CHIEF TOM TIGER (MIC-CO TUSTENUGGEE).
It is a number of years now, that Tom Tiger, chieftain, reached Kissimmee after a ride of 160 miles. Tall, straight and muscular, he proved himself a worthy descendant of the royal Tustenuggee. Dressed in the regalia of a chief, and mounted on a raw boned horse, he might have been mistaken for a sheik of the Arabian desert. He had come on a friendly visit incidentally, but to tell his white friend his trouble over a horse which had been procured under a fraudulent pretense, by a white trader. The story is a long one, but suffice to say proceedings were instituted and with the result that Captain Tom Tiger, Seminole chieftain, was the first Florida Indian that ever stood up in a white man’s court, making, as the spectators remarked, the most imposing picture they had ever witnessed.
The tall, magnificent looking savage, with uplifted hand, took the oath on the holy Book, with a perfect understanding of its meaning.
CAPT TOM TIGER(Micco Tustenug-gee.)
CAPT TOM TIGER(Micco Tustenug-gee.)
(Micco Tustenug-gee.)
The case was prosecuted by the Society, “Friends of the Florida Seminoles,” and achieved notoriety for being the first case in Florida in which a Seminolesought the protection of the court. It was told that the State’s Attorney made the most thrilling speech of his life as he pleaded for the barbarian of the swamp. The Indian never swerved under the strongest cross-examination, but told the story simply and direct. The status of the case was this: The white man was to return the horse at the end of two moons, binding the promise by writing. The argument was written on a cartridge box; a terrific rain storm came; the box was soaked in water, and the writing made illegible. Because Tom could not read, he could not make oath as to what was written on the box, the white man testifying he had bought the horse. On this simple technicality the case was lost and the white man escaped the penitentiary.
Like many of his race, Tom had a love for Wy-o-mee (whiskey), and was not averse to taking it. In speaking of a saloonkeeper he would say, “Captain, good man, five Indians go in saloon, five drinks give ’im. No money take,” but when Tom was asked to drink no whiskey in Kissimmee, he promised, “un-gah” (all right). A day or two after, the white friend stepped out of his office, and looking back saw the tall form of Tom just passing into the saloon—headed by three cowboys. Tom returned to the office, and his friend chided him for going to the saloon. “Whiskey, me no take ’em, lemonade, me take, cowboys wy-o-mee take.” The white friend’s trust had not been betrayed.
In this Indian’s visit of a week, many chapters were revealed of the character and home life of thistribe. Savages, it is true, but honor, justice and religion shine forth in their tribal life.
During his absence, the squaws and pickaninnies watched the potato and corn patch, and cared for the hogs, surely worthy tribute to a domestic life.
In relating a tragedy of the forest, Capt. Tom seemed much affected. The chief, attracted by the cries of young birds, found that a rookery of the beautiful white heron had been completely destroyed by plume hunters, and the grounds strewn with the mutilated bodies of the parent birds. From the tall trees overhead the starving nestlings were spending their waning strength in calling for food. The pitiful scene touched the heart of the strong red man, and he paused in his journey to find food for the helpless birdlings. In relating the circumstance, the Indian said, “Little birds, cry, cry, all day. No water, no fish,” till the Indian boys caught minnows and daily climbed the lofty trees and fed and watered the young egrets, a tribute to the savage mind over the cruelty of the civilized and Christianized white man.
A few years ago, Florida was an ornithological Eden, the winter home of countless thousands of the migratory birds of the North American Continent; but alas, the blood thirsty greed of the Caucasian for gold is shown in the brutal extermination of the plumed egret, and “the passing of the snowy heron” is the price of human callousness. The Indian chief probably did not see in the fate of the innocent plume bird, a prophecy of the destiny of the Seminole.
THE INDIAN’S HUNTING GROUND“Within a mile of the wigwams, the big dredges clank and groan, an accompaniment as it were, to the dirge of the recessional Seminoles.”
THE INDIAN’S HUNTING GROUND“Within a mile of the wigwams, the big dredges clank and groan, an accompaniment as it were, to the dirge of the recessional Seminoles.”
“Within a mile of the wigwams, the big dredges clank and groan, an accompaniment as it were, to the dirge of the recessional Seminoles.”
The same forces are at work to-day to take fromthe helpless Seminole his home and happy hunting ground.
Tom Tiger made his last visit to Kissimmee during the Spanish-American war, and a touching and pleasing feature of the visit was the meeting between General Fitzhugh Lee and this Chieftain of the Seminoles.
The train bearing General Lee and staff stopped at Kissimmee, where crowds of citizens went to welcome the hero of the Southland. General Lee, dressed in his rank as U. S. general, Chief Tom Tiger in the regalia of a Seminole chieftain. The scene is indelibly impressed upon all who witnessed the meeting. The Indian chief with the Stars and Stripes in his hand, was introduced and shook hands with the great American soldier. In hearty tones General Lee responded, “I am glad to see you, Chief.”
Tom was told he must “yell” when the train came in. He understood and answered, “Me holler (ojus),” and he did, a genuine Seminole war cry, “Yo-he-ee-hee—Yo-ho-ee-hee!”
Driven and hunted, homeless and helpless, this Indian was a strong ally of the United States. “No fight white man,” meaning the people of the United States, “shoot Spaniards, ojus” (heap), was Tom’s reply when the attitude of the two countries was explained to him.
