Louisiana and Aaron Burr 189 



were not protected, and were not even allowed to 

 defend themselves by punishing their foes. The 

 Creeks and Cherokees were receiving their annuities 

 regularly, and many presents in addition, while their 

 outrages continued unceasingly. The Nashville 

 people complained that the Creeks were "as busy in 

 killing and scalping as if they had been paid three 

 thousand dollars for doing so, in the room of fifteen 

 hundred dollars to keep the peace." 70 A public ad- 

 dress was issued in the "Knoxville Gazette" by the 

 Tennesseeans on the subjects of their wrongs. In 

 respectful and loyal language, but firmly, the Ten- 

 nesseeans called the attention of the Government 

 authorities to their sufferings. They avowed the 

 utmost devotion to the Union and a determination 

 to stand by the laws, but insisted that it would 

 be absolutely necessary for them to take mieas- 

 tires to defend themselves by retaliating on the 

 Indians. 



A feature of the address was its vivid picture of 

 the nature of the ordinary Indian inroad and of the 

 lack of any definite system of defence on the fron- 

 tier. It stated that the Indian raid or outbreak was 

 usually first made known either by the murder of 

 some defenceless farmer, the escape of some Indian 

 trader, or the warning of some friendly Indian who 

 wished to avoid mischief. The first man who re- 

 ceived the news, not having made any agreement 

 with the other members of the community as to his 

 course in such an emergency, ran away to his kins- 



10 "Knoxville Gazette," March 23, 1793. 



