Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-11-11
ANTNDIAN CAPTIVE.
Four Years Among the SaVages-A
Strange Story.

The Colorado Tribune has the fol-
lowing strange story; We saw at the
Planters House yesterday a woman
named Lizzie Blackburn, native of
Mount jackson, South Carolina, who
claims to have been a prisoner among
different tribes of Indians about four
years. She is now twenty-eight years
old, and is a cripple from the loss of
both her limbs, which have been am
putated twice; the first time at the
| ankle joints, and again about three
inches below the knee. Her story of
her capture and Imprisonment is
about as follows, commencing with
how she came to be in the Indian
country: When she was five years old
her father, Thomas Blackburn, emil
grated from South Carolina, and join
ed the MOmOns at NauvOO, Illinois.
He accompanied them to Florence,
| Nebraska, and finally emigrated to
Utah, with the earliest enigrants, and
preached among them. In 1868 or 1894,
the father having become somewhat
dissipated, and for some time been
accustomed to living among the Nor
mon Indians, Lizzie and her mother
and two younger sisters, aged respect
lively ten and fourteen years, conclu-
ded to run away from him and the
Mormons, and if possible reach Cali
fornia. They took with them only
what they could pack about their per-
sons, and with u rifle and some amuni-
ton started westward from Salt Lake,
wandering for nine months, when
they captured by the Digger Indians.
Lizzie was sold by the Diggers to- the
Foxes. The mother and two remain
ing sisters when they learned of Liz
zie's sale ran away from the Diggers
and were pursued. When found they
had starved and frozen To death, and
were buried on Horse Greek. The
Foxes sold Lizzie to the Snakes. Then
she learned of the death or her moth
er and sisters and saw them buried. /
She ran away from the Snakes, but
was captured. She was badly frozen
in the attempt, and was afterwards
again frozen. She says that two half
breeds, named Towantinus and Pu-
chanatah, took her to Washington, d.
c., where her limbs were amputated, |
and she was returned to the Snakes !
by her fathers direction, he being i
among them as kind of chief at the
time. She SAYS that her father has so
spent most of his time among the In
dians for seven or eight years, and is
now one of them. He is with
the ArapahOes or Cheyennes, IThel
Snakes traded her to the Arapahoes,
from whom she escaped about one
year ago, by the assistance of Fred
Jones, a Government scout, and was
brought into Ellsworth. At the time
of her escape the ATapahOes were
camped at the big bend Of the Arkan-
sas. A portion of the time since her
escapeshe has been engaged as a scout,
but for the last few months has been
doing homework at Il stage station
down on the Smoky Hill road. Fred
Jones, her rescuer, was discharged
from the Government employ last
spring just before the outbreak down
ON the Solomon in Kansas, and as he
to go with the Indians i'll,
was supposed that he was with them
at that time. She says she has count
ed one hundred and fifty white men
in one Indian camp which she visited
while acting as a scout, and that there
are great many among ali the tribes.
The Diggers treated her most cruelty,
and all treated her very roughly. Her
father, though, often protected her !
from severe treatment. She says that
she has an uncle living somewhere on
the North Platte river and she is now
on her way to him. She expected to
leave this morning. g