Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-04
A STRANGE STORY OF CAPTIVITY

The Derf<er Colorado Tribune has the
following strange story:
We saw at the Planters House yester-
day a woman named Lizzie Blackburn, a
native Of Mount jackson, S. c., who
claims TO have been prisoner among
different tribes of Indians about four
years. She is now twentyseight years
old, and is a cripple from the loss of both
of her limbs, which have been amputated
twice, the first. time at thesankle joints,
and again about three inches below the
knee. Her story of her capture and inn
prisonment is about as follows, commences
ing with how she came 10 be in the In
dian country. When she was five years
old her father, Thomas Blackburn, emf
grated from South Carolina and Joined
the Mormons at Nauyoo, ILL., He accom-.
panied them to Florence, Nebraska, and
finally emigrated TO Utah with the earliest
immigrants, and preached among them.
In 1863 or 1864, the father having become
somewhat dissipated and having for some
time been accustomed to living among
the Mormon Indians, Lizzie and her
mother and two younger sisters, aged
respectively ten and fourteen years, con-
cluded to run away from him and the
MOrmons, and ifpOssible reach California.
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, vince they were captured
by the Digger Indians Lizzie was sold
by tie Diggers to the Foxes. The mother
and two remaining, sisters, when they
learned of Lizzie's 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.
Then 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 afterwards was again frozen.
She saws that two halt>breeds, named
Towantinus and Puchautagah, took her
to Washington, d. C., where,her limbs
were amputated, and that her father paid
the expenses, and that she afterwards
returned to the Snakes by his direction,
he being among them as kind Of chief
at the time. She says that her father has
spent most Of his time among the Indians
for seven or eight years, and is one Of
them now. lie is with abe Arapahoes or
Cheyennes. The Snakes traded her to
the Arapahoes, from whom she escaped
about one year ago by the assistance OF
Fred. Jones, government scout and
was brought into Ellswosth. Atthe time
other escape the Arapahoes were camped
at the Big Bend OF the Arkansas. A
portion of the time since her escape, she
has been engaged as a scout, but for the
last few mOnts has been doing Homework
at a stage station down on the Smoky
Hill road Fred Jones, her rescuer, was
discharged from government employ last
spring, Just before the outbreak down on
the Solomon in Kansas, and as he threats
eued to go with the Indians it was supz
posed that he was with them at the slime.
She SAYS she counted one hundred and
fifty white men in one Indian camp which
she visited while acting in the capacity OF
scout, and that there are great many
among all the tribes. The Digger8 treated
her most cruelty, and all treated her very
roughly. Her father, though, often pro-
tected her from very severe treaty.
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.