Evening Star Newspaper, August 15, 1937, Page 19

CHICAGO RECALLS FORT DEARBORN Slaughter of Garrison 125 Years Ago Came After Pathetic March. By the Associated Press. CHICAGO, August 14.—Chicago'’s trumpets of jubilee will be muted tomorrow to bring back the echoes of a8 dead march—the prelude to the Fort Dearborn massacre. Commemorating that tragedy be- fore the green and golden portals of the prairie, 125 years ago, Mayor Edward J. Kelly has proclaimed an observance of the day with pageantry and oratory. Led by historical, civic And other groups, the Nation's second city will spare a few thoughtful hours from the swift pace of its glittering mod- ernity to salute the memory of the chief actors in high drama which & century and a quarter ago was played out along what is now Chi- €ago's most impressive show window. In pantomine, scenes leading inevi- tably to the massacre, will be por- trayed Yet the roots of the bloody violence Iay 50 deep and entangled in ancient greed and enmity, ambition and dreams that, of necessity, the prelim- Inary events can be represented only superficially. Old hate dealt new death in a rude and raw land, and among the overtones was distinguish- able the throaty cry of “The cause, the cause!” Incident Rich Historically. Given the backgrounds, the lights and shadows, the daring strokes, the lines of character, the sinister hori- zons, it all becomes a rich canvas, not merely an isolated frontier slaughter, one more outpost crushed, an engraving in some lark-loving boy's forgotten history book. Acting belatedly on the urging of Mad Anthony Wayne, the Washing- ton Government established, in. 1803, a fort on the site of Chicago, to help the new republic master its growing | territories and to afford additional | protection for American traders. First of the authorized military to arrive in the midst of the Pottawatto- mies of Northwestern Illinois was a detachment of blue-coated, pig-tailed roldiers, commanded by a stripling lieutenant. For more than a month the men had marched, from Detroit to the dunes of Lake Michigan. Later came Capt. John Whistler, grandfather of the artist and wit, James McNeill Whistler, with more troops, ordnance and womenfolk, traveling in the Government schooner Tracy. Named for Secretary of War. ‘The fort was completed the follow- ing Winter and was named in honor nf Gen. Henry Dearborn, Secretary of [War. No easy task, this building of a rtronghold in a soggy wasteland. Sol- diers hauling timbers by hand through the ooze, historians say, grumbled, fought and cursed the decision to build a fort in such a place. Mrs. Julia Whistler, the com- mandant's wife, wrote in a letter: | “The * '+ > Tracy * * '+ anchored fhalf a mile from the shore, discharging her freight from boats. Some 2,000 Indians visited the locality while the vessel was here. * * * There were hen here but four rude huts, or trad- ers’ cabins, occupied by white men, Canadian French with Indian®wives. * * * There was not at that time, within hundreds of miles, a team of horses or oxen. * * * The soldiers had o don the harness and, with the aid pf ropes, drag home the needed tim- bers.” | Apart from the Pottawattomies and the Canadians, who had come a- | [wooing with songs of Arcady on their | , the newcomers had, the records but one other neighbor, John Kinzie, born in Quebec but described | AS an American and the “founder of | the first Chicago dynasty.” Nine somnolent years separated Fort [Dearborn from its back-breaking be- ginnings and the ordeal by blood. Tecumseh Indign Leader. The struggle for dominion in the [United States brought to the front the Indian leader, Tecumseh, character- ized by one commentator as “a vain [dreamer of a future of pacifism, so- cialism, brotherly love and the con- federated Indian tribes of Ameriga.” [No mere warrior was Tecumseh, of the Shawnees, but a politica] evangel flicking stardust from his hair, which resembled dripping tar. It was Te- [cumseh, with his sharply chiseled, sen- ritive artist's face, who said proudly to William Henry Harrison: “Houses are built for you to hold councils in; Indians hold theirs in the open air. * * * The sun is my father, and the earth is my mother; on her bosom I | will repose.” Whatever restraint Tecumseh was able to exercise upon his followers was set at naught by his brother, 'Tenskwautawi known as ‘“the Prophet,” and steeped in vague mys- ticism. The consequence of “the Prophet's” hortatory preachings was the battle of Tippecanoe, in Novem- ber, 1811, which crushed the Indian uprising and, for a time, saved Fort Dearborn from the destruction planned by the Indians unless the white men mended their broken treaties. ] It was the alert Tecuimseh, dispatch~ ing the news of Indian success east- ward, benefited, too, by what the theretofore fairly friendly Pottawat- tomies believed to be false