The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-06-05
SIX YEARS CAPTIVITY AMONG TIE IN
A dams, 4.s

SIX YEARS CAPTIVITY AMONG rHE m
DgANS. -
II may be recollected, that in the spring
Of 1851, q family by the narae Of Oatman
was attacked by the Apache Indians, whilo
endeavoring to reach California by the old
Santa Fe route. The family consisted Of
the father. mother and seven children. Four
were murdered outright by the Indians
One of the children, then lad of IA, was
left for dead, but subsequently, recovered,
and, after suffering incredible hardsbips.
made his way in safety to California. Two
daughters were carried into captivity, and
the younger died while in the hands Of the
savages. The other was rescued two wears
since, joined her brother in California, and
they have recently arrived together in this
city. This brother and sister are therefore.
the sole survivors Of q family of nine per-
sons. Their story is simple and touching.
We had yesterday IN interview with them,
and derived some interesting particulars Of
their bereavement and subsequent suffering.
The girl Olive, is near twenty years Of
age. She is q modest, intelligent young
woman, but has evidently suffered greatly
from the hardships she has been compelled
to undergo during captivity Of six years.
Her chin bears the sschief's mark - spe-
cies of tatooing, set in time parallel lines,
running downwards from the lower lip.-
This savage establishment does not mate
rally enhance the personal charms of the
lady, but it is an indelible evidence of the
scenes she has undergone. an .-s.-r
The brother, Lorenzo D., is about 2l
years Of age, and is a fair specimen of a
Western man. The whole family came origi-
nally from Illinois. Lorenzo has suffered
pains and bruises enough to have killed an
ordinary man, but has apparently large
stock of vitality remaining. He AYERS, how
ever, that he would be very unwilling to
pass again through the horrible scenes he
has witnessed. %. s.-saE {
The story of the massacre of the Oatman
family has been but imperfectly told in for
mer accounts. The narrative of Olives
captivity among the Apaches and Mohayes,
! has not been given. 1t is but rarely that =
tale so full of remarkable incident, finds it,
way into print from the lips of the party in-
terested. The history Of the family is brief
| ly as follows:
Mr.. Royse Oatman, the father, was ma
tive Of Western New York. Soon after he
came of age, his parents removed to the
town of Lahare, in Illinois, and the son
afterwards joined them. In that place, ths
son was married to Miss Mary Ann Sperry,
then girl of lS. The young couple lived
| for two years on a farm near Lahare, and
having accumulatsd means, removed to a
residence IN the town, where MIR. Oatman
entered into mercantile business. The crash
of 1897. destroyed his hopes Of success in
that quarter; the competent fortune he had
amassed Disappeared; and, at the suggestion
Of friends, he removed to the Cumberland
Valley in Pennsylvania. His love for tho
free life of the Western prairie, however,
drew him back, and in lS46 the family re-
turned to Illinois, settling IN log. cabin,
not far from the village of Fulton. In lS49,
an effort was made to organize party to
/ emigrate to that portion Of New Mexico ly-
ling between the Colorado and Gila. Mr..
Ontman cast in his lot with the company,
and in the Spring of 1850, started for his
new home. Including his own, nine fnmi-
lies constituted the party. In August, they
had progressed on their journey rs far as
Council Grove, on the old Santa Fe road.
] At this point, the first dissensions broke out
among the party. The difficulties widened,
until finally the oatman family found them
selves nearly alone. Nothing daubted, they
pursued their journey. At the Rio Grande
they took the Cook and Kearney route. and
in February, 1851, reached the Pimo village.
The two families who had remained with
them thus far, now resolved to stop. The
Oatman's S resolved unhappily for themselves,
: to continue their route alone, hoping to
reach Fort Yuma in California. On the 18th
of March they reached a camping ground
on the Giia river, Mt point about eight
miles from Fort Yuma. On the following
day, they forded the river. While still en-
camped, party Of Apaches visited them,
makng professions Of friendship, and de-
string to smoke the pipe of peace. Mr..
Oatman made every exertion to secure the
good will of the savages, offered them food,
and gave them the best entertainment his
means afforded. Their prying and inquisi-
tive manner, excited his suspicious. and the
withdrawal of the party to u short distance,
and the holding of Il council among them
selves, confirmed his apprehensions. He
had scarcely warned his family Of their per-
il, when the savages burst upon them, with
a terrific yell, and without warning of a
nome ent, massacred the father, mother and
four of the children. Lorenzo lone of the
survivcrs] was left for dead. The two
younger girls, Olive and Mary Ann, were
reserved for another fate. With these cap
tives, the Indians departed, after robbing
the wagon and tent of the family of all that
was valuable.
! The lad, Lorenzo recovered his senses,
after the departure Of the Indians, only to
find mass of ruins, amidst which lay the
bodies Of the murdered family. He was
afterwards met by party of friendly Indi-
ans, one Of whom he had seen before. He
was humanely taken into their protection.
After these Indians had visited the scene Of
the massacre, they returned with the report
that they could only distinguish the bones OF
six persons. Olive and Mary Ann were moi
among them. Subsequently, Lorenzo reach
ed Fort Yuma, where every kindness wa.
shown him. His sisters, however, were now
beyond the reach Of human help. Whittier
their savage captors had gone it was impos.
sible to tell; that fate worse than death
awaited them was certain, For five years
one of these young girls was subjected te
!, all the drudgery of savage life, and endur.
ed suferings which language is too feeble te
portray. The younger Of the two, Mary
Ann, a child of only eight years, died ol
: starvation during the FIRST year of theil
captivity; while Olive, aged 13 years, with
greater endurance, survived her sufferings
and lives to give the narrative Of them Il
= the world. ->,ssara >Es# ias.sf ~ 4as )
e In the keeping of this tribe, {thc No
. haves) Olive wandered toward the Pacific
/ and in the year 1856, was heard of BY Lieu
tenant Colonel Burke, then in command o.