314 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 73 
It is of particular interest inasmuch as Stiggins himself was a Natchez 
Indian. 1 It has not before been published. 
The Natches.— The men of that tribe almost all converse in the Creek tongue, with 
their families or not. Tho' the women can speak it fluently yet most generally in their 
own common concerns and to their children they use their own native tongue. Fre- 
quently in one house they use both tongues without any detriment to their conversa- 
tion or business. The tradition they relate as the cause of their removal from the 
seat of their nativity to their final settlement in the Taladega Valley I will relate as I 
heard it. That about one century ago that the tribe lived in one large body or tribe 
on the bank of the Mississippi where the present city of Natches now stands and ex- 
tended above it, that their government was monarchical, and that all cases both civil 
and political were determined by the king and his suite, for he was attended by both 
men and women in great state. The throne was hereditary and the king was supreme 
head of the tribe. His person was sacred and his mandates inviolable. He lived in a 
retired manner in the suburbs of the town, secluded from the society of all persons 
but his own near relations, who officiated about his person both men and women as 
attendants and guards, about one-third of his connection at a time, and such as were 
not in attendance on his person were in the forest in search of game for his subsistance. 
During the hunting excursion the party was headed by one of his near relatives to 
direct and take care of the party. But it must be noticed that all earthly institutions 
tho' made for lasting happiness for ages, are delusive and visionary. So it happened 
to them. For while they were living under their peaceable and happy institution of 
government, a government familiarized to them by time, and consonant to their 
habits of life, they received a visit from a detachment of French who went up the 
river Mississippi to explore the country and fix on an eligible spot to .erect a garrison, 
and without a previous compact with the natives to insure their good will. They 
pitched on a site in the vicinity of the town. Tho' much against the will of the 
Indians, they disguised their chagrin and seemingly were careless and not opposed 
to the encroachment of their unwelcome visitants and neighbors, who had fortified 
themselves in the suburb below the town. 
The French, by their gallantry, pursued the destructive course said to have been 
in Sodom of olden time. As tho' danger was not imbruing nor destruction awfully 
pending over their ill-fated heads they made free with the men and married their 
women. They were tolerated in their love to their women with seeming good will by 
the natives for they saw the advantage that would ultimately result through their 
blind devotion to love, for it would make them unsuspicious and unguarded against 
a design they had in contemplation to effect through that means. As was expected 
their lewd practices soon caused a relaxation of their vigilance and discipline, for 
they frequented the "town at night in a careless manner and unguardedly admitted 
the women into the fortress at night and made them welcome visitants at all times. 
The Indians saw how remiss and negligent the French were getting in their manner of 
living, as was expected, and they for revenge secretly and exultingly proceeded to put 
their scheme into execution, which was to exterminate their gallant and unwelcome 
neighbors. Therefore the Indian men concerted a plan with their women as though 
without design for the women to make their appointments with the Frenchmen to be 
and stay within the fortress on such a night, which appointment was accordingly 
made and the garrison overreached . For when the time arrived , instead of the expected 
women, the fortress was entered by men in disguise and armed, who on entrance 
instantly fell to work and exterminated the whole garrison of men. One man escaped 
because his loving wife, wishing to save him, had prevailed on him to stay with her 
1 Probably a son of Joseph Stiggins, trader in the Natchez town in 1796.— Hawkins in Ga. Hist. Soc. 
Colls., ix, p. 34. 