dealing on the part of Comdr. Heald of Fort Dearborn, who provoked the massacre on August 15, 1812. Angered by violation of an agree- ment by which liquor and provisions of the fort would be given them pro- vided the garrison had safe conduct to Fort Wayne, the Indians, observing Heald destory surplus arms and dump whisky in the river, waited to strike. Wells Leader of Scouts. ‘The evacuation of the fort started at 9 o'clock the morning of the fifteenth. The troops were led by William Wells, noted Indian scout, who with nine friendly Miamis, had offered to escort the band to Fort Wayne. From accounts, one gathers it must have been a wildly beautiful mise en scene—Lake Michigan giving off its most haunting colors, the air that of Summer peace yet charged with hos- tility, the sky soft and ivory-blue. The troops swung out of the fort. ‘The band, with heavy irony, played the dead march. Says historian Lloyd Lewis: “Less than 50 soldiers, 12 or 15 civillans sworn in as militia, the women in the rear with a wagon load of childien, they marched, John Kinzie and bis family among them, lugubrious be- cause of approaching peril and loss of Pproperty. “Along what was later to be Michi- §an avenue they wound, their escort of Pottawattomiss, some on ponies, Capt. William 1. Mushake William, jr., up to get a better Jantry at Gettysburg. THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., AUGUST 15, 1937—PART ONE. of the 121st En eers, District National Guard, holds his son, view of the statue erected in honor of the 40th New York In- Guardsmen Pass Inspection;. Await 1,500 Sunday Visitors| - Day—Field Maneuvers Will Fea- ture Early Part of Week. BY ROBERT E. ERWIN, Btaff Correspondent of The Star. CAMP ALBERT RITCHIE, Cas- cade, Md., August 14 —The District National Guard, flield spread on the parade ground, passed inspection with flying colors today and then pointed toward entertain- ment of approximately 1,500 expected | Sunday visitors and the second and | concluding week of its annual en- campment. In neat array the 121st Engineers, the 104th Quartermaster Regiment, the special troops and Company A, 372d Infantry, colored troopers, formed on the field and presented their equipment, while officers, led by Col. John W. Oehmann, made their inspection. “There were not more than 10 pieces of equipment missing in the entire Engineers Regiment,” com- mented Col. Oehmann as he com- mended the entire Guard. Next came a short parade and dis- bandment for an afternoon of recrea- tion and rest. Visitors were expected for the Sabbath from Washington, Baltimore and other cities, as military. civil and private guests of officers and | enlisted men. Regimental Parade Tomorrow. ‘The high lights tomorrow will be the regimental parade from 5 to 6 p.m. Religious services were to be held during the morning and a movie at 8 p.m., all arranged by Maj. Arthur L. Smith, chaplain of the District Guard, who retires from Guard service after this encampment. All superior offi- cers joined in commending his long record of efficlent military service. Field maneuvers early in the week and regimental field day and the visit of Commissioner Melvin D. Hazen, Thursday, feature the second week's program. The Engineers will leave about 7:30 am. Tuesday on their annual overnight field bivouac. They will spend the night in pup tents on a| camp ground at Euclid, on the Penn- sylvania-Maryland line, 3 miles away. Road marching and engineer con- struction projects will keep them busy until dark Wednesday when they re- turn to camp. Other units will follow somewhat | the company. similar procedure. The 104th quarter- master under Maj. Fletcher F. Berns- dorfl. start a three-day 280-mile road | trip Tuesday. This operation will ex- equipment tend into Winchester, Va.. by trucks Tuesday, back to Cumberland, Md., to spend Wednesday night and re- turn to camp Thursday. Thursday will be a day of athletics, contests and parade, capped by an evening boxing show in which Lou Gevinson, star Washington feather- weight, will appear in an exhibition bout against Humphrey Decola, Wash- ington, of the 121st Engineers. Mat: Toomey, Gevinson'dfjrainer, has been here for several days. . To Determine Championships. Capt. Charles E. Smithson, camp athletic director, announced camp championships will be determined in the 118, 126, 135, 160, 175 pound and heavyweight classes, with 4 pounds al- lowance in all classes and bouts of | three 2-minute rounds. Entries must be sent to regimental headquarters of | the Engineers not later than midnight Monday. day. - The Guardsmen will entrain for home Saturday morning. Capt. Geerge Evans, attached as sanitary officer, reported camp sani- tary conditions entirely satisfactory. Col. Oehmann reported there had been complaints of the food in several companies, but attributed any de- ficiency in daily menus to