OCR Text |
Show ALBEPf wiSON TERriuNE CANONCHET This Is the story of a savage chieftain chief-tain who could not forget a wrong, and who, at the cost of his own life, avenged the evil wreaked by the white men upon his father. Miantonomoh, as an earlier article of this series told, was sachem of the Narragansett tribes. He was proud to be known as the white man's friend. He gave pledges of loyalty to the New England colonists and trusted the vows the colonists made Id reirun. Then Uneas, the great Mohegan chief, becamo his enemy. Uncas was more useful to the white men than Miantonomoh. Mian-tonomoh. So the New Englanders sacrificed sac-rificed the trustful Bachem, giving him over to the Mohegans for execution. A Wrong to Avenge. Canonchet (or Na-nun-tinu) was Mlantonomoh's son. In time he became be-came chief of the Narragansetts. A Massachusetts colonist thus sums up his appearance: "He is a large, muscular mus-cular man, of great courage of mind as well as strength of body." The young Narragansett ruler was not at first strong enough to declare his Intention In-tention of avenging Miantonomoh's sacrifice. So he went (as his father before him had gone) to Boston as guest of the English. There he was flattered and made much of, even as Miantonomoh once had been. The English had given Miantonomoh a shirt of mail. They presented Canonchet Canon-chet with a gorgeous red coat laced with silver. And they managed, as In Miantonomoh's case, to induce him to sign a treaty that was favorable to the colonies. In fact, he appeared to have forgotten any grudge he had ever held. But, whereas Miantonomoh bad been honest in his oath of friendship, friend-ship, there is every reason to believe Cononchet was not. King Philip, son of Massasoit, declared de-clared war on the English. Canon-bhet's Canon-bhet's chance had come.- He sent his braves on the warpath "as allies of Philip. He gave refuge and shelter to the wives and children of Philip's warriors. He was paying the first installment in-stallment of his debt of hatred. And the second soon followed. The English Eng-lish learned with pained surprise that He is said to have talked the matter over with Ouray and, with the chief's approval, to have suggested a plan for easing the coming blow to the Utes. The Utes (whether Inspired by Ouray, or, as he claimed, against his advice) flatly refused. They said they were hunters, like their ancestors, not mere farmers. They rebelled against the agent's authority. Daily the situation situ-ation grew worse. At last, In July of 1869, Meeker told the Indian department depart-ment at Washington that an outbreak seemed Imminent. He asked that soldiers sol-diers be sent to overawe the savages. Accordingly two months later a force under Major Thornburgh came to look Into the state of affairs. Every effort was made to keep the coming of the soldiers a profound secret. But In the mysterious fashion known only to Indians the news was flashed from the man they had so lavishly entertained enter-tained and had dressed In a silver-laced silver-laced coat was actually enrolling him-Belf him-Belf among their enemies. So, In March, 1676, they sent an expedition under Capt. Michael Pierce to punish Canonchet for breaking his treaty pledges. Pierce and his troops marched into the Narragansett country and near the Pawtucket river falls found Canonchet with 3SiO Indian braves at his back. Canonchet, as if in fear, crossed the river with his men. Pierce followed in hot pursuit. But as the English militiamen militia-men reached the farther bank the retreating re-treating Canonchet suddenly halted and gave the order to attack. He had lured the English across the ice-choked ice-choked stream in order to prevent them from escaping Into the forest. With the river at his back, and the Indians rushing down upon him from the banks above, Pierce was caught in a trap. He formed his soTdlers in double line of battle, back to back, on the brink of the stream, and prepared to meet the avalanche of savage assault as-sault as best he might. During the fierce battle that ensued Canonchet and his braves slew nearly every man. News of this disastrous affair roused all New England. Every colony there was called on for militiamen to crush Canonchet. A strong force of soldiers and "friendly" Indians, under Capt George Denlson, bore upon his camp, took him by surprise. Canonchet made a dash for the nearby river, meaning to leap into its waters and swim to safety. As he ran he threw away the silver-laced coat the English had given him. The Indian allies of the colonists col-onists gave chase, but Canonche.t's fieetness of foot kept him well ahead of them. Just as he neared the bank he slipped in the mud and fell. Before Be-fore he could scramble to his feet he was seized. The English gave Canonchet over to their Indian friends for execution. He was shot. His severed head was sent by his father's Mohegan foes to the English governor at Hartford, and his body was burned. (Copyright.) OURAY Ouray a fat. Inscrutable-faced Ute' Indian loudly proclaimed himself "The Friend of the White Man." Certain Cer-tain white men living near his reservation reser-vation proclaimed quite as loudly that the chief was a most unmitigated old scoundrel. Others held that he was one of those somewhat rare specimens, a "good Indian." Here Is his history, woven with the tale of an Indian uprising up-rising that brought his people Into tragic prominence about thirty years ago: The branches of the Ute "nation" were scattered over large sections of Utah, Colorado and other states. Ouray and his tribe lived in Colorado. They were more or less at peace with the white Bettlers. Ouray, who was rather well educated, had gone several times to Washington to urge his tribesmen's rights. Nathan C. Meeker, the local Indian agent, managed to dispense justice on the reservation and was thought to have won his red ward's love and absolute trust. Forecasts of Trouble. Colorado was becoming more and more thickly populated by white men. Land that had once been practically free to all comers began to take on a much higher value. Settlers grumbled that the Ute reservation was too large and that so much good ground would be In better use if parcelled out among white men than under native ownership. owner-ship. Meeker saw that the reservation reserva-tion must soon or late be cut down. one end of the reservation to the other. Added to the original facts was a wild rumor that the troops were going go-ing to expel the Utes from their old hunting grounds. Like wildfire the tidings false and true alike spread from village to village. The tribe sprang to arms. A large band of Ute braves fell upon the advancing soldiers sol-diers at Milk River, near the reservation's reserva-tion's northernmost boundary. Thornburgh Thorn-burgh and thirteen of his troopers were killed and the horses of the entire en-tire command were captured. The rest of the soldiers defended themselves them-selves as best they could behind fortifications for-tifications that had been hastily thrown up. And here, for days, they were besieged be-sieged by the furious savages. On the same day that Thornburgh was killed a party of Utes swooped down upon the local agency buildings. Meeker was killed, as was every man In his employ. The white women and children of the agency were captured, but were later released unharmed. Meantime General Merritt and a strong force of regulars hurried to the rescue of the besieged survivors of Thornburgh's command. Ouray sent word to all concerned that the whole uprising had taken place without his knowledge. He claimed that at first news of it he had thrown himself heart and soul into the task of making his people return peacefully to their homes. Angry settlers retorted that Indians did not usually embark on a campaign without sanction or knowledge knowl-edge of their chief. Ouray's Triumph. He filled the air with protestations of his good will toward everybody In general and Merritt in particular. He assured the officers that Meeker's slayers should be given up to justice, and made glittering promises for his tribe's future good behavior. The upshot up-shot of the matter was that Ouray's fervent pledges and declarations won the day. But Ouray's diplomacy carried all before it. The murderers of Meeker and the assailants of Thornburgh's force escaped unpunished. The wise old chieftain lived only a few months after scoring his diplomatic victory. He died on Los Plnos Agency, Colorado, Colo-rado, August 27, 1880, In his sixtieth year. |