CHIEF SIMON POKAGON. 



C. C. MARBLE. 



Gather him to his grave again, 

 And solemnly and softly lay 



Beneath the verdure of the plain, 



The warrior's scattered bones away. 



— Bryant. 



THE subject of this brief sketch 

 died, January — , 1899, at an 

 advanced age. He was a full- 

 blood Indian, and a hereditary 

 chief of the Pottowattomies. As au- 

 thor of "The Red Man's Greeting," 

 a booklet made of white birch bark 

 and entitled by the late Prof. Swing, 

 ■"The Red Man's Book of Lamenta- 

 tions," he has been called the "Red- 

 skin poet, bard, and Longfellow of his 

 race." He himself said that his ob- 

 ject in having the book printed on the 

 bark of the white birch tree was out of 

 loyalty to his people, and "gratitude to 

 the Great Spirit, who in his wisdom 

 provided for our use for untold gener- 

 ations this remarkable tree with mani- 

 fold bark used by us instead of paper, 

 being of greater value to us as it could 

 not be injured by sun or water." 

 Out of the bark of this wonderful tree 

 were made hats, caps, and dishes for 

 domestic use, "while our maidens tied 

 with it the knot that sealed their mar- 

 riage vow." Wigwams were made 

 of it, as well as large canoes that out- 

 rode the violent storms on lake and 

 sea. It was also used for light and fuel 

 at the Indian war councils and spirit 

 dances. Originally the shores of the 

 northern lakes and streams were fringed 

 with it and evergreen, and the "white 

 charmingly contrasted with the green 

 mirrored from the water was indeed 

 beautiful, but like the red man, this 

 tree is vanishing from our forests." He 

 quotes the sad truth: 



"Alas for us! Our day is o'er, 

 Our fires are out from shore to shore; 

 No more for us the wild deer bounds — 

 The plow is on our hunting grounds. 

 The pale-man's sail skims o'er the floods; 

 Our pleasant springs are dry; 

 Our children look, by power oppressed. 

 Beyond the mountains of the west — 

 Our children go — to die." 



The dedication of the little book is 

 characteristic of the grateful apprecia- 



tion of a man of lofty spirit, who was 

 acquainted with the history and tradi- 

 tions of his race. It is: "To the mem- 

 ory of William Penn, Roger Williams, 

 the late lamented Helen Hunt Jackson, 

 and many others now in heaven, who 

 conceived that noble spirit of justice 

 which recognizes the brotherhood of 

 the red man, and to all others now liv- 

 ing defenders of our race, I most grate- 

 fully dedicate this tribute of the for- 

 est." 



Chief Pokagon's father sold thesiteof 

 Chicago and the surrounding country 

 to the United States in 1833 for three 

 cents an acre. Chief Simon was the 

 first red man to visit Mr. Lincoln after 

 his inauguration as president. In a 

 letter written home at the time, he 

 said: "I have met Lincoln, the great 

 chief; he is very tall, has a sad face, but 

 he is a good man; I saw it in his eyes 

 and felt it in his hand-grasp. He will 

 help us get payment for Chicago land." 

 Soon after this visit to Washington a 

 payment of ^39,000 was made by the 

 government. 



In 1874 he visited President Grant, 

 of whom he said: "I expected he 

 would put on military importance, but 

 he treated me kindly, gave me a cigar, 

 and we smoked the pipe of peace to- 

 gether." 



In 1893 the chief secured judgment 

 against the United States for over Sioo,- 

 000, which still remained due on the 

 sale of Chicago land by his father. 

 This judgment was paid and the money 

 divided pro rata among members of 

 the tribe, who soon dissipated it, how- 

 ever, and became as great a charge 

 upon the chief as ever. 



Pokagon was honored on Chicago 

 Day at the World's Fair by first ring- 

 ing the new Bell of Liberty and 

 speaking in behalf of his race to the 

 greatest multitude, it is believed, ever 

 assembled in one inclosure. After his 



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