The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-05-10
Truth Stranger than fredericksburg Of
Miss Ollye Oalman.

cue of Miss Olive Oatman, after a captivity
of several years duration among the Indians
of Southern California Miss Oatman is re-
cJgnlzed by Judge Moses Sperry, of Chill,
Monroe county, n. Y, as daughter Of his
sister, who removed with her husband. Mr..
Oatman, to Iowa. The interesting particu-
l2rs of the murder of most of the family,
and the rescue Of the daughter from Indian
captivity, are as fo lows;
Late IL 1850, or early in 1851, the Oatman
family, consisting of the husband, wife, and
then three boys and four girls leit Iowa by
the overland route, with the intention of
setting on the banks of the Colorado river.
The subsequent history Of the family as far
as then known is thus detailed in San Di-
ego letter, published in the san Francisco
Herad oi April %, 1851:
''On the 2ist CT February, Brcvct Major
hciutZclman rccciveda a letter complaining of
iultan aggressions. With this letter, he re-
clived another from Mr. ROys Oatmau, dated
l7th Fcblu uary, representing tie distressed
condition Of his family, consisting of iiue
p' rsons, and Oh the point. of being still fur
ther Increased. I lie supply Of food was not
suihcient !or the journey, and could last only
III the most speedy rchcf could be sent.
-Four days elapsed without any action being
taken. MoIc urgent representations were
then made 10 Major Heintzeiman who final
~ sent two men with Il small supply OF pro
Nlsions. Eleven days aIcrward these men
rc;u:Hed, reporting That on the road lJU
EA!ics from the post, near the CHA, they
found wagon with much property scattered
IN confusion around and IN u neigh boring
pie OF stones, tw" dCcoHposIng human bo-
d!,s. Letters addressed 10 the Uaguian la
miiy were picked up, and the prints of naked
icct, apparently AIcTicans, led CackWa
from tiIe spot
''On the > lSt Of March, two cmierant fa-
mites arrived, bringing Il son OF II Uat-
man, 10y oi fifteen years Of agc, who was
brought across IL the government train.-
lie tod that the family, on tie morning of
the 18Th, was met 10y party OF Indians,
VINO called themselves 1uma-, from the Co.
."rad", aid said that their nation were now
iI.cads wItu the Amer cans. After smoking
quietly Tor Some time, upon the signal from
the tnIOi, tney rushed upon the uusuSpcct-
Ing victims, and III an Instant AL were struck
Gown Win S.ubs. lhe boy was only stunned,
ai'd, o4i recovering AIS .,ns.>, was compelled
10 i>ten 10 tbc snGIehs oi hIs sisters, with.
out tAe possibility vi AIDING tneln. 10 iei-u
death Mas h!> ON, chance Ui escape. be
tore leaving, the Indians dragged ium ov +
tnc stones ln;ti.y yards, Gut without h,s SHOW
I"S aHy ~ IuI.t"ri> UI i.ic. IuwaId. yveuln.
scare apte to uIvyc, nc crey To the ,u.,
oil the nil., and lOiIng Gown, concealed hIrn-
sell among some bushes. AT night he tra.
velied bach slowly III the direction Of thc
Pruo, villages, and IN few days was So
fortunate as 10 meet suinu immigrants WHO
hasteued iorward to bury the bodies. Por.
lions, supposed TO belong t. SIN. were found
The REMAINING twO-gr.S q! eight and hir-
lcen ycars--wvrc dUuUi.Css carried olF by
the Indians"
1n> boy Is aow living at the Monte, near
Los Angeles. lAe circumstances whicl led
To the rescue OF the surviving girl, are thus
narrated, IN a letter from Nj. Frost, z; tho
Pacific EXpr>>s Company.
For Yeas nothing lad been Lcard Of
these tw young gis.s, and their fate appear
cd TO b. wrappvd III my ysteIy. Abou, five
mtHth> sn-e Article or letter was pub-
!.>hed IN the Los Angeles STIR, stating that
the uma> lnt,lans had offered 10 cXl nangr
two tefua prisoners with thc oiiit - at Font
urnr, !or beads, blankets, &c, and The iattcr
had refused 10 t.aie with, or purcAass the
unfortunate sufferers from the Indi,ns.
"Coj. Nauman, L. ) 4. who was AT that
time en- route for Fort Yuma, Immediately
inquired INTO the subject, bat found tAe
Chu..e against the officers wholly wit.uu;
fguudat3on; and fearful that, by some pos
sibiI,iy, there might be some prisoners never
before heard OF, sent off runners 10 the yas!-
Gus tribes, c.i-Uug,l Il heavy raHSg,a for their
recovery; Im answer to watch a Yuma luti-
an. OF tie name Of Francisco, came IN, say
my that hc could lind young gri within ten
days travel OF the Fort Beads. b.arkrtS,
&c., were Immediately given him, and III
twenty days hc returned with Miss Oatlnan
a - Il
females OF the Iuma-Mohavc Ind ans, and
on Il White r.an approaching, threw herself
PROSTATE ON the sand and would not rise
until suitable female garments were brough,
her.
She has almost entirely forgotten her
native tongue, beng on.y able TO speak two
or three words. Brin. asked IN the Indian
language her maine, siic replied ''Oive Oat-
man; - tattuocd on the chin, and bears
tie marks OF hard slavery. Her arms.
wrists and hands are largely developed.
She was Il slave for two years with the Mo-
HAYES, who sod her to the Yu,las Her
yOuugcs; sister died about SIX months before
the rescue OF Miss olive. The hair of the
lady being of ii light golden coIrr, the lud;-
ans co!orcd 1t black-uaing dye made from
the bark of the keskeet tree She was
eleven years Old when taken prisoner, which
w:d make her sixteen now, though she il
more fully developed than many girls at
twenty.
Inc officers Of the fort have dubbed to-
& ther making up a purse for her, aud fur
nIshIng such clothing as is necessary; also
have placed her in charge Of female r.
siding there, and where every attention WI
be paid to all her wants, and until any rcla
tions may come forward to +, leve the poor
"A t,,
aud endcayor to wean her from all savage
taste or desire to return to Indian life"
\ letter from Col Nauman, L. S. ~, writ
ten at Fort Yuma. on the 9th Of February,
says:
Miss Oatman scerS to be about sixteen
yeas OF age, and has unfortunately almost
entirely lost the use Of the English language,
Speaking nothing but that u! the rude people
among whom she has so long resided, and
which no one here can interpret well. She
however retains IA reco lection of her name,
and says 1t is Olive Oatman. EveIy proper
care VIII he taken Of her, and it wiil afford
us all infinite sat s!actiou 10 restore her to
her friends and civilization"
y letter from correspondent Of the San
Francisco Herald, furnishes the following
information:
She is fast recovering her English, reads
readily, and Sews like a nantau-makcr Her
sister and herself must have kept up their
recollection of civilization. The death of
her sister made this girl more of burden
than anything else to the Indians She was
constantly weeping, SO they allowed the
fact of her being with them to tranSpire
through Yuma Indian. This was first
communicated to Mr. Henry Grinell. He |
reported it to Col Burke, who immediately
l.. Il.
party sent for her went about ten DAYS, ;our.
ney up the river to the tribe The value
placed upon her by the Mohaves was one
horsc.six pounds of beads, and some fur !