Leatherlips was the chief of the Wyandot tribe living in the Dublin, Ohio area. He was one of the signers of the Treaty of Greenville and maintained friendly relations with the white settlers in the are. In particular, he was close to the Sells brothers, older brother John and younger Benjamin, who settled the area and founded the community of Dublin. However, these friendships led to his execution.
Around this time, Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh were moving their Shawnee up to northern Ohio and were strongly encouraging other tribes to follow them and discouraging any selling of land or trade with the whites. Chief Leatherlips' tribe went up north to follow, but despite their pleading, he decided to stay behind to continue the ties he had created with Dublin. On their way to Sandusky, the Wyandot tribe suffered a bout of deadly illness (later believed to be part of the smallpox epidemic). They blamed it on Leatherlips and his continued relationship with the white settlers, so a small group was sent down to plead with him to return to Sandusky and his tribe. He refused.
The Wyandots gave him an ultimatum: break his ties with Dublin and move to Sandusky, or they would put him to death in order to end their curse. He once more refused. The Sells brothers, John and Benjamin, heard he was being held captive and that his life was at stake and travelled to the group of warriors. They offered a fine-bred horse and all the money they had between them, about three hundred dollars in gold, to try and barter for Leatherlips' freedom. The warriors turned them down.
They kept him in captivity for two or three days while they waited for him to change his mind, but he never did. They took him to a place off of what is now Riverside Drive and dug a shallow grave. He requested permission to go to the river to wash and pray. They allowed him, and instead of taking the opportunity to flee, he did as he said and returned in a few hours. The warriors had him kneel in the grave and, once he had made his peace and gave the signal, one of the warriors took out his tomahawk and cleaved it into Leatherlips' head.
Chief Leatherlips' grave is marked by a large, granite headstone that was erected by the Wyandot Club of Columbus, Ohio in 1889, nearly eighty years after his execution. Over a hundred years later, in 1990, a sculpture to commemorate the chief was erected nearby.
Sources:
Photo is from www.roadsideamerica.com
Information: Franklin, Peter D and Elaine Kehoe. Dublin's Journey (City of Dublin: Dublin, OH), 2004.
And the Dublin Historical Society: http://www.dublinohiohistoricalsociety.org/LEATHERLIPS.pdf
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