delayed de- livery and improper filling of orders, & situation which, he said, had been corrected. The Military Police Company. spe- cial troops, under Lieut. Donald A. Falk, was to honor Col. Oehmann today with presentation of the orig= inal medal struck for their company more than five vears ago. Col. Oeh- mann co-operated in organization of The medal, his name inscribed, has been kept by the mil- itary police for severzal years. Today he was to receive it for his own pos- Session, as recognition of meritorious service. Special troops officers entertained other officers, their wives and friends at a dance tonight in the quarter- master warehouse with music by the atring section of the 104th Medical Regiment Band. . Matches will be made Tues- paralleling them inland, nearer to the sand dunes which ran a hundred yards from the beach. * A half mile from the fort, this escort took to the scrub timber and a mile farther on Indian heads began popping up above the dune tops, ‘like turtles out of the water.’ Shots rang out * * *” Wells fought bravely. Some say he rode up to the commandant’s wife, blood pouring from his nose and mouth, and told her to inform his soon-to-be widow that he _had per- formed his duty and met a fighter's destiny. Dragged By Stirrup. Legend or historical truth, the story continues that Wells' horse was then shot and that as the animal fell momentarily the rider's foot caught in a stirrup and he was half dragged for a while. They say that before Wells died he killed at least eight Indians and that his slayer paused to cut out his heart and eat it, in tribute to his courage. The women joined the men in the confused fighting, slashing at the at- tackers with knives. With a horrible grace and rhythm the Indians circled the whites, then closed in to- fight with hand and tooth and blade. A daughter of the Kinzies fell into the hands of a maddened warrior, who swung his tomahawk over her head, and was saved only by the interven- tion of a saner Indian, Black Par- tridge, friend of her husband. Later Kinzie said “a whole wagon-load of children was tomahawked and some of the women were carried off by the chiefs. And some of the men was (sic) tortured to death.” Fort Looted and Barned. After the brief battle the dead were, as authorities give it, 26 soldiers, 12 militiamen, Wells, 2 women and 12 children. Many of the others were badly wounded. The following day the fort was looted and burned. The hacked eorpses were left on the lake shore to the wolves and the buzzards. When the British passed the following Win- ter the bones of the slain still lay there. b In 1816, two years after the death of Tecumseh, Fort Dearborn was re- built, but even then the vestiges of the massacre had not entirely dis- appeared. Skeletons were uncovered by the shifting sands and the men of the new Fort Dearborn boxed up the bone and buried them as best they could. And, for those with ears to listen, the winds and the waves play the dead march of Fort Dearborn to this day. « BATTLE MONUMENT-UNIT TO FINISH TOUR OF HONOR Services at Brookwood, Only -U. 8. Memorial in Britain, To- * morrow Ends Trip. By the Associated Press. BROOKWOOD, England, August 14. —The American Batt¥ Monuments Commission will wind up its tour of honor for 30,000 American World War dead tomorrow with services at Brookwood, their only memorial in Great Britain. . After dedication ceremonies at 10 cemeteries and memorials in France and Belgium the commission will lay & wreath at the cenotaph in London and then travel 28 miles to the Brook- wood Chapel and Cemetery. Gen. John J. Pershing telegraphed from Paris he ‘“greatly regretted it would be impossible” for him to cross the English Channel to attend the Brookwood ceremony. He said he was not ill but was greatly fatigued from a two-week round of dedications in France. U. M. W. COFFERS GAIN $3,563,000 in Treasury as of June 1. SCRANTON, Pa., August 14 (#)— ‘The United Mine Workers of Amer- ica, headed by John L. Lewis, and the foundation on which he built the Committee for Industrial Organiza- tion, had a balance of $3,563,772 in its treasury June 1. An auditor's report published today showed a gain of $808,790 over the balance December. 