 Cooley maintained friendly relations and trade with the Seminole Indians in the area . In the early nineteenth century , Creek Indians had moved from Alabama and joined the Seminoles . In 1835 , white settlers killed Creek chief Alibama and burned his hut in a dispute . As Justice of the Peace , Cooley jailed the settlers , but they were released due to insufficient evidence after a hearing at the Monroe County Court in Key West . The Creek people blamed Cooley , saying he withheld evidence . The growing uneasiness between the Creeks and the whites led to the Creeks ' emigration to the Okeechobee area . 
