The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1868-11-05
A Sirnnre Story of CnnilKitN.


The Colorado Tribune has the following
strange story:
We saw at the Planters House yesterday
a woman named Lizzie Blackburn, q native
Of Mount jackson, South Carolina, who
claims to have beena prisoner among dii-
fereut tribes of Indians about four years.
She is now twenty. eight years old, and is q
cripple from the loss of both OF 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 imprisonment is about as
follows, commencing with how she camc
to be in the Indian country:
When she was five years old her iather
| Thomas Blackburn, emigrated from South
Carolina and ioSned the Mormons at Maui
WOO, Illinois. He accompanied them to
Florence, Nebraska, and finally emigrated
to Utah with the earliest emigrants, and
preached among them. In 1868 or 1864,
the father having become somewhat dis
sipated, 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 wears, concluded TO run away
from him and the MormOns, aud II possl-
bic reach California. They took with them
only what they could pack about their per-
sons, and with n rifle and some amlnuni-
ton started westward from Salt Lake,
wandering for nine months when they were
captured by the Digger Indians. Lizzie
was sold by the DiRgers to the Foxes
The mother and two remaining sisters
when they learned OF Lizzie's sale nan
away from the Diggers and were persued.
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 captured. She was badly frozen
in the attempt, and was afterwards again
frozen. She says that two half breeds
named 1owdntinus and ~Puchanatagh,
took her to Washington, ID. c., where her
limbs were amputated, and that she was
afterwards returned TO the Snakes by his
direction, he being among them MS a kind
of chief at the time. She says that her
father has so spent most Of his time among
the Indians for seven or eight years, and Is
one of them now. lie is with the Arapa-
hoes or Cheyennes. The Snakes traded
her 10 the Arapahoes, from whom she es-
capped about one year ago, by the nssis-
lance of Fred Jones, a government scout,
Nl'l Nun hAkhAhN AhA' AAA3N'AN'' 50
tho timo of her escape, the Arapahoes
were encamped Mt 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 months has been doing
housework at a 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 threat
ened to 90 with the Indians, 1t was sup
posed that he was with them at that time.
She says she counted one hundred and IF
~ white men in one Indian camp which
she visited while acting in the capacity OF
scout, and that thore are a great many
among all the tribes. The Diggers treated
her most cruelty, aud all treated her very
roughly. Her father, though, often pro.
tected her from severe treatment. 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
] mOrniuu.