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MONDAY, JULY SI, 1939THE GAZETTE. X E NRomanceOfIndianAndPioneerWhiteGirlRe-enacted For PageantOXENOR“Tom ithe GreeiLegend Of Tecumseh And Rebecca Galloway FormsImportant Theme For CentennialCountv Fair ProgramEASANTLY situated in the broad vallev of the LittleMiami River, three miles north of Xenia, the peacefullittle village of Old Town sleeps and dreams.And in imagination time rolls back ISO veVs. Abruptlythe picture changes and unfolds upon a scene of rare beauty. A lovelvprairie stretches away to the west, bounded by a range of wooded hills. On the north meanders the little Mi-lami.Old Town once again has become Old Chillicothe. a favorite rendezvous for the Shawnee Indians, near where they planted their fields of maize and held their annual feast ofgreen corn, dancing in thanks to the Great Spirit for hiscare over his red children.In this historic spot soon afterthe turn of the eighteenth century, blossomed the romance of Tecumseh (or Tecumtha) and Rebecca Galloway—the celebrated courtship of the comely daughter of a pioneer white settler by the greatest Indian leader in the known history of the raceThis strange romance will be reenacted for a modern generation in a short tableaux that will climax a scene depicting Indian and pioneer life, during the’ historical pageantry that will be a nightly attraction at the fair this week.Portraying the role of Rebecca will be. appropriately enough Miss Rebecca Galloway of Cedarville, her ninth lineal descendant of the same name in the Galloway family.Sharing honors with Miss Galloway will be Herschel Long, Ross Twp., who will play the part of Tecumseh, and Noah Sharp of Cedarville, cast as her father.• • *this home and he at last believed he had found the answer to his quest for a suitable mate—a white girl. (He had been married oncebefore, but his wife had died).She. Rebecca Galloway. 16 years old- pretty and of a vivacious nature was introduced to the hand-40-year-old Indian leaderhe visited her father's two-log house. The visits became frequent, indicating a motive than one of friendly Interest, Parent# and daughter becamefully aware that a proposal of marriage was inevitable. To tribesmen the infatuation was likewise evident. Around council fires, the wigwam and forest, they twitted their leader. He accepted theirbanter calmly, proud to a fault.• * *somewhenstorymoreotherTECUMSEH. born in 17*8 at Great Springs, ten arrow flights from Old Chillicothe in the direction of the mid-day sun” mighty bunter, famous scout, brother of the prophet of his people, was afull-blooded Shawnee and one of triplets. As triplets were rare among the Indians, this accidentDf birth carried religious signifi-:ance and Tecumseh was famous pven in his boyhood The noble red man spent much Df his time hunting and fishing'Aithin the borders of what became Greene County, since Old Chilli-''othe was the principal village ofthe Shawnees. and became well acquainted with the early white setters in thaf locality, particularly the Galloway family, prominent imong his pioneer neighbors The distinguished TecumsehWITH THE TRUE dignity that was ever a trait of his character, Tecumseh first approached the girl’s father. Said he: Rebecca is the loveliest among young squaws known to Tecumseh. As Tecumseh leads the warriors, so shall Rebecca lead tribal squaws in the purposes of the fireside. Allow a marriage between Tecumseh and Rebecca and she shall never want for game, corn or beans.Tecumseh will give furs, robes and fifty brooches of silver of finest workmanship Then will there be peace at al] times between my people and yoursBut it was Rebecca’s wishes which were consulted. Her father, feeling that his daughter could, perhaps, more tactfully find a way-out of the embarrassing position and still retain the good will of the Indian, which they greatly desired to keep, referred him to her.The chtef fearlessly approached the girl herself, for was he not the grea* Tecumseh. the leader of hisftvas always a welcomed visitor at people? On the memorable ocea-esakeiPartsion he unburdened his love and offered her beautiful gifts of silverornaments, dear to his people. Rebecca's refusal was temperedby a woman’s ‘maybe.’’ She said: I do not want to take the mannasand customs of the women of your people . . He assured her thatshe need not work.Then she changed her tacticsand told him: “You say that I will not be as the Indian women. II you really want me. then let thegreat Tecumseh take the clothes and manners of the white man andI will consider marriage.’’This counter suggestion he took under consideration, but finally told her, most sorrowfully, that he could not possibly do that; that the adoption of customs and manners of the white man would place him in everlasting disgrace with his own people, and much as he desired the union he could not bear their reproaches.THUS THE YOUNG pioneer maiden proved herself fully able to turn aside the undesirable suitor. but still retain a necessary friend, for the friendship between Tecumseh and the Galloway family never waned.The great Indian leader also remained on friendly terms with other white settlers of the region, insofar as was possible in the sporadic affrays between the red men and palefaces. There are well-authenticated records to show that at his orders Indians who captured hunting parties of white men in after years treated them in less savage manner than they might haw been.Nevertheless after the riming of a ’’different type of white man to the forest fastnesses of the land north of the Ohio River, the celebrated Tecumseh devoted himself to the expulsion of the palefacefrom the hunting grounds of his people, was finally slain in 1K13.He had every reason 1o hate the white man. and in the years w'hen he was most active it would seem his motives were just and reasonable. His father, a Shawnee chief tain, had fallen under the bulletsof the Ixmg Knives at the battle of Point Pleasant in 1774. his eldest and dearest brother had losthis lifp in an attack on a southern post, and another had been killedwhile fighting by the side of his illustrious brother at the battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794 Hismother’s home had been destroyedbv the whites and the lands of his people had been taken from them by the treaty of Greenville.Rut even with all this, his spirit did not seek personal revenge HeSCRIBE BOOSTSFAIR RACES HEREhated the whites as destroyers of his race, but all prisoners and defenseless people could depend upon his honor and humanity for their safety. He discouraged the cruelties which his people practiced against prisoners—tormentswhich only the Indian mind was adept at manuiacturing.In his boyhood. Tecumseh had witnessed thp burning of a prisoner, and the spectacle was so terrible to him that by an eloquent plea he induced the tribe to give up the practice for all time.The nobility of his nature, his cavalier qualities were no better illustrated than in his relationswith the Galloway family and his romance with their young daughter one ot the richest chapters in the Indian lore of America.they willinlerestirthe fairThev ioxen rhathe Norttion andwhole reneer cart a pa rt The fa: mous yol of the iGreene Ctake partortcal pi to Wineseat h nierun a iConV 0*A* Wl\\FURNISH FOOD■pOR the tenth consecutiveyear, the Ladies’ Aid Society of the Friends Church, Jamestown, will have charge ofthe dining hall on the Fairgrounds a? Greene County’scentennial fair. Equipment w*as set up in the hall Friday and everything is in readiness for the women to serve meals tofair patrons throughout the weekof old Cw ; _lt;built toin case taccident. The niinecessanWtheir Ion*'htrh cowert10ants ourling withtywill britdavs‘‘ tot o h uV M.for * Froi was withpageantRICHARFAIR WEEK SPBroken sires from Summer Slocknlgood styles. Whites. Blue KnWhite and Brown Sport Shoe?Masold originally for $5.00—and some ahigh as $6,50On Special Sale ThtWeekSEEINGBELIOn These Special Sholt;MISSES’ SUMMER OXFORDS Whiteand White and Brown Combinations!Don’t fail to get a pair or even TWPAIRS’ They are good styles and weir able from now until Christmas Value? to $2,76. We have never offered sucl1 bargain* At only ......W W 9
Newspaper Details
Xenia Evening Gazette
Xenia, Ohio, US
Mon, Jul 31, 1939
Page 23
Full Page
Clipped by
Greene C.
OH, USA 04 Aug 2021
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