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scalping knife, a shining tomahawk and the stones with the spirits of the Totemism.
Lilla Beazley’s mother was a Creek princess and her father was a brave white man who belonged to the settlement at Fort Mims. The mother had died when Lilla was just a baby and the father had reared her into womanhood. His greatest pleasure was to make Lilla happy and she loved him dearly. Lilla liked to walk in the woods outside the fort where there were many wild flowers. She loved trees and the wild things of the forest. She believed in Totemism, so she often slipped out of the fort against her father’s wishes to roam about in the woods to be close to Mother Earth, which she loved.
As she strolled through he woods, she met the Indian chieftain, Red Eagle. He thought Lilla was the most beautiful maiden he had ever seen. Lilla grew to love the Indian brave, whose very name filled the hearts of the white settlers with fear.
One day, Lilla was swinging in a grape vine that hung from a tall tree outside the fort. She was singing happily, for thoughts of her lover filled her heart. She did not think of the dangers around her. She heard the breaking of a twig and turned to see Red Eagle, her lover coming down the path towards her. He said to her, “Why do you sit outside the fort? Do you not know that the Creeks are making ready to drive the white man into the sea? Our braves who lost their lives at Burnt Corn must be avenged. You know the Indians law is blood for blood. Even now our warriors are gathering around Fort Mims.”
But Lilla answered, “I know full well the red man is my father’s foe but surely my mother’s daughter will be safe from Indian hatred. The best Indian blood flows in my veins. It was my grandfathers who gave your tribe its dwelling place. Besides, I thought that Eagle Chief had stopped his fighting and that there was soon to be peace.”
“There can be no peace, Lilla,” said Red Eagle, “Until the white wolf has paid with his own blood for the braves who died at Burnt Corn. Fly with me to the holy ground. There you will be safe from harm. Fort Mims will be destroyed but you will be safe.” Lilla Beazley stepped back, anger blazed from her dark eyes.
“No, no,” she cried, “I will never marry you. You plot against my dear father, the White Wolf, as you call him. Though I love you, I will stay with my dear father. If famine or death comes, it will find me by my father’s side.”
Then Lilla Beazley ran, weeping, towards the gates of the fort. Red Eagle ran after her but at that moment the sound of a gun was heard and a bullet whizzed past his head. Lilla’s father, who had hidden himself to watch over his daughter, had come very near ending Red Eagle’s life.
Old Beazley was a skilled huntsman and a fearless fighter whom was said to love nothing on earth except his motherless daughter. He growled curses upon his poor aim and went to find his unhappy daughter. In their little corner of the fort, he found Lilla weeping bitterly.
“Death to the dog, don’t cry your sweet eyes out.” was all that he said to her.
He had given his consent once to Lilla’s marriage to Red Eagle and had felt some pride that so noble a chieftain should seek his daughters hand in marriage. That was before the fighting at Burnt Corn, where seven Indian braves were killed. Now a war was near and old Beazley’s pride had turned to hatred.
Full of anger at his daughter’s tears, old Beazley went to the commander of the fort. “We should be watchful this night,” he said, “The Indians are gathering in the woods just back of the fort.”
The commander was rather proud that he was in command and he answered, “You are looking for an attack, are you? He who looks may find what he seeks.”
The five hundred people within the fort passed an uneasy night. They wished that the commander would not be so careless about leaving the gates of the fort open. They thought that old Beazley knew that the Indians were gathering behind the fort, however, the night passed quietly.
At noon the next day, there came a fearful cry, “To arms, to arms.”
Hundreds of Indians rushed upon the helpless people in the fort, almost everyone was killed, only a few escaped. Lilla Beazley, though hurt, was one of them.
Red Eagle took the wounded girl safely to his hut in the forest. He cared for her for many days as though she were his sister until at last she grew better. Red Eagle did everything that he could to comfort the girl. He explained to her that he did not kill her father. She wept bitterly at the mention of her dear father’s name, for she thought that he had met a cruel death at the hand of Red Eagle.
Old Beazley was not dead; however, he had escaped with a few injuries. He believed his daughter slain and his grief was pitiable indeed. Old Beazley had gone for safety to a neighboring village. As he went about the village he could speak of nothing but his hatred for the red man.
As soon as he could travel, he went to General Jackson and told the story of the massacre at Fort Mims. It was he who acted as guide to General Jackson and his men as they marched to put an end to the Creek nation and to bring more crimes on the Creek Indians in Alabama, Georgia and other parts of this country.
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There were bad feelings between the Creeks and the white settlers at
Fort Mims. William Weatherford, an Indian chieftain, had sworn to punish the
whites after the Battle of Burnt Corn. Weatherford, who called himself the Red
Eagle, was a big Creek who feared no white man. He was light hearted and
dressed himself in gay clothing, eagle feathers, dyed red, decorated his head.
His hunting coat was green and was trimmed with many tassels. He wore red
leggings and shoes of deerskin. In his wampum belt, he carried a