Late from the Frontier: Indian Treaty

By Gen. Tarrant and Capt. Booth, who arrived on Tuesday evening from the treaty ground, we learn the following in relation to the negotiations with the wild Indians, and the straggling remnants of tribes more civilized.

A treaty of perpetual amity was concluded by the two Commissioners, Gen. Tarrant and Judge Terrell, on the 29th of September, with ten tribes, viz: the Tiwahconnes, Keachies, Wacoes, Caddoes, Anadahkoes, Ironies, Cherokees, Boluxies, Delawares and Chickisaws.

The Wichitas and Toweash were to have been in, but were prevented by false representations of malicious and interested Creeks, who told them that they would be murdered, or if not, that goods would be sold them having the taint of some infectious disease. The representations of these men produced more difficulty for the Commissioners, than any other cause.

Of the tribes who have treated, the three first were essentially wild, and wore no clothing, except the breech clout.

The remnant of Cherokees who were there, were in a most distressed condition. The family of Bowles who were all there, would not come into camp until the Commissioners purchased clothes for the women and children. Accustomed to the decencies of life, they were unwilling to show themselves to civilized people in their state at that time. There were about 30 Cherokees who composed all of the tribe once settled in Nacogdoches county, who still remain apart from the main tribe resident in the United States. They had been nearly denuded of property by the command under Gen. Tarrant in 1841, when on the Trinity. They have now just returned from Mexico, where they had been stript of their remaining property by theft. They were without horses, clothes or effects of any sort.

The fate of this tribe has been unfortunate indeed. First driven from the fair lands which they had cultivated in Nacogdoches county, and where they had drawn around themselves the comforts, and many of the luxuries of civilized life. Drawn into a contest, of which it is doubtful whether the seed of it was not planted by interested, turbulent, and evil disposed white men—their chief, and the father of a large family, whose character commanded the esteem of a large number of the citizens of the country who knew him, slain in the first contest for their homes—his body barbarously mutilated—an act which the dauntlessness of his bearing in the battle, if no other cause, or impulse of decency, generosity, or humanity, should have prevented, for he fell in the rear of his retreating men, exposing to the last, his body to the assailants—they have been driven to the wild prairies of the North, cast down, comfortless, homeless, and miserable.

The year after this dispossession, and the death and misery which it caused, they were found by Burleson upon the head waters of the Colorado, where they had probably established themselves to depredate upon the settlements, and there the destruction among them was far greater than before. The wife and daughter of the brave old chief were captured, and his eldest son and a large number of the tribe were killed. At this place, the few remaining comforts which they had managed to retain after their first contest, were captured and brought away or destroyed. Subsequently they were broken up again, in '41, when Gen. Tarrant made his expedition to the upper Trinity; and here at last, we find them at this treaty ground—but lately robbed of the very last vestige of property by a people which ranks itself a nation, free, powerful and proud, but which is far beneath these Indians, in all creditable qualities, mental or personal—the small remnant of a once respectable tribe—broken down in spirits, unclothed, and wretched, still preserving the self respect which civilization had taught them, and unwilling appear before the Commissioners, without decent apparel. Truly we pity them. The calamities which they have suffered, have been the unavoidable result of their position, a position which it is very doubtful whether they chose, but at the several crises of their defeats, there was no alternative for those immediately opposed to them, but to slay.— Their misfortunes seem to show, how much injury to the innocent, the acts of evil men may cause Doubtless, as they have mourned over their misfortunes, it has seemed to them that every man's hand was against them. General Tarrant describes the daughter of Bowles, as a very intelligent woman.

The three wild tribes had with them a large number of fine horses, and said they had many more at their villages.

The Commissioners went out eight miles from the treaty ground, and met the Indians as they came in. They found them disposed to be extremely friendly and the Commissioners had the gratification of embracing the large number of chiefs, and shaking hands with every other man, woman and child.— There were none but the leading men present, and some of them brought their families. Sickness prevented the attendance of a great many.

The Commissioners received through Mr. J. C. Eldridge, and also from Aquaquash, the head chief of the Wacoes, a message from the principal chief of the Comanches, that they would meet them on the Clear fork of the Brazos, at the new moon in December, with as many of the chiefs as he could induce to come in at that time, and he thought all would be in if not prevented by the misrepresentations of the Creeks. He was to see them all, and induce them to come in, if he could.

The tribes had all been delayed in their passage to the treaty ground, waiting for Mr. Eldridge who was to have met them and brought them in at the time agreed upon. Sickness or misunderstanding prevented his attendance at the time, and they, supposing from the representation of the Creeks, that they had been deceived, had dispersed and were out hunting, when the messengers from the treaty ground came to them.

