1879 History of Des Moines County
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WAPELLO AND OTHER NOTABLES.
Wapello, the chief from whom that county was named, was a powerful ruler among his people, and was also a fast friend of the whites, especially of the first Indian Agent, Gen. Street. Incidents illustrative of his character are dispersed through the following pages. He died in 1841, and was buried by the side of his friend, the General, on the Agency Farm. His grave was recently cared for by the Managers of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, which passes near by, and is now in a condition to withstand the shocks of time for years to come. He died at the forks of the Skunk River, on the 15th of March, and his remains were brought from that place to the scene of burial in an ox-wagon, and buried toward evening of the same day, with the customary Indian ceremonies. It was his own request that he might be laid by the side of Gen. Street, who had been for many years in the Indian service, and was very popular with them. Prior to the establishment of the Agency in Wapello County, Wapello and his band dwelt at the mouth of Crooked Creek, near Marshall, in Henry County. Poweshiek, a chief co-equal with Wapello, but of the Foxes, while the latter was of the Sac tribe, was located on the reserve on the Iowa River, and does not figure in this particular region. He died before the Indians left the State, and thus escaped the humiliation of the scene. Appanoose, Pashapaho, Hardfish and Kishkekosh all play conspicuous parts in the drama. An anecdote or two of the last-named will serve as an illustration of the nature of the men. Kishkekosh did not rank equal to either of the others, but he seems to have held a prominent place in councils, because of his native talents. His full name was George Washington Kishkekosh (the last meaning cut-teeth, or savage biter), and he had accompanied Black Hawk as one of his suite of braves during the tour of that renowned chief through the east as a prisoner of war. With his leaders he had been hospitably entertained at hotels and other places, and had a high appreciation of the sumptuous and cleanly-looking fare that was set before them. How he was enabled, after such an experience, to return with a good stomach to the frugal diet and indifferent cooking of he own people, we are left to conjecture. At all events, he retained his partiality for clean victuals, and was even overfastidious in this respect, as the following instance will show: One night, he, with his company of three or four braves, slept at the house of a white man with whom he was on very friendly terms, and they were to remain to breakfast. Kish had an eye on the preparation of the meal, and observed one neglect that his tender stomach rebelled against. The lady of the house (it is possible she did it intentionally, for she was not a willing entertainer of her savage guests), neglected to wash her hands before making up the bread. Kish thought he would rather do without his breakfast than eat after such cooking, and privately signified as much to his followers, whereupon they mounted their ponies and left, much to the relief of their hostess. Arrived at a house some distance from the one they had left, they got their breakfast and related the circumstance. These people, though generally accustomed and limited to the poorest fare, were not averse to the best that could be provided, and made gluttons of themselves whenever they could get enough of it. On another occasion, Kishkekosh and his suite, consisting of several prominent personages of the tribe, being then encamped on Skunk River, went to the house of a settler on a friendly visit, and he treated them to a feast. Besides Kish and his wife-who was a very lady-like person-the party consisted of his mother; Wykoma, the son of Wapello and his two wives (for polygamy was not an uncommon practice with these people); Masha Wapetine, his wife, and all their children. This old woman, on being asked how old she was, replied: “Mack-ware-renaak-we-kauk” (may be a hundred), and, indeed, her bowed head and hideously shriveled features would justify the belief that she was fully that old. The whole party were dressed in more than usually becoming style, probably out of respect to their hostess, who, knowing something of their voracious appetites, had made ample preparation for them. When the table was surrounded, Kish, who had learned some good manners, as well as acquired cleanly tastes, essayed to perform the etiquette of the occasion before eating anything himself. With an amusingly awkward imitation of what he had seen done among the whites, he passed the various dishes to the others, showing the ladies special attention, and helped them to a part of everything on the table with much apparent disinterestedness. But when he came to help himself his politeness assumed the Indian phase altogether. He ate like a person with a bottomless pit inside of him, instead of a stomach, taking everything within his reach, without regard to what should come first or last in the course, so that he only liked the taste of it. At length, after having drunk five or six cups of coffee, and eaten a proportionate amount of solid food, his gastronomic energy began to abate. Seeing this, his host approached him, and with apparent concern of his want of appetite, said; “Why, Kish, do you not eat your dinner? Have another cup of coffee and eat something.” In reply to this hospitable urgency, Kish leaned back in his seat, lazily shook his head and drew his finger across his throat under his chin, to indicate how full he was. And then, in further explanation of his satisfied condition, he opened his huge mouth and thrust his finger down his throat as far as he dared, as much as to say he could almost touch the victuals. Of