an Indian:  he (the Indian,) attempted to fire, but from some cause did not succeed, and then Whitley instantly shot him.  This Indian was recognized by one of the persons present as Tecumseh:  the next Indian was pointed out as having killed Whitley; then the position of another of our troops who killed that Indian, and the Indian who killed him, with the position of the man who shot the third Indian—­making three Indians and two Americans who had fallen on a very small space of ground.  From the manner of the narrator, and the facts related at the time, I did not doubt the truth of his statement, nor have I ever had any reason to doubt it since.  The Indian pointed out as Tecumseh, was wearing a bandage over a wound in the arm, and as it was known that Tecumseh had been slightly wounded in the arm the day before, while defending the passage of a creek, my conviction was strengthened by this circumstance, that the body before us was that of Tecumseh.”

The reader will decide for himself how far this testimony sustains the plea that has been raised for colonel Whitley.  It is certainly clear and to the point, and presents a plausible case in support of his claim.

Mr. David King is the other individual to whom reference has been made as entitled to the credit of having killed the great Shawanoe chief.  He was a private in captain James Davidson’s company of mounted men, belonging to Johnson’s corps.  The statement given below in support of King’s claim, was written by the editor of the Frankfort (Ky.) Commentator, and published in that journal in 1831.  It is given on the authority of captain Davidson and his brother, two highly respectable citizens of Kentucky, both of whom belonged to colonel Johnson’s mounted regiment, and were in the battle of the Thames.  We have omitted the first part of this statement as irrelevant to the point in issue.

“While these things were acting in this part of the field, and towards the close of the action, which did not last long—­for though much was done, it was done quickly—­when the enemy was somewhat thinned and considerably scattered, and our men were scattered amongst them, Clark, one of the men mentioned above, suddenly called out to his comrade, David King, to ‘take care of the Indian that was near to him.’  The warrior turned upon Clark; at the same instant, King fired at him with Whitley’s gun, and lodged the two balls which he knew it was loaded with, in the chieftain’s breast—­for when Whitley fell, King threw away his own gun, and took the better one and the powder horn of the old Indian fighter.  The Indian droped upon King’s fire:—­’Whoop—­by G——­’ exclaimed King, ’he was every inch a soldier.  I have killed one d——­d yellow bugger,’ and passed on.  Giles saw this occurrence as well as Clark, and so did Von Treece—­they were all together.  From the commencement of the fight, the voice of an Indian commander had been distinctly heard and observed by our soldiers.  About this time it ceased, and was heard no more:  Tecumseh was dead. Presently a cry of ‘how! how!’ was raised among the Indians; upon which they turned and fled, pursued by our soldiers.