore I hope that we will take time to consider the subject ; that we will unite in opinion and express it unanimously. Perhaps our brothers the Shawaneey, from Detroit, may arrive in time to give us their assistance. You, chiefs present, are men of seuse and understanding: this occasion calls for your serions deliberation ; and you, my uncles the Wyandots, and grandfathers the Delawares, view our situation in its true point of consideration.
Council adjourned.
Tuesday, 28th July. In Council. Present as before. Tarkce, chief of the Wyandots, arose and said :-
Elder brother! You told us yesterday to deliberate seriously on the subject of your communicationy to us. We, the Wyandots, Delawares, and Shawances, have not yet formed our opinions ; more time is required to consider of so important a matter. To- morrow morning we will be prepared to answer you; our mineIs will by that time be made up
The Sun, a Pottawattamie chief, spoke as follows :-
Elder brother! If my old chiefs were living, I should not presume to speak in this assembly ; but as they are dead, I now address you in the name of the Pottawattamies; as Muyass has spoken in the name of the three fires, of which we are one, I have to express my concurrence iu sentiment with bim. It is two years since I assisted ut the
treaty of Vincennes. My voice there represented the three fires. I then enid it wout| require three years to necomplish a general peace ; I am now of a different opinion, for I am confident it will be completed at this meeting.
Elder brother! I now bury the hatchet forever, and tell you that all the bail Atel imprudent actions which have been committed were not done by me, the Iulian.
Elder brother! You now see why I have done wrong. This wur-belt caused us to spili much blood through this country. The Great Spirit has at length put a period to th .- influence of this pernicious belt. You must know that it was presented to us by the British, and has involved us for four years past in misery and misfortunes. I am rejoicei to think it can never again lend us astray, even if a fresh war should break out with redoubled fury. We have already the loss of too many chiefs and warriors to Inment, who fell a sacrifice in this destructive contest.
Elder brother! You have been told that the Pottawattamies are always, foremost it mischief. I now tell you, that was not a true representation. The Pottawattamie hits in the centre ; nothing takes its beginning from thence. It is the three people who lived at the Miami villages who assumed to themselves the privilege of going before. But this cannot be uuknown to you.
Elder brother! I shall now dispose of this belt. I live too far from the lakes, and my arm is not long enough to throw it into the centre of any of them ; neither have I strength sufficient to tear up n big tree and bury it beneath its root ; but I will put it from me a+ effectually by surrendering it into your hands, as by doing with it anything else. You may burn it if you please, or transform it into a necklace for some handsome squaw, and thus change its original design and appearance, and prevent forever its future ree g. nition. It has caused us much misery, and I am happy in parting with it. [.\ war belt. ]
Elder brother! I have now made you acquainted with the determined resolution of the three fires, and if any other nation should pretend to tell you that their strength anl influence. can hereafter stir us up to war, do not believe them; for I now tell you that we, the three fires, are not only immovable in our determination, but being the most powerful people, have nothing to dread from their compulsion.
The New Corn, a Pottawattamie chief, arose and said :-
All you nations present, I must tell you that I am much surprised that you cannot agree in opinion on the good work now before you. You do not act well; you un-lo to- day what you did yesterday. It would appear as if you were ashamed to come forward with ouc voice. Why do you hesitate ? You know good works are always better when executed with decision. I now entreat you all to join hand and heart and Guish this good work with our elder brother.
The Little Turtle, a Miami chief, spoke as follows :-
All you present must know that every kind of business, especially such as we are at present engaged in, exhibits difficulties which require patience to remove, nud consi-ler- ation to adjust. Your younger brothers, the Miamies, again light the calumet of peace. and present it to the Shawanees who have not yet smoked out of it.
Elder brother! Your younger brothera, the Miamies, now thank you for the sentiments you have expressed, and for burying the hatchet; they ofer at the same time, their acknowledgements to their elder brother of the fifteen fires for throwing his tomhow's with so strong an arm into the great ocean. We are convinced of the sincerity with which these actions were performed. I do not believe the batchet was ever before leri so deep. I fancy it has always heretofore been enst inte shallow running water, r. ... hay wished it up on dry land, where some of our foolish young men have always found it, and used it to involve their people in trouble.
