Chief Keokuk gave Danville farmer a style of his personal medication
Race relations had been by no means a robust level for Burlington’s “founding fathers.” Given half an opportunity, they might blithely cheat the neighboring Indians and suppose little of the matter.
Maybe these early in-comers took as a justification the shameful conduct of their federal authorities in buying the land then often called the Blackhawk Buy. This strip of land constituted a lot of jap Iowa.
The federal government pulled off this blatant land theft when a bunch of elders of the Sac and Fox tribes grew to become understandably involved about white settlers squatting illegally on Indian lands assured by treaty.
The tribe despatched representatives to St. Louis to complain to the Missouri governor concerning the predatory practices of white settlers. However as an alternative of performing on the grievance, authorities brokers obtained the Indians roaring drunk after which induced them to promote the tribal lands of jap Iowa.
Though the Indian tribal council was to later complain that the representatives they despatched to St. Louis had no authority to promote the lands and that the representatives had been intoxicated throughout most of their keep in St. Louis, and the value given the tribes was ridiculously low, the federal government held to the settlement.
The arguments failed to alter the federal government’s thoughts and to the white neighborhood; it was simply one other canny enterprise deal.
Lots of the settlers that had been flowing into Burlington within the 1830’s continued the observe of shady dealings with the Indians. However on not less than one event the observe almost led to a disastrous end result.
In 1834, when Burlington was no various tough riverside cabins, a small band of Indians got here to Jerry Smith’s buying and selling put up to obtain the few silver cash the federal government paid as an annual allotment for the seized land.
Numerous the city’s residents watched the transaction and reasoned there needed to be an environment friendly technique of separating the Indians from their cash, aside from the standard observe of charging exorbitant costs for commerce items.
These native sharpies approached the Indians and proposed a guess that the quickest of their group may outrun the speediest tribe member. The Indians agreed to fulfill the problem and to compound their mistake, they agreed to let the city service provider maintain the playing stakes.
The outcomes of the race had been predictable, as was what occurred afterward. The Indian runner simply out distanced his opponent however the white settlers falsely claimed he had cheated and the race purse was given to the settlers.
The Indians loudly complained but it surely was to no avail and so they had been ordered out of city. That evening the city gathered at Smith’s retailer and there was “a lot merriment” because it was recounted how the Indians had been “bested.”
That merriment lasted just some days for the Indians returned with reinforcements. The foot race and the Indians’ response didn’t appear so humorous when the settlement was instantly surrounded by Indian camp fires and drums sounded ominously from the hills.
All the city sought shelter in “Kelly’s Citadel” — an unusually robust and huge cabin beneath Prospect Hill. However two nights of psychological warfare and relentless drumming led the settlers to hunt a peaceable settlement.
A much-chastened group of race organizers met with the Indian leaders and the guess was paid to the winners.
This was to not be the one misstep within the settler’s relationship with the native tribes as a result of a 12 months later, two bachelor farmers within the Danville space, Azariah Gregg and William Sawtell, accosted two Indian youths loitering round their remoted farmhouse.
The settlers suspected the Indians had been as much as no good and reasoned a preemptive strike would forestall and misconduct. They had been capable of seize one of many younger braves and proceeded to beat him with a rawhide whip.
After releasing their sufferer, the 2 settlers congratulated themselves on their robust measure. However two days later the boys got here to remorse their motion.
Gregg was to later write, “We had been having our meal when instantly a dozen or extra warriors, wearing warfare blankets, entered our cabin in a state of obvious pleasure and displeasure.
“I informed Sawtell we should by all means appease their anger and, figuring out their fondness for flour, I gave all of them we had and quite a few different presents and so they lastly departed.”
A number of hours later, a second group of Indians burst into the cabin and this time the farmers had been pressured to provide away their total meals larder to purchase their security. However the matter was to not finish there.
Some days later, Gregg was in Burlington to purchase substitute provides. On arriving on the town, he realized Chief Keokuk was at Jeremiah Smith’s buying and selling put up. Gregg thought it is perhaps attention-grabbing to see the legendary Indian, so he stopped by the put up.
Smith had been liberally treating the Indian to the buying and selling put up’s inventory of whiskey, however Keokuk was fast to acknowledge Gregg the second the farmer stepped into the room. Keokuk jumped up from the desk, shouted at Gregg after which pulled a knife that he used to stab the startled settler.
Gregg escaped damage due to the heavy vest he was sporting and the enraged Keokuk was restrained from additional assault by Smith and the interpreter. Bystanders hustled the shocked Gregg out of city and on the lengthy trip dwelling, Gregg had ample time to contemplate previous actions.
“I departed the buying and selling put up searching for higher firm,” he recorded. “However I might decide Indian whipping to be a reasonably unprofitable enterprise to take pleasure in.”
