The Georgetown news., 1856-05-01
From the Los Angeles Star.
Olive Oatman, the Apache Captive.


the story OF the captivity of Olive Oatman,
that we visited her few DAYS since, when
she gave us an inteligible account of he,
adventures, which is here embodied. This
account we obtained only by asking quos-
tions, as her timidity and v ant of conf
dence prevented her from giving the details
unassisted. Her faculties have been some
what impaired by her way of life, but her
friends assured US that in the short time he
has been among them she has made very
perceptible improvement.
Olive has found good friends at the
Monte, in the families of Mr. Ira Thompson
and MIR. David Lewis, and is regarded and
treated as a member Of their families
/ The Oatmans started from Iowa in COM
pany with the family of Mr.. Thompson,
with whom they travelled together as far as
Tucson, in Sonora, where Mr. T. resolved
to lay by to recruit his cattle and wait for
other trains to come up, so as to insure the
safety OF the road by numbers. But the
Oatmans pushed on, impatient to get
through, and met their fate on the ella
! about two hundred miles from the Colorado.
While at Tucson the Thompsons bad many
opportunities of noticing the terror which
the ,Apaches excited in the people. One
evening a Spanish woman arrived in the
VILLAGE, saying she had just ESCAPED from
the Aonto Apaches, where she had been a
prisoner. She related that day or two be-
tore, the band returned to camp from kill
ing and plundering party of Americans,
and also bringing i'll prisoners. She was
left alone with the threat that if she at
tempted to escape she would be killed.
That night while they were darcing the
war dance, she escaped and returned to
Tucson. BY comparing dates they were
satisfied this was tie band that attacked the
Oatmans. Inquiries were maze at the time,
but nothing could be learned concerning the
captives.
Olive is rather pretty girl, with a skin
as fair as most persons who have crossed the
plains. Her face IS disfgured b. tatooed
lines on the chin, running oLiquely and
perpendiculaIy from her mouth Her arms
were also marked iii similar manner by
one straight line on each. The operation
consisted in puncturirg the skin and rub
bing dye or pulverized charcoal into tho
wounds.
1t w&5 about sunset when the attack was
made, which resulted in the capture Of her
self and her little sister, Mary Ann. Olive
was thirteen, md Mary Ann seven years of
re. The Indians stripped her Of her shoes
and ne lrly all her clothing-her sister had
no shoes on at the time and they started
off with the speed Of horses in u northerly
direction into mountainous region. 1heg
travelled all night without resting. At
noon next day they stopped few minutes
to breathe, and then hurried on again until
night fall, when they came into camp. She
thinks they travelled hundred miles. She
was barefoot, and tie sharp stones laser
ated her feet, and her blood sprinkled the
whole distance. Whenever she Jagged,
they would come behind and beat her. to
urge her on. Her sister soon gave ouU. but
being small, the Indians carried her in their
arms. The reason of their hurrying on so
rapidly, was fear lest they might be pursued.
The clothes lett ito her were worn out,
aul fell from her back in two weeks, and
then she matted together tie bark of trees
and tied it around her person like the Indi-
ans, 1t was slight covering, but it did
not leave her entirely exposed.
Among these Apache5 Olive surpo5es
they remained oLe yaar At any rate, the
same kind of season returned as that Wher
che arrived. Time amoug the Indians is
not noted, If they note it at all, it is only
by moons. The country was mountainous,
and barren of grass or timber. The In,li-
ans live in the snail vallies. The girls were
treated cruelty by these Indians. They
were oyertaalled, and when they could not
understand what was said to the1a, they
were beaten. There was no timber nor run
ming stream. The only fuel to bc had was
scattered sage bushes, and when it rained
the water would collect in tie holes of the
rocks, and these two little girls were com
peE9d to pack all the wood and water from
long distances upon their backs They felt
themselves to be slaves. The Indians told
them they should never sec their friends
again, and concealed them as much as pos
sible. There was no snow, but they suffer
ed from cold in the winter
The Mohay es and ApacLes were friends
and sometimes visited each other. It was
during one Of these visits that the Mohaves
learned Of the captiYes and offered to pur-
chase them. The Apaches consented and
received in exchange few pounds of beads
two horses, and two blankets. They were
ten days travelling, "lil1e horses as she de-
scgibes it, to the Mohave villages, barefoot
and over rough mountainous country, each
day stopping a short time a. noon to rest.
She thinks they travelled $50 miles in a
northwest direction. On this journey they
eat nothing until the fourth day, when they
received piece of meat about as large a.
her hand, and this kept them alive. There
were no roots nor berries, and they dared
Lot ask the Indians for food. The Indians
would kill such game as came IA their way
but they did not offer it to their captiyes
She describes them as being too lazy to ex-
ert themselves to procure food, and only
killing such game as chance brought tc
them. Her days had thus far been dark