The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-04-20
An Indian and Indian. Romaneo.

An Indian and Indiana Romance.
The Philadelphia Press relates the follow
ing story, which we think our readers viii
find interesting: 1 -Aa t.f 50
An incident in connection with one of the
many romances of the Wyoming Valley may
here be mentioned, especially as the writer
of this article (while. the editor of the Ian
caster Infeiligencer, more than twenty years
ago), was an humble instrument in unrayel-
ing probably the most touching mystery in
the records of crime. At Scranton we met
one of the members Of the Slocum family
ons of the energetic pioneers of the TOWN.
and recalled to his attention the fact that in
1887, while Mrs. Mary Dickson, the post
man, who emily lately departed this life, she
sent Us a faded letter, written 10 her post Of.
fee by gentleman named George w. Ew-
ing, who dated, we think, Logansport indi-
ana, in witch he desired 10 know if any of
ths Siocum family lived in that neighbor-
hood. He detailed in his letter his visit to
an Indian cabin, and his discovery of the
long-lost Frances Slocum, who had been sto-
len from her fathers family (Mr. Jonathan
Slocum) some fifty-eight years previous, by
the indians, and by them carried into cap
tivity.
After every effort had been made to res
cue the lost child, or even to hear of her
whereabouts, the veil OF years fell like
dark and impenetrable cloud before the har-
rowing secret, and her brothers and their
posterity mourned over her as one forever
lost to them. We published the letter in
the Intel!i9sneer, and, aided by the Rev.
Samuel Bowman (now assistant Bishop of
this Episcopal diocssel, himself native of
the Wyoming region, we are enabled to send
the hrst information to the Sloeum family.
The published letter fell into the hands OF
Nr. Slocum Of Wilkesbarre, who was lit
tie boy of two years of age when his sister
Frances was taken. The remainder of the
story is a household word in Northern
Pennsylvania, but it may have been forgot
ter in other parts Of the State. The family
seek the little Frances sixty years after her
captivity, and find her At the home of the
Miami Indians. They go into cabin where
they see an Indian woman having the ap-
pearance of seventy-6ve years OF age, paint
ed, jewelled, and dressed like an Indian
queen; nothing but her hair and coored
skin indicate her origin.
By the aid of an interpreter they con-
verse, and are satisfied that this is their long
lost sister. She had forgotten her Christian
name and the very language of her race,
though she responded to Z" Frances" and ad-
mitted, In her Indian dialect that that was
her name. While her broHlers and sisters
sat throbbing and weeping at this strange
revelation, the poor Indian was mctionless
and passionlcss. She had become one of
another people, she had been married and
reared two daughters, both married, and
living in all the glory of an Indian cabin,
deer-skin clothing, and cow-skin hesd-dress-
es. For Indians, she belonged to a rich
community, owned housss, could ase the
rihe, bride ber own horses, and mount a Ia
Turk, whenever she desired to do so. She
could sleep on the floor or on the bare earth,
wrapped in her blanket, as soundly as her
wealthy relatives slept in their beautiful
residences in the Valley of the Wyoming.
They tried to persuade her TO return, but
she refused 10 do so. She had always lived
with the lndians since her capture; they had
always been kind to her, and she promised
her late husband, on his death bed, that she
never would leave the Indians.