Jim Jumper massacre facts for kids

The Jim Jumper massacre, also known as the Bluefields massacre, was a sad event that happened in 1889. It took place at a Seminole Indian camp. This camp was located northeast of Lake Okeechobee in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. During this event, a man named Jim Jumper, who was part Seminole and part African American, killed several Seminole people. After this, another Seminole person killed Jim Jumper.

Jim Jumper's Background

Jim Jumper's mother was an African woman named Nagey Nancy. She was one of only three African women who stayed with the Seminole people in Florida. This was after the Third Seminole War. These three women had been bought by Seminoles when they were children.

In Seminole culture, children usually belonged to their mother's family group, called a clan. Children with a Seminole father and an African mother would not normally belong to any clan. This could make life harder for them in Seminole society. To help with this, the last three African women among the Seminoles were adopted into the clan system. Nagey Nancy became part of the Snake clan. Her two children, Jim Jumper and Nancy, were then part of the Little Black Snake Clan.

The Snake clan, along with other Seminole clans, lived near Fisheating Creek for many years. This was west of Lake Okeechobee. In the 1880s, a cattle rancher bought their cattle. The Seminoles agreed to move away from that area. The Snake clan then moved to a new place. This area was northeast of Lake Okeechobee and was later called Bluefields.

Jim Jumper wanted to marry the daughter of a man named Big Tommie. However, he was told he should marry an African American woman instead. Jim Jumper insisted that he had grown up as a Seminole. He wanted to marry a Seminole woman, but his request was refused again.

Some people said that Big Tommie's mother, who had recently passed away, had wished for Jim Jumper to join her in the afterlife. This might have made Jim Jumper worried. Also, just before the attack, Jim Jumper had a bad wound on his leg. This wound might have become infected. It could have made him very sick or confused.

The Attack

The attack happened around February 14 or 15, 1889. Different people who were there or heard about it described what happened. Jim Jumper went into the Snake Clan camp. He used a rifle to shoot and kill several people.

Some of the people who died included his sister Nancy. Nancy was the mother of Billy Bowlegs III. Other victims included Big Tommie, Big Tommie's daughter, and his wife. Woxo Micco, also known as Cypress Tom Tiger, was also killed. Young Tiger, his wife Martha Tiger, and Jimmy Tiger also died. A pregnant woman named Lucy and Lake Willson were also among the victims. There were also other unnamed men, women, and children.

A boy who was shot at by Jumper managed to escape. He quickly told a Seminole man named Billy Martin what was happening. Billy Martin was working in a nearby cane field. Martin grabbed his rifle and went back to the camp. He saw Jim Jumper sitting there and shot him.

The Seminoles did not want Jim Jumper's body near their camp or their belongings. They borrowed a wagon and oxen from a white settler named John Addison. They dragged Jim Jumper's body to a nearby cypress pond.

After the attack, the Snake Clan moved to a temporary camp a short distance away. Jim Jumper's victims were buried nearby. A medicine man came to perform a special cleaning ceremony at the original camp site. After this, the Snake Clan moved away from that area permanently.