1, 1936. Under expenditures listed for the first six months of the year were: Salaries, $283,306, and expenses, $180,- 527. ) D.C, Guardsmen, Encamped at Cascade, Md., Visit Historic Battlefields at Gettysburg A group of District Guardsmen perched around one of the cannons at Gettysburg on the. site of an attack by Gen. Longstreet’s Confederate troops on the Union Army. The attack was repulsed with heavy losses. D. C. Bills (Continued From Pag as a criminal, but as one whose indi- vidual welfare coincides with the well. | being of the State, and who is to*be |Regimental Parade to Be H igh Light of | saved rather than prosecuted. ‘The report described th® present court as essentially a police court for children under 17, with criminal terminology and - procedure. The pending bill also seeks to strengthen the law in dealing with adults who contribute to juvenile delinquency. The bill was supported by a long list of civic organizations. The real estate bill sets up a com- mission of three members, with the District assessor as ex officio chair- man, and two others appointed by the | District Commissioners. This board would have authority to inquire into the character and reliability of appli- cants before issuing licenses, and to revoke licenses following public hear- | feared it would be too severe on small ing of complaints involving misrepre- sentation, false promises, acting for more than one party in a transaction without the knowledge of all and cer- tain other causes of complaint. Brokers would be required to pay a $50 annual license fee lr‘a salesmen $10 annually. ‘The taxicab insurance measure, which has passed the House, was post- poned after several Senators had ex- pressed fear it would work a hardship on individual cab owners. Defended by King. Chairman King of the District Com- mittee defended the measure, pointing out it had been improved by the Sen- ate committee. In the absence of Senator Tdyings of Maryland, who directed revision of the bill in sub- committee, it was decided to defer ac- tion. Senator Connally of Texas, who [individual operators, said a cab driver told him Priday night while going home that the bill womld ruin the drivers. S Senator King, however, said an- other driver who has been operating a cab for'17 years, told him he favored the bill. Connally stiggested there should be regulation of pedestrians who walk into traffic against the lights. Some- times, he said, they are hit and “then want to take action against a cab driver who has only three children and one auto.” suggested broadening the bill to re- quir® insurance from all automobile drivers. . Nicaragua has employed a foreign expert to straighten its financial dif- ficulties. Senator O'Mahoney of Wyoming | —Star Staff Photos. MRS. ROGERS MARRIES Divorced Wife of Standard Oil Heir Marries A. & P. Man. CLEVELAND, August 14 (#).—Mrs. Virginia Lincoln Rogers married Al- fred Waters, assistant sales manager for the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., Youngstown, in a quiet ceremony here late today. ‘The marriage was performed in the garden at the home of the bride’s sis- ter, Mrs. Ralph Randall Root, Cleve- |land Heights. Rev. Dilworth Lupton, Unitarian | minister of the First Church, read the ceremony. The bride, divorced wife of Huddleston Rogers, 3rd, heir td part of the Standard Oil Co. fortune amassed by his father, met Waters, graduate of Princeton, in Cleveland nine years ago. It is Waters' first marriage. ° enry | BOY OF 3ADEPT AT FARM CHORES Milks Cows and Drives Span of Mules With Skill of 0ld-Time Cowboy. By the Associated Press. NEVADA, Iowa, August 14.—This community has a “future farmer” candidate it believes may some day rival in prowess the mythical Paul Bunyan of lumberjack legend He is Dean Rose, who at the age of only 3 years milks the cows, drives & span of mules and corrals a stub- born calf with the skill and aplomb of an old-time cowboy. His father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Rose, are at a loss to ex- plain his strength and skill. “He just takes to farming naturally, I guess,” his father said. Dean never saw a farm until a little over a year ago. His father, an auto- mobile mechanic, moved to an acreage near here in March, 1936, because he “thought it would be good for the children.” Dean has a sister, Dorothy, 18 months old. Just how good the move was for Dean is shown in his accomplishments. He milks Belinda, the Jersey cow, every day, and a short time ago he taught his mother how to milk. When his father goes to the flelds to load hay, Dean drives the team of mules, Jack and Jenny, and maneuvers the wagon within range of his father's pitchfork, “geeing” and “hawing" like a master mule-skinner. But it's more fun to watch Dean “catch” a stray calf. He bullies and drives the little animal, taller than he is, into a convenient corner, grabs the calf's collar with one hand and his tail with the other, and presses him against the wall with his small body. How he learned the approved method of “calf wrassling” his parents can't explain. “I learned how to do it from Dean,” his father said. “Dean always was quick to learn,” his mother declared, “he was speaking full sentences when he was only 11 months old."” Grace Gray DeLong Life Reader Adviser Consultations; $1 Hours: 11 AM. to 9 ‘Telephone: MEL. 52 PSYCHIC MESSAGE COUNCIL 1100 Twelfth 8t. N. RADIO HISTORY! ROBOT DIAL—THAZE wi bands, three diale—but ] ONE at s time. 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