The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-12-23


name wasn't Pocahontas at all. Her pa
rents, one of whom was an old speculator
in scaips named Powhatan, gave her the
name of Matoa, aud that wus the name
she was knewn by in The neck of woods
IN which she lived. l don't know hs.y
she got the name of Pocahontas, and I
! am not going TO bother myself finding oat.
| There are things in Heaven and earth not
dreamed of IN my philosophy, and tho
manner IN which Aatoa became changed
| 10 PocahOntas is one OF item. Moreover
when this young woRlan WIS first known
as Poca6ontas, she wasn't known as po-
UahOntas. The name she was known by
was Pocahrtntas, a much moro Hppropri-
ate cognomen, for, yeu see, she WAS often
engaged IN thc hunt, and could hunt as
we'll as any other girl Of her age and size,
/ and so there was some propriety in Calling
! her Pocahuntas. l can't account for the
| Poca In her name except OH the hypoihe-
sis that she used to play poker w1,h The
| hunters, and that the nsHe Poker, given
| 10 distinguish her from the Indian maidens
who didn't play that edilying game, after
wards became corrupted Into Poca I
OF Pocahontas, bat lhiuk l have shown
/ pretty clearly how she could have come
| by the name OF PocahurItas
While she WIS still a girl, a fellow
named Smith, the original John Smith,
wGs found skuiking around her fathers
wig T am, aud the old man went for Smith
and nabbed HIM. 1t was pretty hard on
Smith TO Ue III the hands of Puwhatan,
and the only consolation he could find was
IN counting the scaips in the old chaps
! wigwam, aud rejecting that his own
| might soon be added to the number.
Eowhatan had made Up his mind that
smith family shouldn't sec him any
more, 50 he called Il council of his bravee.
had Smith tried aud sentenced by a niii-
! tary commission, and then got club 10
knock cut his brains. At this moment
Pocahontss appeared, and the execution
Vas postponed, Pocahontas didn't throw
| herself on Smith, and say she would save
! him or perish i'll the attempt She wasn't
! a woman OF that kind On the contrary,
! ii would have given her pleasure TO lend
hand al taking Of Smiths scalp, if her
father had allowed the proceedings 90 on.
! instant Smith tooh large brass buiton
out Of his pocket, offered IL as a ransom,
and was released. The savage Hlind of
! Powhaian did not perceive that he could
have got the baton after Smiths death as
well as before, otherwise the execution
would probably have proceeded, and
Smiths scalp would have been hung up
10 dry in the wigwaul of The noble chief.
When pocahon;az was fifteen years old,
her father soid her TO party by the name
of Rolle for two quarts OF beads. RUIfe
had an eye to business. He didn't care
the beads for Pocahontas, bat he thought
by marrying her he might cone ia for a
part Of his father-in~law's property. At
that time powhatau had some extensive
hunting erouuds, and Rolfe was on !dat
scent. But he never got a cents worth
Of the property. The reason was that
old Powhatan died without making a will,
| and as the present Judicial system was not
then organized, Rolfe's claim on the es~
tate was not admitted. Rolto tried sew
eral lodges 10 get possession, bat finally
decided to draw of. He was given TO
understand that if he showed himself in
that neishOurhood any more, the survi>
vOrs Of his father-in. laws tribe would
give him a taste Of tie tomahawk, and SO
he kept away. This was about the Wis
est thing RoIfe did during his life.
Rolfe took Pocahontas to England and
exhibited hera a princess. This was an
atrocious fraud 1t stands 20 the COM
monesL reason that two quarts of beads
worth Of savage maiden can't be a prin-
/ cess. Pocahontas was no more a princess
than Olive Logan, who couldn't be pur-
chased for ten timas her own weight in
beads. But RoIfe took her to England,
and showed her around, and got all the
royal fools to look at her and give her
presents, and when he saw that there
wasn't much chance of making any more
money by that dodge he started with ber
for Virginia again, and got as far as
| Gravesend when she took sick and died.
1t was beer that killed her. She had
been living on romance several months,
and when that gave out, and she had to
take TO beer, her gentle spirit dropped,
melancholy seized her for its own, and
sue expired. Her last words were,
20 carry me back to old Virginia, to old
Virgiuia's shore! r-..
o carry me back to the old wigwam, with
/ scalps behind the door"
And TINS she died. II was a sad and
memorable spectacle, and the English
| painter made a picture of il that has been
pronounced one of the finest pieces OF
fancy painting that ever was'seen. 1t was
on this painting that DR.. Watts wrote the
beautiful hymn commencing,
She's sil my fancy painted her, etc.
In this brief sketch L have endeavored
to do justice to truth and the memory of
Pocahontas. Necessarily, however, l
have omitted many of her striking charac-
teri istics such as her habit ot making faces