Show I 1 a jJ rt Y i 1 r y t T 1 By Dy ELMO SCOTT WATSON H HIS 1115 years year's celebration of oC American Indian d a n y r T which Is observed e 1 on the L fourth Friday In Septem Septem- tier her finds plans under underway underway way for honoring a great h V Indian famous for his against the whites but a man of ot abilities and anI one who Judged by any just standard was a 8 patriot and und a ahem hero hem his father Massasoit sachem of ot the calle called 1 him but the tile whites who felt the force ot of his s 's wrath t knew v him as ns King Philip or Philip of ot They all but exterminated his people they hunted him to earth and killed him film and they subjected his Ills body boty to Indignities as barbarous as any inflicted Indicted by their sn a savage e enemies An And 1 now neatly nearly I three hundred years ears later his mem mem- memory memory memory ory ory Is to be perpetuated perpetuate 1 In a shrine to be b erected by descendants of ot some ot of the men who fought Ills hits tribesmen A Massachusetts archeologist an and 1 historian It 10 F Jr vt of Fall has purchased the historic ridge In Rhode Island known as Mt It Hope the home of ot King Philip and there will be built a fireproof memo memo- rial memorial veritable for housing Indian relics a veri verl table shrine of ot New ew l England Indian history The ML Mt It Hope lope reservation atlon Is Isa isa Isa a tract of ot more than WO acres and contains many points of ot historic In terest lerest Interest Among mong them are the spring where King Philip drank the rocky throne on u a hillside where the Wain leader lender held heM his councils with his braves bra and the swamp where lie he was killed by Ly the men led by Ly Capt Benjamin Church In this reservation too Is the tile ground where 30 bushels ot of corn were raised by lJ the Indian wom wom- en women an and 1 given ghen to the starving Pilgrims Ly by Massasoit lt assas who lies burled buried on a hilltop a few miles away The story of ot King Philip Is the story of ot the lie leader of ot a lost cause a champion of ot a n weaker race whose attempt to stay the lie onrush of ot the con con- conquering whites was foredoomed to tall fall ure are failure lIe He was the first great Indian chief to attempt a confederacy of the tribes tribes to resl resist t the whites whiles and he came nearer succeeding In his plan than did Pontiac Tecumseh or any other ret red lenders leaders who followed In his footsteps has made malo him KIn King Philip to commemorate the heroism of his Lis life lite and death death says one historian lIe himself almost made him him- self a king by his marvelous and energy statecraft put forth Kew among the England tribes had lIat the Itle log Ing opposIng power been heen II a little weaker he might ha have hae e founded a u thorn dom on the lie temporary king king- ashes of the lie colonies repeated lions a Upon his lands ant and liberties continued In hIs role ot of Friend of the tho White Man nn to the da day or of his death In iCO Near or of his lils life liCe he hat had taken the close his two sons and to 11 Plymouth sad ant r requested of 01 the Ule governor In token to Ih glie ghe e them I names ro Ib Wa h insult a was given the Ule name namo of 01 Alexander and to the name nume ot of Philip and Massasoit charged both Loth bothof ot of them to continue his policy of ot friendliness to the English But Alexander who succeeded 1 Massa Massa soil ns as sachem toun found 1 that difficult for tor foras as the number of or white settlers In- In increased In Increased creased their desire for tor more land In- In increased In Increased creased and the Ule s saw v theIr territory passing rapidly Into the hands of ot the whites More than that the tho kindly feelings that had prevailed between the two races began to give gh-e Wll way to suspicion nn find 1 hatred on both sides and to harsh treatment of ot the red men at nt the hands of ot the white Alexanders Alexander's friendship became no- no no noticeably less and he ho was summoned to Plymouth to answer to charges ot of plotting against the tile English Alexan Alexander der del refused to come and he was brou brought ht by force torce This Indignity threw him him Into a n rage and ant lie he became seriously Ill III II dying upon his return trip to the lands In Rhode Island Ills wife and his brother Ph Philip p both believed that lint lie ht had been poisoned by the English and resolved to avenge enge his death But Philip who succeeded him as sachem clearly understood the power of the English and did not Intend to make the mistake of ot acting too hastily For nine years Jears after his elevation ele to sa- sa saI sadiem sadiem sa sachem I diem chem he be devoted otell his energies to ob observation and preparation for the im- im impending Im Impending pen pending struggle Philip made every ery effort to accumulate accumulate accumulate late guns ant and ammunition for Ills his war war- warriors warriors warriors and even en tried to obtain the formula for making gunpowder lie Ile succeeded In to getting a n largo large number ot of firearms nn and 1 many of ot his men became became be- be came expert marksmen All of ot these preparations had not gone unnoticed Ly by the tto colonists who were uneasily aware that a dark cloud of ot disaster was hovering over them Finally In IGil 1071 Philip was summoned to a coun council cil at to explain the suspicious clous cious nets acts of ot his tribesmen men He lIe as- as asserted assorted ns sorted that he was preparing for de de- defense de- de defense tense against the de- de denied