The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-03-02

ness, they reached the Indian country, the
home of the Miami Indian. Nine miles fron
the nearest whites, and they find the little
wigwam. 'I shall know my sister," said the
civilized sister, because she lost the nail O
her first finger. You, brother, hammered i
off in the blacksmith shop when she was foul
years .old."-They go into the cabin and inc
an Indian woman having the appearance Of
seventy-fve. She is painted and ijewelled off
and dressed like the Indians in all respects
Nothing but her hair and covered skin, would
indicate her origin. They get an interpre-
ter and begin to converse. She tells them
where she was born, her name, &C., with the
order of her fathers family. "How came you,
nail gomez" said the oldest sister s'My older
brother pounded it off, when 1 was a little
child, in the shop!'' In word, they were sat.
sfied that this was Frances, their long lost sis
teri They asked what her Christian name was
She could not remember Was it Frances p
She smiled and said eyes !'' It was the first
time she had heard it pronounced for sixty
years Here, then, they were met-two broth
ers and two sisters They were all satisfied they
were brothers and sisters. But what con-
| trast The brothers were walking the cabin
unable to speak the oldest sister was weeping,
but the poor Indian sat motionless and passion
less-as Indifferent as a spectator. There is
| no throbbing, no fine chords in her bosom to
be touched.
tory 1 said to him, "but could she not speak,"
eNot word.'' ''Did she know her age ?' ''No
had no idea of it." 'tBut was she entirely
ignorant?" "Sir, she didn't know when Sun
day comes" This was indeed a consummation
of ignorance in descendant of the Puritans |!
But what picture for painter would the
inside OF that cabin have afforded Here were
the children Of civilization, respectable, tenn
perate, intelligent and wealthy, able to over
ptain 70 t1a;r e..
was the child of the forest, not able to tell the
day of the week, whose views and feelings were
all confined to their cabin. Her whole history
might be told in word. She lived with the
Delawares who carried her of, till grown up,
and then married Delaware. He either died
or run away, and she then married Miami
Indian, Chief, L believe. She had two
daughters, both of whom are married and live
in the glory of an Indian cabin, skin clothes,
and cow skin head-dresses None of the fami-
ly can speak a word of English. They have
horses in abundance, and when the Indian sis
ter wanted to accompany her new relatives she
whipped out, bridled her horse, and then a la
Turk mounted astride and was off. At night
she could throw blanket around her, down
upon the floor, and at once be asleep.
The brothers and sisters tried to persuade
their lost sister to return with them, and if she
desired it, bring her children. They would
transplant ner again on the DankS- OF the cuS-
quehanna, and of their wealth make her home
happy. But no. They had always. been kind
to her, and she had promised her late husband
on his death-bed, that she would never leave
the Indians. And there they left her and
hers, wild and darkened heathens, though they
sprung from pious race You can hardly i'm
agine how much this brother is interested for
her. He says he intends this Autumn to go
again that long journey to see his tawny sister
to carry her some presents, and perhaps will
go and petition Congress that if ever these Mi
amis are driven off, there may be tract of
land reserved for his sister and her descendants.
His heart yearns with an indescribable tender
ness for the helpless one, who, sixty-one years
ago, was torn from the arms of the mother
Mysterious Providepces! How wonderful the tie
which can thus bind a family together with
chain SO strong that nothing can break its
links
will only add that nothing has ever been
heard of the boy Kingsley. The probability
is, that he is not living. This account,
hastily and imperfectly given, had from the
lips of Mr.. Slocum, the brother, and the same
who was two and a-half years old when little |
Frances was carried away l believe have
altered nothing, though have omitted enough |
to make the good part of an interesting volume.