Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 November 1911 — CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION [ARTICLE]

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

To be Held at Battle Brand— Hundredth Anniversary OF BATTLE OF TIPPECAMOE To Be Celebrated on November 7—-Historic Contest to Be Reproduced in Detail—Sham Battle to Take Place. On the 7th day of November, 1911, owing to the loyalty of the people of the County of Tippecanoe and the City of Lafayette, (from whose purses will be drawn the means necessary for the carrying out of the idea), there will be given at the site of the ancient battle field of Indiana—at Battle Ground—as near a re-production of the great contest between the Red Men of 1811 and the whites of that period under the guidance of eral William Henry Harrison, as carefully compiled historical data will permit. The event is one not only of local and state importance, but of national consequence as well, and after the last Indiana Legislature, in the hurly-burly attending the closing hours- failed to make the requisite appropriations to carry forward a great Centennial Celebration, such as the importance of the battle warranted, the citizens of Tippecanoe County and the City of Lafayette threw themselves into the breach, and decided that an event of such wide-reaching historical consequence should not, in justice to the rising generation, be permitted to go unheralded, and from that thought eventual mass meetings which decided upon a selection of men to take in charge a mammoth memorial to the heroes of the Battle ofTippecanoe, were laid. A brie/ word of history may not comes amiss in' stating what really resulted from this battle between the Indians and the whites. At that early day—loo years ago—Wm. H. Harrison, who had won distinction as one of the intrepid followers of “Mad Anthony Wayne”, occupied the position of Governor of the Territory of Indiana- which then embraced what now comprises the states of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, while Ohio, then recently admitted to statehood, was equally interested in what went on in that locality. Harrison, skilled in Indian affairs, had almost succeeded in patching up treaties with the various Indian tribes of-this region- when Tecumseh, an Indian of the Shawnee Tribe, of superior intelligence, and his own brother Elkwatawa (the Prophet), aglow with patriotism (according to the Red Men’s notions), and with promises of aid from Great Britain, which nation still smarted from the outcome of the War of the Revolution, organized a confederation of the Indian tribes, and proceeded to prepare to contest with the whites for supremacy in the Great Northwest of which the state above referred to are now a component part. Briefly summarized- Gen. Harrison felt that the movement had achieved sufficient important to force action against the Red Men, and so, with a force of approximately 900 men he set forth and marched into the Indian country until, on the night of the 6th of November, 1811, his forces encamped upon the knoll now. by virtue of the gift of General Tipton the property of the State of Indiana; there Harrison was approached by the Indian emisaries with pro-offers of peace that the more experienced officers felt to be * the forerunner of treachery, —and this proved to be the case. Early on the following morning, ■November 7th, the Indians attacked in great force, a battle ensuing in the darkness which shrouded many a deed-of heroism and valor, many valuable lives

being sacrificed, as well as great numbers wounded, of whom a considerable percentage afterwards perished from their hurts. The ultimate victory lay with the whites, and hinging upon this result was the control of : the immense territory mentioned Before in this article, the power of the Red Men being completely broken. It left the country open to settlement ‘by the whiter without molestation from the Indian tribes, and this fact alone entitles the 100th anniversary of the event to as great an exhibition of tribute as can be properly provided. This brief statement of cause and effect may be sufficient to call to the attention of every Indianian the real reason why it is that the committee in charge of the Centennial celebration desires the aid of every citizen, every newspaper, every teacher, every minister, in making memorable the 100th annversary of the Battle of Tippecanoe. On that date there will be speakers of national repute and guests of most distinguished personality in attend-

ance. No politics will be permitted, and members of every party will together strive to do honor to an event in which every resident of the Middle West should be concerned. President Taft has been asked to attend, and the prospects of his attending are very good; Governor Marshall and four of the Chief Executives of surrounding states have signified an intention of being present; Senators and Representatives galore are coming; eminent novelists, orators, men and women of national reputation, all will be in Lafayette on

the 7th of November for the purpose, of aiding in the celebration. Railroads will give reduced rates, and as Lafayette, only seven miles from Battle Ground, is really a railroad center, there will be no difficulty concerning arrivals and-depart-ures. The great papers of Indianapolis and many of the smaller towns are eager to aid in advertising this Hoosier tribute to heroes of the past. The programme of exercises will be: Exercises at Battle Ground: Beginning at 9:30 a. m., military parade by the Purdue University corps of cadets; addresses; assembly of school [ children of the county; sham i battle; music by Purdue Cadet hand; (2): Exercises at Lafayette: 8:00 p. m., Victoria Theatre, Citizens’ meeting with addresses. During the day addresses will be given by the following persons: Gov. Thos. R. Marshall; Gov. Chase Osborn, of Michigan; Mrs. Matthew T. Scott, Governor General D. A. R.; lion. Addison C. Harris, Indianapolis; Hon. Edgar Crumpacker, Valparaiso; Hon. Charles E. Jewett, New Albany. The big feature of the occasion in the eyes of many will be the great battle between the Red Men, as impersonated by the Purdue Cadets in U. S. uniforms, the endeavor being made to put on the fight with its attacks and repulses as near to historical facts as study divulges.

There is no endeavor to make this celebration one productive of money . making. The means to carry it forward came from the pockets of the taxpayers of Tippecanoe Co. and the City of Lafayette, and through their committees, those patriotic taxpayers are invitiing their neighbors fropi Indana and the neighboring states to come to us free of any cost save for actual trans-, portation expenses and what little .the day’s eating may cost, and join in making 100th anniversaries popular throughout the land. The government and State of Indiana, it. will be recalled, recently put up a handsome monument comemorative of this event at Battle Ground, and it is well worth seeing.