One by one the older Indians are passing away, and when word was received that Captain Tom Tiger had been killed by a stroke of lightning, the newswas received with genuine sorrow. In his death, a fair, generous and faithful friend was gone. Captain Tom was building himself a dugout canoe on the edge of the cypress swamp, his family being with him at the time. Seeing an approaching storm, he sent them back to their wigwam. When he did not return, the Indians went to seek him and found his dead body. Other Indians turned the unfinished canoe into a mausoleum, and there rested his remains until an avaricious curio seeker sought it out and robbed it of the body of the chief. Considering the tender respect the Florida Indians have for their dead, and also the superstition that any desecrations of the bones bring dire calamities to the tribe, it is not surprising that this act of vandalism aroused the Seminoles to the highest pitch, and they were stirred as they have not been since the days of the Indian wars. The whites realized that unless they were pacified they were liable to give trouble.
Two of the leaders of the band visited the authorities at Fort Pierce, Florida, and the newspapers of that date give the following account, “Big Yankee steal bones of Tiger Tom, Indians Big Chief and best friend. Indians all fight. Kill white man ojus, bones no bring back by big white chiefs next moon.”
The matter was immediately taken up, and information filed by the State Attorney in the Circuit Court against the party, charging him with disturbing the grave of another and having in his possession a dead body. All over the United States the accountwas taken up by the press and looked upon as a matter of serious importance, as the Smithsonian Institution was credited with being behind the rapacious curio hunter.
The matter was brought to Mr. J. M. Willson, Jr., recognized as the Seminoles’ best friend among the whites.
The letter following explains the situation and is herein given:
SECRETARY RATHBUN’S STATEMENT.“Mr. J. M. Willson, Jr., Secretary Society of Friends of Seminole Indians, Kissimmee; Fla.“Dear Sir:—Replying to your letter of the 24th inst., I beg to say that about six weeks ago a Mr. ——, about whom nothing is known here, wrote to the National Museum and offered to present certain Indian relics which he had obtained in Florida, including a skeleton of an Okeechobee (not Seminole) chief. Assuming that these objects were properly acquired by him, he was notified that they would be accepted. No further word or the objects arriving, it has, therefore, been supposed that he disposed of the relics elsewhere. The heading of his letter paper indicates that he is the secretary and general manager of an amusement resort, called Island Park, at —— Pa., and it is not impossible that the relics were taken there.“Although I find that the name of the chief was mentioned in Mr. ——’s letter, the fact that he spoke of him as belonging to the extinct Okeechobee tribe entirely misled the Museum authorities who did not associate him with the Seminole Captain Tom Tiger, about whom so muchhas lately been printed in the papers until the receipt of your letter to-day.“I cannot express too strongly my abhorrence of the act of Mr. ——, whose desecration of this grave I consider outrageous and sacrilegious. The man had no connection with this museum or any branch of the Smithsonian Institute, as he seems to have claimed several weeks before he sent in his letter.“You can readily understand, therefore, that the museum will be only too glad to coöperate with your society in securing the return of the remains and of any objects that may have been taken with them from the grave. If they should be received at the museum they will be promptly forwarded to Florida.“I have forwarded your letter to Mr. ——, at the address given in his letter, viz: Box 531, ——, Pa., and I have also written him.“Trusting that this unfortunate matter may soon be satisfactorily adjusted, I am, dear, sir, very respectfully yours,“Rathbun,“Assistant Secretary in charge of National Museum.”
SECRETARY RATHBUN’S STATEMENT.
“Mr. J. M. Willson, Jr., Secretary Society of Friends of Seminole Indians, Kissimmee; Fla.
“Dear Sir:—Replying to your letter of the 24th inst., I beg to say that about six weeks ago a Mr. ——, about whom nothing is known here, wrote to the National Museum and offered to present certain Indian relics which he had obtained in Florida, including a skeleton of an Okeechobee (not Seminole) chief. Assuming that these objects were properly acquired by him, he was notified that they would be accepted. No further word or the objects arriving, it has, therefore, been supposed that he disposed of the relics elsewhere. The heading of his letter paper indicates that he is the secretary and general manager of an amusement resort, called Island Park, at —— Pa., and it is not impossible that the relics were taken there.
“Although I find that the name of the chief was mentioned in Mr. ——’s letter, the fact that he spoke of him as belonging to the extinct Okeechobee tribe entirely misled the Museum authorities who did not associate him with the Seminole Captain Tom Tiger, about whom so muchhas lately been printed in the papers until the receipt of your letter to-day.
“I cannot express too strongly my abhorrence of the act of Mr. ——, whose desecration of this grave I consider outrageous and sacrilegious. The man had no connection with this museum or any branch of the Smithsonian Institute, as he seems to have claimed several weeks before he sent in his letter.
“You can readily understand, therefore, that the museum will be only too glad to coöperate with your society in securing the return of the remains and of any objects that may have been taken with them from the grave. If they should be received at the museum they will be promptly forwarded to Florida.
“I have forwarded your letter to Mr. ——, at the address given in his letter, viz: Box 531, ——, Pa., and I have also written him.
“Trusting that this unfortunate matter may soon be satisfactorily adjusted, I am, dear, sir, very respectfully yours,
“Rathbun,
“Assistant Secretary in charge of National Museum.”
The bones of the noted Indian were quietly restored, and all trouble averted, but of the throbbing hearts of these interesting countrymen of Osceola what shall we say?