General Tarrant says that they evinced the best disposition-that every article of the treaty was fully explained to them, and understood by them, and that every citizen who was upon the ground has the utmost confidence in their faithful observance of the stipulations. There was not the least cause for doubt to be found in their actions or bearing. There was no pilfering or misconduct of any sort. The General's horse which had strayed off and was lost for three or four days, was searched for and brought in by them. The Tiwahconnes brought in and gave up five horses, which they say, is all the property they have taken from the whites since the 1st of March.

The General ascribes great merit to the exertions of Col. Williams and Lewis Sanches, of Nacogdoches county, and Jim Shaw, a Delaware, by whose efforts the tribes were finally brought in, and who acted as interpreters between the parties. He also mentions much indebtedness to Roasting Ear, McCulloch. S. Louis, chiefs of the Delawares, and Estecayucatubba, principal chief of the Chickasaws, who were very influential and unremitting in their efforts to consummate the treaty. The last signed the treaty through motives of friendly interest, there being no difficulty with his tribe. The principal chief among the tribes who treated, and to whom all the others looked up, was Kechikoroqua, the head chief of the Tiwahconnes. He was at first indisposed to treat with any body but the President, but finally understanding the powers of the Commissioners, he concluded to treat with them.

Mr. Thomas Torrey of Houston, who had been with Mr. Eldridge, died at the treaty ground of congestive fever, on the 27th Sept.

The treaty itself, by the direction of the President, will not be published until it is officially done.

Trading houses will be established, and the points for three of them are already designated. One is to be on the South side of the West fork of Trinity, at or near the junction of the Clear fork, at the upper edge of the lower Cross Timbers; one at the Comanche Peak, on the Brazos; one at the old San Saba Mission.

The line of hunting grounds is from one trading house to the other, North.

Permits have been given to the chiefs, to hunt until next spring, on the South side of the line, out of the settlements. This has been done on account of the buffaloes being all below, as attested by Messrs. Eldridge and Torrey.

The Commissioners recommend to the President to appoint an agent to observe their movements while below the line, and report to their chiefs any malconduct. The speeches of Red Bear, chief of the Caddoes; Roasting Ear, St. Louis and Estecayucatubba, were taken down, but have been sent on to Washington, and no copies brought here.

Linne, the chief of the Shawnees was expected in, but did not come; cause not known.

The expense of the treaty has only been about five hundred dollars.

A little Anadahko boy whom Gen. Tarrant had taken with his mother, from an Indian village on the Trinity, in May, 1841, and who had been retained by him ever since, was taken up to the treaty ground, and found to be the nephew of Jose Maria, principal chief of the tribe. He was delivered to his uncle, who says he will return him to the General after he gets to be eight or ten years old, to be educated. The child is now five years old, and remained with his tribe with great reluctance. His mother escaped shortly after her capture, and is now in the Choctaw nation. The dress, trinkets, &c., which he had on, when captured, and some little articles that had belonged to his mother, which were preserved and taken up with him, were immediately identified by his uncle and brother and sister, who were present. The two latter endeavored to excite his affection by continual attention, but he would have nothing to say to them, and cried bitterly when left with them.

If our readers observe any rich specimens of spelling in our Indian names, they will please recollect that we have no manual of names by which we could correct our own crude idea, derived from the sound and that conveyed by one not much better versed in the matter than ourself.

We are glad that this treaty has been effected. We believe it will prove of much benefit to the whole country, and not the least to the frontier of Fannin and to the new colony beyond it, which is destined to fill up with great rapidity. From Gen. Tarrant, we receive the same account of the upper Trinity country, that every body else has given us. The General has been there before, and his first impressions are borne out by his late observation. He says he believes it to be the finest country on the earth.

The present settlers of the colony are delighted with the effectuation of the treaty.

We hope this may be a forerunner of another and still more important arrangement of difficulties.

High credit we are told, is due to Judge Terrell the associate Commissioner. As to Gen. Tarrant, every body here knows him, and we feel gratified that he has been rendering service to the country, while his own interests as a candidate were suffering for want of attention, and the lack of services by those upon whose pledges and at whose instance, he became one. To his perseverance, we are told, the accomplishment of this treaty is mainly attributable. Nothing but his determination to stay upon the ground, as long as there was any hope of the coming of the Indians, prevented the breaking up of the commission and the return of every one connected with it long since; a course for which they had the authority of the President, who said he had done his duty, and the Indians having failed to come in at the appointed time, the fault lay with them. Gen. Tarrant was anxious on account of the frontier settlers, to arrange a cessation of hostilities, and success has crowned his efforts. In all the country there could not have been found an individual better suited for managing such a negotiation.