182 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



The Court partaking of the sudden, new and singular 

 excitement, begged the gentleman to explain. Indiana 

 had suffered him still to retain her hand, still looking 

 upon the ring. It was her mother's wedding ring, a plain 

 gold one, having on one side two hearts and two 

 hands united, and was a fac simile of one her father 

 always wore, and which had been the wedding ring of 

 his first wife, which he drew from her finger after her 

 shocking death. "I have," said the gentleman, "within 

 a few months past, seen a ring exactly like that, in a 

 place that, since I have heard the statements here to-day, 

 has excited the most intense curiosity in my mind. — 

 While attending the Treaty of Tippecanoe, made last fall 

 with the Pottawattamie Indians, for the purchase of all 

 their lands in the north part of Indiana, I observed upon 

 the finger of a young squaw a ring exactly like this. 

 Pray, lady, let me see the inside of this. No, not exactly 

 like this. The initials and date of the engraving were 

 different; but in every other respect the same. Being 

 considerably acquainted with the language, I offered to 

 buy the ring. I made offer after offer until the girl was 

 strongly tempted to part with it, and cast an imploring 

 look towards her mother for leave to do so. The old 

 squaw said no. I urged her to give her reasons. She 

 seemed to be in a communicative mood, and told me to 

 sit down and listen. The substance of what she said was 

 so strongly impressed upon my mind, I never can forget 

 it. "More than twenty years ago," said she, "we were a 

 powerful nation, and as proud as powerful; the waves 

 of whitemen came rolling into our country, and upon the 

 banks of this river, two days ride from here, our warriors 

 attempted to stop the wave. As well might we attempt to 

 stop the waves of this river. A great white Chief came 

 up the Oubasche, with a little band of soldiers, and 

 offered to have a talk with our wise men. 



"The old men wanted to talk — the young men wanted 

 to fight. We will fall upon them, said they, before the 

 next sunrise, and he never shall shine upon one of them 



