Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1869-07-01
THE LOST SISTER, FRANCIS s1ocUN.
Visit to Her Descendants.
BY C. s. BAILEY, D. D.

The story of Francis Slocum is
one of thrilling interest. She was
stolen by the Delaware Indians from
her fathers house near Wilkes
barre, in Wyoming Valley, Luzerne
county, Penn, on the second day
of November, 177S, when she was
a child five years of age. They
took her from the house in broad
daylight, before the eyes of heI
mother, and that mother never saw
her child again. The brothers Of
Francis, Joseph and Isaac Slocum,
grew to manhood and advanced to
old age, making inquiry and search
for their lost sister whenever they
could hear Of any white woman
among the Indian tribes who they
thought might be their sister, some
times offering large rewards in mon
ey for her discovery. More than
go years passed away before they
found the lost sister. She was at
last discovered, as the widow of an
Indian Chief, living on the banks Of
the Mississine about z miles
from its mouth, where it emptief
into the Wabash near Peru, in In
diana.
AS was born in the same coun-
ty from which Francis Slocum was
stolen, and acquainted with many
of her relatives, and heard my mo-
ther tell the story when | was a
child, and before she was discover
ed, and having read the accounts
given in the several histories of
Wyoming concerning her, l had q
strong desire to visit her descend
ants, and her Indian home. Find
ing myself unexpectedly at Peru,
Indiana, a few days ago, [ made
inquiries in regard to her and her
discovery, and was happy to learn
that the man who first found her
was still residing at Peru--James
I. miller, Esq, now the county
Treasurer Of Miami county. ! had
the pleasure of hearing from him
the particulars Of the story.
Mr.. Miller was an Indian trader
and interpreter, making Peru the
headquarters of his operations, and
had lived there from childhood,
and learned the Miami Indian
tongue, and for many years the
savages were almost his only neigh
bors and associates. Col. Geo. W.
Ewing was the Indian agent sta
toned at Logansport,. Ind. In
January, 1885, Mr.. Miller and Col.
Ewing were travelling through the
forests, and being belated, and the
Colonel not feeling well, Mr.. Miller
proposed that they should go and
stop over night with the white wo.
man among the Indians. Colonel
Ewing had never heard of any
white woman among the Indians
there, but Mr.. Miller assured him
that there was one, the wife of the
Deaf Man, as her husband was call
ed by the whites, because he became
totally deafwhen between 30and 4C
years Of age.
They soon fell into a trail in the
snow, made by the white woman'a
son-in-law, Brouillette, who had
killed a deer and taken it home
Colonel Ewing suggested to Mr.
Miller that they should find out the
history of this white woman, and
if possible make her known to her
relatives. They we're kindly and
Hospitality received at her log house
on the bank Of the Mississinewa,
and found her in such poor health
that she thought she should not
live long. She was then an old wo-
man, and being under the impression
that she would soon die, she was
more than ever before ready to give
some items of her history. MIR.
Miller drew her into conversation
about herself, and Col. Ewing sat
behind her and noted down the
items which he caught from the
conversation.
She remembered that the Della
ware Indians came to her fathers
house and carried her off when she
was a very little girl that her father
was a Quaker, wore a broad-bri
med hat and a round coat, and his
name was Slocum that he lived on
the Susduehanna river near a fort.