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 the site of 
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 $100,- 
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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