course the others had eaten in like proportion, making the most of an event that did not happen every day. Kishkekosh seems to have had in him the elements of civilization, which needed but opportunity to spring up and bear pretty fair fruit. Not only did he become fastidious as to cleanliness, but he observed and imitated other usages among the whites, even more radically different from those of his savage people. It is well know that among the Indians, as among all unenlighted races, the women are, in a manner, the slaves of the other sex. They are made to do all the drudgery of the camp. Cultivate the corn, bring in the game after the hunter has had the sport of slaughtering it, no matter how far away it may be, he being either too lazy or feeling it beneath his dignity to bear the burden. They procure all the fuel to cook with, catch the ponies for their masters to ride, pack up their tents and household goods when preparing to move, and set them up when they again come to a halt in their wanderings. Kishkekosh had noticed the different fashion of the white settlers in regard to their women, and had, moreover, been reasoned with by them like an intelligent being, and he was very ready to admit the force of their arguments. He made an effort to institute reform among his people by having the men do a fair share of the work that, according to ordinary usage, fell to the squaws. He set them an example by taking hold heartily himself, and, though it is not probable that any very extended reformation took place, owing to the long-continued laziness of the men, and the deeply-rooted belief that their province was alone that of the hunter or warrior, yet the movement itself indicates a capacity in this savage chief for progress and enlightenment. The Indians throughout this region had a novel way of dealing with drunken people. After the Black Hawk war, the chose rather to live upon their annuities grated them by the Government than upon the products of the chase, as they had hitherto been forced to do, and as this gave them a good deal of leisure, they spent most of their time in drunken orgies, which proved a great mortality to the tribes, since many accidents happened to life and limb from that cause. It was, therefore, a custom for a few of the red men and the squaws to keep sober, so that when the inebriates got too wild, there would be someone to keep a retraining influence upon them. When a poor wight became unsafely drunk, he was tied neck and heels so that he could be rolled about like a ball, which operation was kept up despite his pleadings, until the fumes of liquor had vanished, when he was released. The sufferer would beg for mercy, but to no avail; and after he was sobered he showed no resentment, but seemed to recognize the wisdom of the proceeding. The following anecdote of Pashapaho is worth preserving. Maj. Beach relates the incident as coming under his own knowledge, and, though not exactly relevant from locality, yet it illustrates the Indian characteristics: “Some time in 1832, a plan was laid to attack Fort Madison, then a United States garrison. Pashapaho, a noted chief of the Sacs, who loved a ‘wee drap,’ was the projector of the scheme, but the treachery of a squaw brought the plan to a sudden end, and the savages, on their approach to the fort, were met with the grim paraphernalia of war, ready for their reception. The plan was not original the Pashapaho, for in many respects in resembles the famous effort of Pontiac on the fort at Detroit, during the early days of American settlement by the English; and the plan was, like that, defeated by a squaw. “Under pretense of a counsel with the commandant, Pashapaho designed entering the fort with concealed arms, and at a given signal the Indians were to overpower the troops. However, because of the warning already given, when the procession marched toward the fort the gates were suddenly thrown open, and a loaded cannon was revealed in the path. The gunner stood beside the piece with lighted match, while just in the rear was drawn up the garrison in battle array. Old Pash deemed discretion the better part of valor, and the signal for attack was never given. “Some years later, Pashapaho, who was also called the ‘Stabbing Chief,” made an attempt to effect a lodgment in Fort Armstrong, at Rock Island, but his method was different from the plan on Fort Madison. During the year previous to the attempt, some of the braves of his tribe, while out on the prairie upon a hunting expedition, fell in with a body of hostile Sioux, the life-long enemies of all other tribes. The Sacs had advantage in point of numbers, and captured a number of Sioux scalps. Complaint was made to the War Department, and orders were sent from Washington to Rock Island to demand of the chiefs the culprits, and to hold them prisoners in the fort. This was done. They were brought into the fort and surrendered, and throughout the winter, say for five months, they enjoyed the hospitality of Uncle Sam, in the shape of good quarters and plenty to eat, with no trouble of providing for it. In fact, they lived in an Indian’s heaven, until release by some arrangement whereby blood-money was to be taken from the annuities of their tribe and paid over to the Sioux. “The next fall, old Pash, probably not finding his larder as well stocked for the winter as he desired, conceived the idea of imposing himself as a guest, indirectly on his Great Father, the President. So, calling one day upon Col. Davenport, the commandant, he informed him that, being out upon a hunt he had the misfortune to meet one of his traditional foes, and had succumbed to the morbid desire to lift his hair. The act was so contrary to his usual humane character that he mourned the deed, and acknowledged his wickedness. He knew that his best of friend, the Great