A strange dispute raged for years as to who it was that killed Tecumseh. Although it was never settled, it is generally believed that it was Colonel Richard M. Johnson of Kentucky, afterward Vice-President of the United States. While the identity of Tecumseh's slayer may be uncertain, there is no doubt that, whoever he was, he closed the career of the "greatest American Indian that ever lived." ADVENTURES OF WEATHERFORD CHIEF OF THE CREEK CONFEDERACY Living at the time of Tecumseh, was a chief of strong ability, though inferior to the great Shawanoe in the nobler qualities. He was Weatherford, the Creek leader, whose name recalls one of the most terrible incidents in the history of the frontier. [Illustration] It will be remembered that Tecumseh visited the Creeks, and when his burning appeals failed to rouse his listeners as he expected, he declared in his impatience that when he got home he would stamp the ground and it should shake. His return was followed by the historical New Madrid earthquake. But for the fatal blunder of The Prophet, in bringing on the battle of Tippecanoe, while Tecumseh was absent, the Creeks as a body would have joined the confederacy. As it was, the younger warriors were swept off their feet by the Shawanoe's eloquence, though many of the elders urged them to keep out of the war that was sure to bring suffering and disaster to them. Withal, in the face of bad traits, Weatherford was brave, eloquent and tactful. He required a strong occasion to rouse him to bursts of oratory, and he was too wise to cheapen his gifts by speaking too often. His wisdom was the admiration of the old, while his vices made him the idol of the young and vicious. He was tall, straight, well-proportioned, with pleasing features; and the impression of any one looking upon him for the first time was favorable. He was avaricious and took for himself one of the finest tracts of land belonging to the tribe among whom he made his home. To sum up, he was the corner-stone of the Creek confederacy.