Eller brother! I wish we could all unite and give our eller brother at once a final answer to his propositiony. I am surprised that you, my uncles, the Wyandoty, and ; a. my grandfathers, the Delawares, and you, Shawanecs, should say you were not ready. Your younger brothers expect that you will call them all together and make them acquainted with your sentiments first, as elder brothers ought to do, and afterwards to listen to the opinion of your younger brothers.
Mash-i-pi-nash-i-wish, chief of the Chippeways, arose and said :-
Eller brother, listen to me! My mind has long been made up; it is not necesary for me to consider upon what I am already resolved upon : we have been here a long time, and ought without further delay, to finish this good work. We, the three nations, have been long united in opinion ; we fully agree to your proposition ; we want no fur- ther privato counsel. We should lay asido trifling; our tardy brothers have got their wives with them ; they are content und easy ; ours are at home, and we are anxious to be with them.
Council adjourned.
Wednesday, 29th July. Council present as before. Tarkee, chief of the Wyandots, spoke as follows :-
Eller brother of the fifteen fires, listen to us! All you that are assembled bere. br- ther Indians, listen also. We are now come forward to give you an answer to what you proposed to us the other day, as my nephews, the Deliwares, and my younger brothers. the Shawances, have agreed upon what they will way to you. We request you, brother, to relate this answer to our brother Indians, after I have delivered it to you.
The following written address was then presented :
GREENVILLE, HEADQUARTERS, 29th July, 1793
Brothers of the fifteen united fires, listen to the voice of the Wyandot, and their confederates of Sandusky ! We take the Delawares, our nephews, and vue youneed brothers, the Shawances, by the baut, as their sentiments agree with ours, nnd bare que .
.
HISTORY OF VAN WERT AND MERCER COUNTIES, OHIO,
heart and voice to speak. I now speak, brothers, in the name of the before-mentioned tribes in answer to your proposals mande to us two days ago. As we have said before that you had done the greatest justice to us, we do now again acknowledge it a second titue.
Brothers, listen well! We have only the following objections to make; you mentioned in one of the articles that you would not protect us from the mischief that might take place amongst ourselves. Remember well, brothers, the speech you sent us, dated the Ist January, 1795. We shall only give part of the contents, and these are the words :
"Your father, General Washington, the President of the Fifteen Great Fires of Ame- rica, will take you under his protection, and has ordered me to defend his dutiful children from any injury that may be attempted against them on account of their peaceable dis- position towards the United States; for which purpose he will order a fort or fortification to be built at the foot of the Rapids of the Sandusky, on the reserved lands, as soon as the season and circumstances will permit."
Brothers! We never expected that you would change your sentiments regarding our esfety on which depends our future happiness.
Brothers! Reconsider this beneficial part of the articles-don't change your senti- ments-hold fast to General Washington's orders, as we do. We shall never be happy or contented if you do not take us under your powerful wings; we are sensible that no one dare pluck a feather from your body; if they do, the fifteen speared arrows in your claws will display in every direction.
Brothers, listen ! You have requested of us all, to give you an account of the nation or nations, the true owners of the soil northwest of the Ohio, of the boundaries you have laid off two days ago. We will ask you a few questions. Did you not in the last war between you and the British, divide the country ? He gave one part to you, the other be reserved for himself. We are well acquainted that you are master of the lauds, and you have now thought proper to return a large tract of the country to us again.
Brothers! We leave the disposal of the country wholly in your breast. Make out the boundaries that shall divide the land between our nations, as we, the Wyandots, Dela- wares, and Shawanees, wish to know if we are entitled to any part of it. We wish to inform you of the impropriety of not fixing the bounds of every nation's rights, for the manner it now lies in would bring on disputes forever between the different tribes of Indians; and we wish to be by ourselves, that we may be nequainted how far we might extend our claims, that no one may intru le on us, nor we on them.
Brothers! This speech we deliver you is the unanimous opinion of the chiefs, the Wyandots, Ottawas, Delawares, and Six Nations of Sandusky, and the Delawares and Shawanees from the waters of the Miami River.
My nephews the Delawares, and my younger brothers the Shawances, have further added to this speech ; it is their wish from their hearts that the present proposed plan should be left to your consideration, as you had pity on us in settling the present busi- ness in such a manner as you thought proper. You may rest assured, brothers, that these are our sentiments.