de denied denied nied any hostile Intent toward the signed a new treaty an and 1 agreed to surrender all his guns lIe Ile did give up some 70 of ot the weapons owned ownell by his tribe but Lut Immediately alter after his return to Alt Mt t Hope continued to go Co forward forwar with his preparations for war For the next three years peace pre pre- prevailed pre pre- prevailed prevailed but still the lie uneasy feeling that they were on the verge erge of ot Will war troubled the colonists II By this time Philips Philip's plans hall had matured 1 and he be had determined 1 upon opening hostilities in inthe inthe the spring of lIe He become more independent and bold In his attitude and when the governor Jo of ot Massachusetts Massachusetts summoned him to another coun coun- council council cil en to make a new treaty Philip sent back buel this haughty reply Your gov gO governor Is buta but a n subject of ot Kin King Charles or of England I shall not treat trent with u subject I 1 shall only treat trent with the king my brother When lie he comes I Iam Iam nm am rea ready At about this tills time too a n Rhode Is- Is Island island Is Island land settler who was a good friend of the Indian leader lenter tried tried J to dissuade him from war Will Philips Philip's reply Is his historic torte He Ile said The English who came first to this countr country were but n handful of ot people forlorn poor and distressed My Iy father did nil all In his to serve sene them Others came calUc I Their numbers Increased Sly My Iy fathers father's counselors were alarmed They urged him to destroy the English I before they became strong enough to give law to the Indians and take away their coun coun- coun country try conn-try tr try My y father was also father to the English He Ile remained their friend shows that his counselors were right The fhe English disarmed 1 my people They tried them by their own laws and assessed damages my people could not pay Sometimes the cattle ot of the English would come Into the cornfields of my people for tor they did not make fences like the English I must then be seized and confined till Ull UllI tillI tillI I sold another tract of ot my country for tor damages and costs Thus trait after tract Is gone But a small part of ot the dominion of ot my ancestors remains I Iam Iam am determined not to live c till I have o no countr country Despite Philips Philip's plans to open the th tb war In the spring of ot the conflict was vas precipitated In n the summer ot of with the famous attack by the Indians on the town of ot Swansea For Forthe Forlie Forthe the lie next nest fourteen months the war raged with great fury Of Ot 00 English towns In n the war area 52 were at- at attacked attacked at attacked tacked and 12 were destroyed For n a nI I time It t looked as though Philips Philip's dream of extinction of ot the hated white invaders hl of his Ills country was to be real real- realIze realized realized Ize 1 But as ns the he colonists began to recover from the havoc which Philip hat had wrought In the early weeks of or the war the tide turned In their favor Som Some of ot his allies were defeated oth oth- others oth- oth others others ers deserted him and began to help the English The lIH appointment of ot Capt Benjamin Church n a brave bra and ant skill skill skill-ful tul ful soldier as aI commander of the col- col colonists colonists col colonists forces added to several se acts nets ot of treachery by his own people spelled doom for tb the Indian leader Philip became a fugitive hunted from place to place like llIe a wll wild 1 ani- ani animal ani animal mal runt Ills wife and only son were cap cap- captured captured captured and sold as slaves sla In the West Indies My Iy heart breaks said salt Philip when hen he hear heard 1 of ot this tills Now XO ow I am ready to die Finally his hiding place was betrayed to the English by the brother of ot an no Indian whom Philip had slain for tor proposing to seek peace pence with the English Finding g his camp sur sur- sur- sur surrounded surrounded rounded the chief attempted to lice flee along a path guarded by a soldier and aud the Indian traitor The soldiers soldier's gun missed fire but that of ot the Indian filled filletI with two bullets and a double charge of ot powder brought the chief down n as ns he ran Philips Philip's conquerors conqueror's proved that they were but little less savage than lie he hat had been An Indian executioner was ordered to cut off his head and quarter his bo body 1 Ills hea head 1 was sent to Plymouth an and 1 there exhibited on a gibbet for 20 0 O years Such was as the fate fute of ot Philip wrote Edward Everett lIe had hat fought a relentless war but buthe buthe buthe he fought for his Ills native land for the mound that er co covered 1 the bones of ot his parents he fought for his Ills squaw squa an and 1 papoose no-I no no I will not defraud 1 them ot of the sacred names which our hearts understand lie lie fOll fought ht for his Ills wife md and child Today a monument stands at Plymouth erected there during the Pilgrim PI tercentenary celebration In IO O 0 which which perpetuates the fame ot of Massasoit as the friend of ot the lie white whiteman whiteman whiteman man Soon another memorial Is ta to torise torise rIse to his Ills son long King Philip Phillip whose fame also deserves es to be perpetuated 1 even though lie he was the ellem enemy of oC the white man For King Bing Philip was n a fighting man and a patriot and anI the kindlier judgment of ot a later Inter day will no longer longcr den deny him the tho honor due him r |