LIVING HISTORY
17
and wounding a married couple at a trading post. With two
attacks close at hand, settlers in the statewide Indian buffer
panicked and abandoned their cabins. Floridians were certain
the Seminoles were starting another war. They demanded
massive numbers of federal troops.
JUSTICE DENIED
President Zachary Taylor knew a thing or two about Florida
from his days as a commander in the Florida War. He and
his administration believed the killings were just ordinary
murders — not a genuine Indian uprising. Well, that opinion
made Floridians go crazy. Political heat was turned up high
enough to force Taylor to send in 2,000 troops headed by
General David E. Twiggs.
Contrary to Floridians’ demands, General Twiggs did not
hound the last of the Seminoles out of the state. Instead, he
held a powwow with Chief Billy Bowlegs (also known as
Holatter Micco). Bowlegs spoke fluent English. The chief
turned over three Indians he claimed were the murderers and
the severed hand of a fourth. However, the hapless prisoners
insisted they were just scapegoats.
Apparently, General Twiggs believed his captives, because
he never did deliver the trio of alleged killers to Ossian Hart
for trial (Hart had become the state prosecutor for Florida’s
Southern Judicial District with his main office in Key West).
Instead, Twiggs allowed his prisoners to ship out to an Indian
reservation in Oklahoma Territory.
THE LAST HURRAH
In an effort to persuade settlers to repopulate St. Lucie
County, the federal government moved in 500 troops and >>
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
General David E. Twiggs took custody of several Seminoles alleged to have
been the killers, who chased all the settlers away.
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