Show monument absolves indians of guilt once attributed to prank of youth grandsons of the first settlers near hudson mien mich have paid as best they can a debt to the pottawatomie indians incurred because ot of what apparently was merely a prank of a pottawatomie stripling for three years residents at lickley corners have worked on a monument near the land once called Squaw field last michigan camping place of the the monument recently has been dedicated the history has been handed down from one generation to the next more than a century ago the accounts relate a pottawatomie boy playing with white boys brandished brandishes bran dished his knife around the head of a white playmate the whites were incensed at what they thought was an attempted scalping but Baw beese chief of the tribe explained that the boy was merely joking most of the whites apparently took ses explanation at face value a few others covetous of land held by the indians used the incident as an excuse to have them moved to a western reservation as dangerous and not to be trusted R M lickley spokesman for the group which built the monument to the and Baw beese first such honor for the tribe asserts we have yet to find a historical record where Baw beese or any of his tribe ever committed an atrocity we have thought for some time that the should be publicly exonerated and should have recognition for their many kindnesses to our forefathers Lick leys grandfather was one of ses white friends in the early settlement |