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13 2 15 The ancient government of the Cherokees was a theocracy. It is said the god at first, or at the commencement of their government, appointed a certain man to be at the head of all their civil & religious affairs strikeout & instructed him in all things relative to his duty, and declared that the office should be hereditary in his family. This chief priest, or supreme ruler, had seven counsellors who were also priests. The first of these was his right hand man, and next to him in authority. He had also a messenger always at his call. Priests of a lower order reside in all the important towns, each having his seven counsellors, right hand man, & messenger, and were at the head of all civil & religious affairs in their respective towns. The offices of all were hereditary to a certain extent. 9. The above mentioned persons, as far as I can learn, constituted the National council. The council however, supported by seven parts, equa distant from each other, near a septagram. Towards the back part of this were three white seats. That in the middle was occupied by the chief priest. No other human must touch it. One of the others by his right hand man; but who occupied the third sacred seat, I cannot now determine. The other members of course sat on the right & left, so as to form a semicircle. Back of the three sacred seats, was a holy place where no person must ever go but the priests. There was kept the holy ark, &c. &c. Anciently the Cherokees had four towns of refuge, to which any one who killed another might flee, and where the avenger of blood, that is, the nighest male relative will not touch him. The door yard of any priest was also a refuge, and it was said that if the slayer could get in sight of the chief priest, the avenger must not touch him. The refugees, however, if guilty of willful murder, were not safe; for although the avenger of blood gave them up, and tho the priests, to whom they fled, did not publicly decide against them, yet they placed them in such circumstances, either in battle, or otherwise, as would assure their death. Public criminals were sometimes stoned and sometimes were thrown from a precipice, & sometimes otherwise killed. n With regard to bodily wounds &c. the Mosaic law of retaliation was very strictly observed. Johnson Pridget Isaac Short Arrow