The national Republican., 1867-01-28
POCAHONTAs AND THE FABLE
OF CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.


can ReVie,o contains an article calculated to
shock the F. F. VS. and all others who have
cherished fondly the sentiments naturally in
spired by that most romantic Of our early
legends, the story Of PocAHoSrAs saving the
life Of Captain JoHs SMITH when he was
about to be Drained by the uplifted club Of
the mighty red man, PowHArAS. The arti-
Gle we allude to is a review of Mr. CHARLES
DEASE's recent reprint Of Captain SMrH's
True Relation Of Virginia" with notes and
observations, in which Mr.. DEkxE takes the
ground that SNfTH's wonderful deliyerance
by PocAHoSrAs is entirely mythical Mr..
DrAsR's argument is based upon the general
unveracity Of Captain SMITH, and on the fact
that no mention is made Of the extraordinary
circumstance Of the wnr club in the Captains
writings until sixteen years after, when Po-
cAHoSTAs herself was dead, and there was no
ready means OF refuting the story.
SNITH's cotemporaries in the colony are
also silent upon the heroic act Of PocAnoSrAs,
while they relate the capture Of SxIrH by the
Indians and his release. In 1908, the very
year Of his escape from the Indians, SMITH
published in London the True Relation"
giving an account Of his capture and release.
In this he does not even mention PocAHoS.
rAs, but speaks Of being treated with great
kindness by PowHArAS and all the Indians.
WISoPrELD, the FIRST president Of the colony,
circulated the same year discourse Of yir-
ginia," in which he gives the dates and his
tory Of SMrn's expedition up the Chicka-
hominy, but does not allude to the romantic
story. The next account is in 1912, when
SMrH published "a Map Of Virginia" with
an account Of his explorations. In this he
speaks Of his capture, but makes no mention
Of PocAHoSrAs part in his release. About
the year 1915, WILLIAM SrRAcHEY, late sec
retary Of the colony, wrote history Of travel
in Virginia, printed by the Hakluyt Society
in lS49, which contains accounts Of SMTH's
adventures, and some curious details about
, PocAHoSrAs, but not a word Of this story
In 1915, q small quarto volume appeared in
| London by RAPHE HANoR, which gave O
minute account Of the capture Of PoOAHOS
TAs, Of her conversion and subsequent mar
a riage to RoLFK, and Of a visit which HANOI
e paid to PowHATAN, and the details Of con
2 yersation with him, and also RoLFE's letter
TO Sir THOMAS DALE, justifying his marriage
It is evident, from the utter silence Of these
3 books in regard to the romantic adventure
that it was not known by any one then ii
l. Virginia
n In 1915 PocAHoSrAs and her HUSBAND
= came to England and were entertained a
= court. PURcHAs, who knew them and knew
: SMITH well, and had many interviews witt
D ToNocoNo, an Indian Of PowHATAS's tribe
= published in 1917 the third edition Of his
e Pilgrimage" in which he tells the stories
4 Of SMITH and Of PocAuoSrAs, but makes no
- reference to the story which was to make
PocAHoSIAs immortal. In the same year
III the heroine died, and various romantic sto
lie ries were invented about her, this being ont
ne Of them. In 1922, in q pamphlet called
m New Englands Trials" SMITH makes al
allusion to II, and in 1924, in the General
Historic" he tells the story in full, witt
many exaggerations and changes from hi
OF narrative Of 1908.
lis SrRAcHEY, secretary of the colony of Viz
of ginia, gives a curious account Of the init
ct mate relations Of PocAHoNTAs with the colony
- during his residence there. He says:
"Pocahuntas, well-ieatured but wantoi
III yong girle, Powhatan's daughter sometyme
ny resorting to our fort, Of the age then Q
eleven or twelve yeares would get the boye
forth with her into the market place AM
,s make them wheele, falling upon their hands
turning up their heeles upward, whome sh
would followe and wheele so herself, make
ai as she was, oil the fort over"
re, The pastime above described is what tn
ia' boys Of the present generation call "turnin
CT. the cart wheel" If BRUMDI would add
eu the pictures Of Canterbury girls" in tn
er- dome of the Capitol cartoon Of PoCAHo,
Us Us rAs as she appeared in her gymnastic exc
'he cises at the company's fort, it would Ell
~ hance the interest Of his fresco.
,g- The explosion Of the PocAHoNrAs fabl
ne will impose upon Mr.. JOIN BRouGHAM tn
ei- task Of making some serious alterations il
III his comical burlesque upon Captain SNIrH
lr- his Story" but that will only give the ext
ne berant BRouGHAM new opportunity for fres
III fun.
'ss va The great families who have proudly trace
u their lineage to the "heroic" daughter Of Pow
Ia HATAN will mourn to see the halo swept frol
ere the dark brow Of the Indian maiden by NJ
zen DEANE's exposure Of Captain SNIrH's fbs, br
ny the truth of history must be vindicated
DC spite Of "his story
.Es But notwithstanding the collapse of III
ial story forged by SMITH, the noble red woma
'st- OF the forest is not without heroic legend
In the Historical Collections Of the Stat
oil of New York" it is related that JAMES DEA!
'or Esq, who commenced the settlement Of th
sa- town of Westmoreland, Oneida county, an
who afterwards was judge of the count
lot courts and held other important Offices, wa
m saved from impending death by the inte
position Of heroic Indian women. One ,
the tribe Of the Oneidas had been murdere
sh by an unknown white man, who escape,
by and, according to the religious law of the
the tribe, it was necessary for the happiness
ion the soul Of the deceased in the world