The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1868-11-05
i Strange SlGFy.

The Colorado T,qduae has the follow
ing strange story:
I'VE saw at the Planters House yes
terday a woman named Lizzie blackburn,
a native Of Mount Jackson, s. G., who
claims to have been prisoner among
different tribes of Indians about four
years. She is ROW ,wenty- eight years
old and is cripple from the loss of both
her limbs, which have been amputated
twice, the first time at the ankle Joints,
and again about three inches below the
knee. Her story Of her capture and im-
prisonment is about as follows, commen-
cling with how she came to be in the In
dian country: When she was five years
old, her father, Thomas Black burn emi-
grated from South Carolina and Joined
the Mormons at Nauvoo, Illinois. He
accompanied them TO Florence. Nebraska
and finally cmigrated to Utah with the
earliest emigrants. and preached with
them. In 1868 or 1864, the father having
become somewhat dissipated, and having
for some time been accustomed to living
among the Mormon Indians, Lizzie and
heI mother and two younger sisters, aged
respectively ten and fourteen years, con
cluded to run away from him AMI the
Mormons, and if possible reach Califor-
MA They took with them only what
they could pack about their persons, and
with "a rifle and some ammunition started
westward from Salt Lake, wandered for
nine months, when they were captured
by the Digger Indians Lizzie was sold
by the Dlggers to the Foxes The moth
er and two remaining sisters, when they
heard of Lizzie sale, ran away from the
Diggers and were pursued. When found
they had starved and frozen to death, and
were buried on Horse Creek
The Foxes sold Lizzie to the Snakes.
When she learned of the death of her
mother and sisters, and saw them buried
she ran away from the Snakes, but was
recaptured She was badly frozen in the
attempt. and was afterwards again fro
zen. She says that two hall. breeds,
named Towanitus Puchanatagh, took he!
to Washington, d. G., where her limbs
were amputatcd, and that she was after
ward returned TO the Snakes by her faith
er's direction, he being among them as d
kind Of chief at the time. She says tina!
her father has spent most of his tlne
among the Indians for seven or eight years
and is one of them now. lie is with the
Arrapahoes or Cheyennes. The Snakes
traded her to the Arrapahoes, from whom
she escaped, about one year ago, by tho
| assistance of Fred. Jones, government
scout. and was brought into Ellsworth
At the time Of her escape, the Arrapa-
hoes We're camped ut the Big Bend af
the Arkansas River. 4 portion of the
time since her escape she has been en-
gagged as a scout, but for the last few
months has been doing heusework at {
stage station down on the Smoky Hill
road. Frd. Jones, her rescuer, was dis
charged from Government employ las
spring just before the outbreak down OF
the Solomon, in Kansas, and, as ht
threatened to go with the Indians, 1t wa:
supposed that he was with them at thai
time. She says she counted one hundred
and fifty white men in one Indian caml
which she visited while acting in the Ca
pacity of scout and that there are grea
many among all the tribes. The Digger
treated her most cruelty, and all treated
her very roughly Her father, though
often protected her from severe treat
ment. She says that she has an uncle
living somewhere on the North Platte
River, and she is now on the way to him
She expected to leave this morning.