Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1859-11-17
LERsBURG HOLMES COUNTY OHIO THURSDAY NOVEMBER H. 1889

~ ~ - SAASS AA
{ Smith and Thompson; or vir
: ginia Savages, Past an4 4Present
Our readers viii readily recall the touch
ing story of John Smith, fugitive slav
E and adveHturer, who afterwards becam
t one of the first colonists Of Jamestow
in Virginia. His small company of me-
would soon have perished for want offood
r be had not stolen the Indian idol, Okee
made of skins stuffed with moss, and com
PEELED the natives to redeem it with a larg
purchase of corn. While exploring th'
Chickahominy, however, be was seized b,
the enemy, having killed three Of them il
the encounter, and taken before the grea
. Powhatan,-tbe predecessor Of Gov. Wise
who, seated on his stump of throne
and clothed in raccoon skins, condemned
the poor fellow to death. But beside the
throne Of the chief stood two of his duskey
daughters, who conpassionated Smith, and
one of whom, the Chiefs favorite, Pocahon-
tus, resolved to save his life. When the
grim warriors, therefore, brought in two
big stones on which Smith laid bis head
and their war clubs were raised to drop
upon his daylight forever, she rushed be-
tween the executioners and their victim,
and, by her passionate entreaties, induced
the savages 10 suspend their blows and
suffer Smith to depart
Those old red Indians seem to us TO have
had more real humanity in them than
many Of the whites who now occupy their
places. The story Of Thompson, is similar
in some respects to the story Of Smith.
He had committed IN outrage upon the
idol of the Virginians-named in this case
Cuffee, not Okee-had been captured, and
would have been tried and condemned to
death if the plood thirsty ferocity of the
modern Virginians, less capable of restraint
than that Of the old Virginians could have
awaited the slow decisions of authority.
1t could not. According to the testimony
of Mr.. Hunter, one of the actors in the
affair, and a son of the prosecuting Attor
neyin the Harper's Ferry trials, a crowd
of armed men rushed into the room of the
hotel where Thompson was confined, and
would have put him to an instant and bru-
tai death.
But the daughter Of the landlord, Mss
Foulke, with heroisr1 that surpasses even
that of Pocahoutas, threw herself between
the guns of those maddened and reckless
slave-drivers and their object, whom she
caught in her arms, and besought their
mercy. "For Gods sake, watt" she said,
sand let the law tako its course" For a
moment they desisted from their work Of
revenge; but for a moment only. Neither
the helpless codition of the prisoner, nor
that noble womanly appeal, could soften
the hearts of those savages, as the words
of Pocahontas softened those ancient braAes.
They dragged Thompson from the shelter
ing arms of his protector, hailed him like a
dog through the streets, amid the hooting
and bowling of frenzied crowd, and when
they had got him to the railroad bridge,
already nearly dead with bruises, they rid |
died his body with their rife balls! Cove
nor Wise is reported to have said that he
wept for the cowardice of the Virginians
at Harper's Ferry; and well he may have
wept; for cowardice so susceptible of
panic that it turns men, not into saynges,
but wild beasts, is indeed to be deplored.
New York Post.
The story of Thompson was related
thus: a
Henry Hunter called-Examined by
counsel for defence.
@ Did you witness the death of this
nan Thompson? Al witnessed the
leath of one whose name l have been in-
ormed was Thompson. ~
Q.-The one who was prisoners A.
Yes sir, -, l.
Dwell, sir, what were the circumstan-
'es attending iti Ado you wish my
'wn connection with it, or simply a des-
riplion of the circumstances shall /
MENTION the rames! ESD. ~ Il
Mr.. Andrew Hunter-Every bit of it.
Henry; state all you saw. s
Wiiness-There was prisoner confined
a the parlor of the hotel, and after Mr..
,eckham's death he was shot down by o
umb~ of US there belonging to this sharp
booting band.
Mr.. Andrew Hunter-Will you allow
i'm to state. before proceeding further, I
ow he was connected with Mr.. Backham? ,
Mr.. Greeen-Certainly, sir. II
Witness-He- was my grand-uncle and {
~ special friend-a man loved above
II Others; after he was killed, Mr.. Chsm- q
ers and myself moved forward to the ho- a
j for the purpose of taking the prisoner '
ut and hanging him; we were joined by e
number of other persons. who cheered US a
n in that work; We went up Into his g
'om where be was bound, with the uu- G
oub.ed and undisguised purpose of TAX a
q his life; at the door we were stopped
7 persons guarding the door. who renon- {
rated with US, and the excitement was [
, great that persons who demonstrated p
ith US one moment would cheer US on the n
ext; we burst into the room where be was n
I'd found several around him, but they J
Tered only feeble resistance; we brought
If guns down to bis head repeatedly, my c,
If and another person, for the purpose Of r
lootirng him inst the room. h
Thee was young lady there. the sister 7
Mr. Fouke, the hotel-keeper. who sat in II
is mans lap, covered his face with her &C
ms, and shielded him whenever We bro't 70