Cherokee Phoenix

From the New-York Observer

Published October, 8, 1828

Page 2 Column 5b and page 3 Column 1a

From the New-York Observer

THE OSAGES.

Messrs. Editors.- The following is an extract of a letter dated 'Hopefield, (Osage Nation,) July 9, 1828,' from Rev. William B. Montgomery; who is stationed at that place:

'The past Spring has been a more than usually eventful one to the Osages. Our principal settlers, who thought they had forever buried the tomahawk even with regard to Indians, now stand responsible for the killing of five white men in a single day.- But, happily, the transaction was one for which they are not likely to be blamed, at least in this country. At 10 o'clock, on the 15th of June, this place was alarmed by the report of guns in rapid succession, a short distance beyond the fields, on the opposite side of the river. The next moment brought intelligence that The Bird, one of the earliest settlers, was lying in the road killed and scalped.- The men, immediately seizing their guns, crossed over and set off in pursuit of the party, supposed of course to be Indians. In this there was no difficulty, for the murders, as injudicially [sic] deprived of common sense, kept together and were overtaken in open country, and the whole of them, amounting to five persons, were destroyed, without loss to the Osages. The return of the latter after an absence of about two hours, exhibiting in triumph the scalps of those wretched men, and their outcry and firing when they arrived at the spot where the man was killed, presented a full specimen of barbarous manners. The lamentations of the widow and children over the corpse were of course more vehement than even their ordinary mournings. Whether the Osages had any suspicion with regard to the murderers being white men till after the termination of the battle, I do not know-but such they were soon ascertained to be. Three brothers and two other relatives, who alledged [sic] that their father had been killed by the Osages on Red River, came to seek revenge, and such was the result.- Some of our people expressed a regret at having killed their fellow creatures; -but plead, as white people would do, the urgency of the occasion.

Another interesting occurrence to us as well as to the Indians, is the transfer of the country Westward from Fort Smith as far as the Neeslio, to the Cherokees, by a treaty recently concluded at Washington. The removal of the Osages to their reservation, seventy miles North of this, hitherto delayed from year to year, will now be carried into effect, - and the doubtful question with regard to the forbearance with which one tribe of Indians will witness the best of their lands put into the hands of another, with whom also they were not long space at war, will soon be determined. How well the United States may be able to keep the peace amongst these people, I cannot say: but I am confident that unless some judicious measures are taken to enable and induce the Osages to cultivate more land than they are likely to do if left to themselves, nothing but most distressing want and wretchedness can result from crowding them together.'

Yours respectfully,

John Montgomery.

__________________________________

DREADFUL STEAMBOAT ACCIDENT.

New Orleans, August 13,- The towboat Grampus, Cap. Morrison, ascending the river yesterday morning about sunrise, when opposite the plantation of Dusau de la Croix, (having four vessels in tow, viz.: the brig Thomas and William, Capt. M'Intyre, the British brig Anastasia, the brig Louisiana, and the sloop Dos Amigos,) burst her boilers.

The top masts, sails, rigging, and bulwark of the Thomas and William were carried away; her deck covered with pieces of the boiler, bricks and other rubbish, but no person on board injured. The Anastasia was very slightly damaged; the other vessels not at all. Capt. Morrison was standing on or near the wheel house on the upper deck in conversation with Mr. Wederstandt, a passenger on board. They were thrown with the deck about thirty feet into the air, and fell upon the forecastle of the boat, the deck falling over them, but prevented from crushing them by falling on the capstern. Capt. M. is much bruised; Mr. Wederstandt is also a good deal bruised and wounded in the neck by a splinter. As soon as the news of this awful catastrophe reached town, Dr. Y. M'Daniel hastened down on board of the Pilot, taking with him a medicine chest, to the relief of the wounded. The following is a correct list of the killed, missing and wounded:

Joseph Dryden, second engineer, missing; Thomas Dodd, steersman, do; Harry and Frank (black men) missing; L. Brace, do; George Mooney, do; Jack Smith, a free black boy, wounded since dead; George Brown, Baliz pilot, had his leg broke, and bleed to death before medical aid arrived; William Taylor, slightly scalded; Peter Smith, dangerously do; John Handlin, badly do; Charles Craig, arm broke; Robert Watkins, carpenter of the Anastasia, was struck with the steam and thrown overboard, was picked up and died immediately afterwards: He was lying on the forecastle hatch of the boat with another hand belonging to the Anastasia, who is very badly scalded.

Capt. Morrison requests us, in behalf of himself, his officers, and the unfortunate sufferers, to return his sincere thanks to Mr. Dusan de la Croix, who humanely sent out his boat to their assistance. It is disagreeable to reflect upon the cause of this accident. We think it probable that no blame can be attached to Capt. Morrison; but it was undoubtedly owing to a pulpable [sic] and shocking carelessness in the engineer, who neglected seeing that the boilers were properly supplied with water.

____________________________________________

Bank of the United States.- The Report made by a ;committee of the stock-holders at the annual meeting has been published at length. The stock is in 350,000 shares; it is owned by 3,818 individuals; and they reside in 23 States and Territories. The stock owned in foreign countries is 40,412 shares, something like an eighth part of the whole. The capital paid in is about 35 millions; due to sundries rising of 6 millions; and the surplus of fund of reserved profit about a million and a half of dollars. The aggregate of these sums is about 60 1-2 millions of dollars. To meet the above debt, the bank has Funded debt, nearly 17 millions; discounted paper, 37 millions; Bills of Exchange, (foreign) a third of a million; Real estate, 2 1-4 millions; Banking Houses, one million; specie, 6 1-2 millions; and other property, 5 millions. - J. of Com.

_______________________________

THE AFRICAN COLONY.

It gives us pleasure to learn that the Board of Managers of the American Colonization Society have appointed Dr. RICHARD RANDALL., a highly respectable Member of the Board, Colonial Agent, and that he accepts the appointment, with the intention of proceeding forwith [sic] to Liberia, to assume the administration of its Government.

We consider it a most auspicious circumstance for the continual prosperity of the Colony, and the success of the noble object of the Society, that the Managers have been able to obtain the services of a gentleman so respectable and every way so well qualified for the important trust, as Dr. Randall; and we congratulate the friends of the Society every where, that so able a successor has been so early obtained to supply the place of the late lamented Agent. ----Nat. Int.

________________________________