CHEROKEE PHOENIX
Wednesday June 18, 1828
Vol. I, No. 17
Page 2 Col. 5b-
Page 3 Col. 1a

    ETOWA,[Hightower,]
          June 4, 1828

 To the newly appointed chiefs, William Hicks and John Ross.

 A few days since we held court at Etowa.  The penalty of the law was executed upon some of our young men, who had transgressed it.  But you have not been deaf respecting it, for you have heard of it.  We know what the laws require,   But they are not obeyed here:  For whatever our young men are assembled together, whiskey is not wanting.  The principal  cause of this is, that the women, they by whom we are nurtured, treat us thus.  Whenever the time of my* assembling in Council arrives, whiskey is uniformly assembled  by the women, and there the young men drink.  Then when they have consumed their little property, they begin to think by what means they shall replace it; and those means they find in stealing horses.- Accordingly they steal, and are convicted, and thus punished.  also when they have been dancing all night, in the morning they commence fighting.  Sometimes they nearly kill each other.  I see them covered with blood.  Whiskey is the cause of these doings of our young men towards each other.  I cannot give them up.  For I remember that you said last Summer, "If any one thinks, `This is the source of my trouble,' laws can be enacted [respecting it."] Now these are my tho'ts [sic].  As it respects dancing after the fiddle, let every person, in whose house the dancing is, be fined the sum of five dollars.  I am however told, by the people of Cedar-creek, that this cannot be done.  Nevertheless I ask your decision.  Let the word come from you.  But, let your answer be sent to be me in a letter.  I wish to hear speedily.  Whenever your letter arrives, I shall assemble all the young men.

    ALEX. GARVICK,
    JOHN BEAMER,
    WA-LA-NE-TUH,
    SI-KA-WEE,
    CHAS. MOORE,
    OLD FIELD,
    ___ LEE,
    TAH-NU-WY,
    TE-NA-QUOO-LAW-SUH,
_____
 *My assembling.  The singular for the plural.  The same idiom will be observed in other sentences.            Ed.

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Send comments or questions to: George Frizzell
Special Collections . Hunter Library . Western Carolina University . Cullowhee, NC 28723 . 828-227-7474