inally killed by a ball in the head from
colonel Johnson's pistol: the second testifies that he fell by a ball
and three buckshot which entered his left breast, and that he was
wounded in no other part: the former says that Tecumseh's body was
literally flayed--the latter, that only a small piece of skin was cut
from one of his thighs.[A] It remains for Mr. Brown to reconcile these
glaring discrepancies in the testimony of his own witnesses. If this
dissection of Mr. Brown's elaborated letter, presents him more in the
light of the partizan advocate than that of the faithful historian, we
are not responsible for it; and if he has failed to establish the fact
that colonel Johnson killed Tecumseh, he must probably look for the
reason of that failure in the weakness of his claims, rather than in
any lack of zeal in advocating the colonel's cause.

[Footnote A: See James Military Occurrences, and Anthony Shane's
Narrative.]

Our analysis of the testimony which has at different times been brought
before the public, tending to establish the supposition that Tecumseh
fell by the hands of colonel Johnson, is now closed; and we think it
will be admitted, in reviewing the case, that the claims of the colonel
have not been satisfactorily established, either by direct or
circumstantial evidence. But we have further testimony to offer on this
point.

It is proved by a number of witnesses, and among them several who are
relied upon to establish the fact, that colonel Johnson killed
Tecumseh, that upon the fall of this chief, the action ceased and the
Indians fled.

Even the reverend Mr. Brown admits such to have been the case. Now, we
propose to show that colonel Johnson was wounded and retired from the
scene of action at its commencement; and that the contest lasted for
twenty or thirty minutes afterwards. As to the first point, captain
Davidson, who was by the side of colonel Johnson, says, "We struck the
Indian line obliquely, and when we approached within ten or fifteen
yards of their line, the Indians poured in a heavy fire upon us,
killing ten or fifteen of our men and several horses, and wounding
colonel Johnson very severely. He immediately retired."[A] Colonel
Ambrose Dudley says, "As I passed to the left, near the crochet, after
the firing had ceased on the right, I met colonel R.M. Johnson passing
diagonally from the swamp towards the line of infantry, and spoke with
him. He said he was badly wounded, his gray mare ble