Plymouth weekly banner. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1856, 1856-07-17
Miss Olive 0atman.
IaTEREsrINa NARRATivE OF HER cAPrIv
ITY.

the rescue of young white girl, Miss
Olive Oatman, from The Mohave Indians
The Los Angeles Star gives the annexed
Interesting narrative of Miss Oatman's
captivity among the Apoches. and subse-
quently the Mohaves. 1t appears that
her defenceless situation was entirely re-
spected during her residence among the
Indians. After her release was effected,
she travelled on foot three hundred miles.
in ten days. to Fort Yuma. accompanied
only BY the Indian guide, Francisco
three days of which time they were en-
tirely without food Of any kind!
! So much interest has been manifested
in the story Of the captivity Of Olive oal'
. man. that we visited her few days since
when she gave US an intelligent account
of her adventures, which is here embod-
led. This account we obtained only hy
asking questions, as her timidity and
want of confidence prevented her from
giving the details uaassisted. Her fac
uIties have been somewhat impaired By
her way OF life. but her friends assured
US tha: in the short time she has been
among them she has made very percepti-
bic Improvement.
The Oslmans started from Iowa in com.
pany with the family Of Mr.. Thompson.
with whom shey travelled together as far
as Tucson. in Sonora. where Mr. T. re-
solved to lay BY to recruit bis cattle and
wait for other trains TO come up, SO rs to
insure the safety Of the road by numbers.
But the Oatmans pushed on. impatient to
get through. and met their fate on the
Gila. about two hundred miles from the
Colorado.
Olive is rather pretty girl, with a
skin as fair as mos. persons who have
crossed the plains. Her face is disigur-
ed by tatooed lines on the chin. running
obliquely perpendicularly from her
! mouth. Her arms we're also marked in a
similar manner by one straight line on
each. The operation consisted in runc
turing the skin and rubbing dye or pul
verized charcoal into the wounds.
II was about sunset when the attack
was made. which resulted in the capture
| Of herself and her little sister, Mary Ann
1 of Tnl,,ro
ped her Of her shoes and nearly all her
clothing-her sister had no shoes on at
The time--and they started off with the
speed of horses in a northeasterly di rec
ton into q mountainous region. They
travelled all night without resting. A,
noon next day they stopped few min
. ates 10 breathe, and the n hurried on again
until night-fail, when they came into
camp. She thinks they travelled hun
dred miles. She was barefoot. and the
S blood sprinkIcd The whole distance. -
Wherever she Jagged they would come
5 behind her and beat her, TO urge her on
Her sister soon gave out. but being smsl
the Indians carried her in their arms
q The reason of their hurrying on so rapid
ly. was fear lest they might be pursued.
: The clothes left to her were worn out,
| and fell from her back in two weeks, and
lhen she mlt,ed together the bark oi
trees. aHd tied il around her person like
the Indians. 1t was a slight covering.
+ but it did not leave her entirely expos
ed.
' Among these hpsches Olive supposed
they remained one year. At any rate,
the same kind OF season returned as tha,
) when she arrived. Time among the In
dans is not noted. II they note il at all
it is only by moons. The country was
mountainous. and barren Of grass and
timber. The Indians live in the small
valleys. The girls were treated cruelty
among these Indians. They were over.
. tasked. and when they could not under
: stand what was said to them. they were
beaten. There was no timber nor run.
ming stream. The only fuel to be had
I was scattered sage bushes; aud when i.
rained the water would collect in the
| holes of the rocks. and these two little
. girls were compelled 10 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
see their friends ngain, and concealed
them - much as possible. There was
no snow. but they suffered from the cold
in the winter. The Mohaves & Apaches
were friends. and sometimes visited each
other. 1t was during one of these visits
that the Mohaves learned OF these cap.
\ lives, and offered TO purchase them. The
Apsches consented. and received in ex-
change a few pounds of beads. two horses,
and two blankets: They were ten days
), travelling, hike horses" as she describes