Father, whom he held in high esteem and affection, would hear of it and be very anger; and, therefore, to save him the additional vexation of having to send out a letter demanding his arrest, he had promptly come in to make a voluntary surrender of himself. Col. Davenport, who saw into the scheme, lauded him as an honorable Indian, and told him that his offer of surrender was ample evidence that he would respond whenever he was called to render account for the deed he had done. The Colonel could not think of making him a prisoner a day earlier that the Great Father commanded! No more was ever heard of this matter.” As incidental to the settlement of the region, we quote from Maj. Beach’s history of the Agency such portions as refer to well-known settlers in the Indian territory adjacent thereto: “On the Des Moines, a mile or so below the County Farm, where the bluff approaches nearest to the bank, was the trading-post of P. Chouteau, Sr., & Co., but later more familiarly known as the ‘Old Garrison.’ This was usually superintended by Capt. William Phelps. And just above the mouth of Sugar Creek, on the creek-bank, at the old road crossing, lived the miller, Jermiah Smith, Jr., with his family. This embraced all the whites lawfully living in the county at the time. “Through some unfortunate misunderstanding in regard to the boundary line, several persons had intruded upon the Indian land upon the Iowaville bottom, and the ridges in the rear, as well as upon the south side of the river, and, as the Indians made complaint to the Government, it had no alternative but to remove them. This duty fell upon the writer to execute, and was a very unwelcome one, if only for the reason that several of the intruders were persons who would not willingly have violated any law. Among them was that fine old specimen of West Virginia hospitality, Van Caldwell; but by reason of his location, and his readiness by any reasonable arrangement to escape the terrors of fire and sword, the writer obtained permission from the Department that he should remain, upon the condition of his maintaining a ferry for access to Soap Creek Mills during high water. “For some years previous to the writer’s appointment as Agent Messrs. P. Chouteau, Jr., & Co., of St. Louis, had been the only traders among the Sacs and Foxes, and the magnitude of their interests was enough to excite any rivalry. Col. George Davenport, of Rock Island, had been admitted as partner to their trade with that particular tribe, and he was looked to to reside among them and to carry it on. S. S. Phelps, Esq., of Oquawka, in connection with his brother, Capt. William Phelps, of jovial memory, had been gaining a foothold on trade for two, three, or perhaps four years before the treaties of 1836 and 1837, and, after the removal of the agency from the Island, and its consequent effect of rendering a change in the location of the chief trading-post inevitable, Col. Davenport, who had already acquired a comfortable fortune, concluded to withdraw. Mr. S. S. Phelps fell into the position thus made vacant in the company, although he relied upon his brother to reside in the Indian country and maintain personal oversight of the company’s affairs. A new trader now appeared in the field, with at least means enough to prevent the old company from being its monopolists. Of course, rivalry of feeling and interest would now spring up, and every occasion be employed by each rival to gain and secure what advantage he could. The writer is not intimating any idea of his own the any unfair or dishonorable appliances would be used by the gentlemen, heads respectively of the rival establishments; but their employes, or others, hoping advantage to themselves in the success of either party, might be less scrupulous. “It was, probably, through some such strategy that Gov. Lucas became impressed with the most sincere conviction that the Chouteau Company supplied whisky, with their other merchandise, to the Indians, and a conviction once fixed with the Governor was pretty apt to stay. So persuaded was he of the truth of his belief , that he was never disposed to the least reticence upon the subject; and it was generally believed in Burlington that if the Trading Company would be caught flagrante delicto, it would prove a pretty good haul for the catcher—certainly not less than the transfer to his own pocket of the half value of a large stock of goods. “As the writer soon saw that any effort of his own, however reasonable, to lead the Governor to a different opinion was opening the way to suspicion against himself of some personal interest in the company’s affairs, prudence naturally admonished him to desist. One morning, Mr. S. S. Phelps, to whom the Governor’s belief—and propensity to express it—was no secret, being in Burlington, stepped into a place where the Governor happened at the moment to be engaged in his favorite pastime of denouncing Mr. Chouteau’s establishment, etc., and the Governor, totally unacquainted with Mr. Phelps, still kept up in his presence his conversation on the subject. “Now, if there was anything Capt. Billy Phelps loved better than another it was to play off a trick; or if anything he knew better than another, it was how to plan and play it. The company had on its license a man named Simpson Vassar, who was better known at the Agency and its various dependencies under the sobriquet of ‘Suggs.’ When any deviltry lurked in Capt. Billy’s mind, ‘Capt. Suggs’ was his most reliable assistant in getting rid of it. So a scheme was planned. Suggs was sent over on a pretext of some message to Phelps, at Oquawka, with instructions not to leave Burlington until he had executed his part of the programme. “A person, who was either the City Marshal or attached to his official retinue, soon heard of Suggs in Burlington, and became so ambitious of his acquaintance as to introduce himself without delay. He learned from Suggs that the latter lived out in the Agency neighborhood; that he knew the Trading Company, in fact, sometimes worked for them when an extra force was needed—clever people; good paymasters, with the cash always in hand; knew nothing of their dealing in whiskey; had never seen them supply it to the Indians; and, even if he had, as he had heard they were accused of it, a dollar, when needed, was not so easily made out there that a man could afford to make enemies out of good-paying employers! After several interviews, Suggs embarked upon the ferry-boat. But his newly-made friend was not long in joining him, and, during the crossing, Suggs yielded to the potent arguments and promises that had already shaken his sense of personal honor and interest. He admitted that he had seen a large lot of kegs, and these not empty, landed by night at the trading-house from a boat, not long before, and immediately buried upon the bank, where most of them were; and if he could be guaranteed against suspicion as the informer, and terms arranged to suit-as he expected to remain about the place some time after his return-he would put his friend upon the right track. The boat having landed them, and all details being adjusted, each party went on his way rejoicing-Suggs’ way being to Oquawka, and at once back to the trading-house to report to Capt. Phelps. “Not many days later, an hour or so before dinner-time, Col. Jesse Williams-later of Henn, Williams & Co., of Fairfield, but then Private Secretary to Gov. Lucas-rode up to the Agency. Besides doubtless himself disposed (as, indeed, the Agency hospitality would suggest) to consider that an expedition which would demand a three-mile ride and several hours of time, could be more satisfactorily completed as a post-prandial duty, he made no mention of his business. But, as soon as the meal was over, he handed to the Agent a package from the Governor, containing a deposition in full form, taken before Judge Mason, of the Territorial Supreme Court, by Suggs’ Burlington friend, to the effect that so many kegs of whisky, etc., etc., and were then secreted, etc., etc., in violation of the statute, etc., by the said P. Chouteau Jr.’s Company, traders, etc., as foresaid. And there was a line to the Agent, that, in the execution of so delicate a duty, which must involve judicial process, he had deemed it best to send out Col. Williams to assist the Agent. Whatever the motive may have been, it is certain that, until both were in their saddles, Col. Williams proved himself able to watch the Agent with untiring eye. “Reaching the trading-house, the person who took the deposition and a companion were found there waiting, they having ‘forked off’ by another trail so as not to be seen. Suggs was on hand, having taken the opportunity to post the Burlingtonians about the locality. And also Capt. Billy Phelps, called by the Indians Che-che-pe-qua, or the ‘Winking eyes,’ was there, those visuals fairly gleaming with joy over the anticipated fun. “The Agent proceeded at once to business, expressing to Capt. Phelps his regrets that so unpleasant a duty should have devolved upon him; his hope that it would prove that so serious a complaint had originated in some error, but suggesting that, if true, admission of the fact and production of the contraband article would be more apt to temper subsequent proceedings with leniency than efforts to conceal it would do. The Captain vehemently denied the impeachment, stating that it would demand a much wiser man than himself to discover where such an article then was, or ever had been kept upon their premises. The complainant was now appealed to, who led the party a short distance to a spot where, with a triumphant air, he pointed to as X that the edge of Suggs’ boot-sole had made in the sandy bank. “They began digging, and soon reached some matting that was removed, and thus uncovered a lot of lard kegs, too greasy to suggest a thought of any other article being contained within them. The immediate ‘sold by thunder’ of one of the moiety gentlemen, and in accents too lugubrious to be listened to without exciting a sense of sadness. Suggs, meanwhile, had come up missing, and the ‘Winking eyes’ walked off with a most disdainful air, leaving the Agent and his party on the spot, whence they soon returned to the Agency, where the Agent made his report that the informer had pointed out a place, where, by digging, a large quantity of lard in kegs was found that had been buried to avoid loss by heat, and in the night to conceal the fact from vagabond whites, and Indians. The disappointed informer and his companion hastened homeward; but Col. Williams remained until next morning, and then returned, bearing the Agent’s report. “But the unkindest cut of all was six months later, when, about the last of February, Capt. Phelps addressed a letter to Gov. Lucas in the most respectful and official form, saying that having heard he had declared his determination not to continue in office under such an old Tory as Gen. Harrison, and fearful that whoever his successor would be, he might not feel so friendly toward the Company as he had proved in the matter of exhuming their lard, and as they would soon be much in need of some, and the ground was then very hard frozen, the Company would be under great obligations if he would at once send someone out to dig up the rest of it! “Previous to the treaty of 1842, some few changes were made in their location , both by the Indians and among the whites. The house at the “Old Garrison’ was broken up, and one established in its stead up in the Red Rock region, near the mouth of White Breast; and Keokuk, also, moved his village into the same neighborhood.”
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