J. WILLIAMS, Agent and Commissioner for the Chiefs and Warriors of Sandusky.
The Little Turtle, a Miami chief, arose and spoke as follows :-
Elder brother! and all you present! I am going to say a few words in the name of the Pottawattamies, Weas, and Kickapoos. It is well kuown to you all, that people are appointed on these occasions to speak the sentiments of othery; therefore am I appointed for those three nations.
Elder brother! You told your younger brothers when we first assembled, that peace was your object. You swore your interpreters before us to the faithful discharge of their duty and told them the Great Spirit would puuish them did they not perform it. You told us it was not you, but the President of the Fifteen Fires of the United States, who spoke to us; that whatever he should say should be firm and lasting; that it was impossible he should say what was not true. Rest assured that your younger brothers, the Miamies, Ottawas, Chippewnys, Pottawattamies, Shawanecs, Weas, Kickapoos, Piankeshaws, and Kaskaskias, are well pleased with your words, and are persuaded of their sincerity. You have told us to consider of the boundaries you showed us : your younger brothers have done so, and now proceed to give you their answer. [A white string. ]
Elder brother! Your younger brothers do not wish to hide their sentiments from you. I wish them to be the same with those of the Wyandoty and Delawares. You have told us that most of the reservations you propo-ed to us, belonged to our fathers the French and British. Permit your younger brothers to make a few observations ou this subject.
Eller brother! We wish you to listen with attention to our words. You have told your younger brothers that the British imposed falsehoods on us when they said the United States wished to take our lands from us, and that the United States had no such design. You pointed out to us the boundary line, which crossed a little below Loramie's store and struck Fort Recovery, and ran theuce to the Ohio River, opposite the mouth of Kentucky River.
Elder brother ! You have told us to speak our minds freely, and we now do it. This line takes in the greater aud the best parts of your brothers' hunting- ground; therefore your younger brothers are of opinion you take too much of their lands away, and con- fine the hunting-grounds of our young men within limits too contracted. Your brothers the Miamies, the proprietors of those lands, and all your younger brethren prescot, wish Jun to run the line, as you mentioned, to Fort Recovery, and to continue it along the Fond from theace to Fort Hamilton, on the Great Miami River. This is what your bro- thers request you to do; anil you may rest assured of the free navigation of that river, from thence to its mouth, forever.
Brother ! Here is the rond we wish to be the boundary between us. What lies to the east, we wish to be yours; that to the west, we would desire to be ours. [Preventing a road belt. ]
Elder brother! In speaking of the reservations, you may they are designed for the entne purpose as those for which our fathers, the French and English, occupied them Your younger brothers now wish to make some observations on them.
Elder brother! Listen to me with attention. You told us you discovered on the Grent Miumi traces of an old fert. It was not a French fort, brother ; it was a fort built by me. You perceived another at Loramie's; 'tis true a Frenchman once lived there for n year or two. The Mini villages were occupied as you remarked; but it was unknown to your younger brothers until you told them, that we had sold land there to the French or English. I was much surprised to hear you say it was my forefathers bad set the example to the other Indians in selling their lands. I will inform you in what manper the French and English occupied those places.
Elder brother ! These people were scen by our forefathers first at Detroit; afterwards we saw them nt the Miami village-that glorious gate which your younger brothers bal the happiness to own, and through which all the good words of our chiefs had to pres from the north to the south, and from the east to the west. "Brothers, these people never told us they wished to purchase our laudy from us.
Elder brother! I now give you the true sentiments of your younger brothers the Mi- amies with respect to the reservation at the Minini villages. We thank you for kin lly contracting the limits you at first proposed. We wish you to take this six miles square on the side of the river where your fort now stands, as your younger brothers wish to inhabit that beloved spot again. You shall cut hay for your cattle wherever you please, and you shall never require in vain the assistance of your younger brothers at that plare.
Eller brother! The next place you pointed to was the Little River, and said you wanted two miles square at that place. This is a request that our fathers the French or British never made us-it was always ours. This carrying place has heretofore proved, in a great degree, the subsistence of your younger brothers. That place has brought to us in the course of one day, the amount of one hundred dollars. Let us both own this place, and enjoy in common the advantages it affords. You told us at Chicago the French possessed a fort; we have never heard of it. We thank you for the trade you promised to open in our country ; and permit us to remark that we wish our former traders may be continued and mixed with yours. [A belt. ]
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