The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-12-24
RirIrnroltd 1ispatth.
t,p1nAy .DECEMBER q, 1859.
Cor The DiSnatch .


~. QuGTif.'lB Reri"'r caiIS "'teh'Iu', w
The Slandcr invented Ivy Boston sc..o.', ,,5
a$Saiiing The characters oil '""'' ''''''''
,ifbnn"h snch a SANDER, coming 100.
49,, s,,ch = source. can have no more cucc.
=. thinning the glorious hrlitahcl ''''
- f',th from the lives and characters o!
t,nsn rcrowncd persons than the iicttu'
Living Of a puppy could III cumming 'nc
t,rirhfncsS Of moon and star, YET pupp'esa,c
trn},hjcsorc hrutc>; they annoy the nelSh-
hnrhood. and have to be treated py su'Iap'c
Lynn or appropriate drowning.
~ -, moi even know the name of tiiiS
l'nsnrcr. II is enough 10 say hat he na,lS
from Boston. the great siandrF-shon oil me
.'.,iynr.c. and that he represents fniiy New
r,r,,onj courtesy. candor. and character.
~; : evidently an inventive genius OF 4
riah- order, and has here not "aiy iouilo
r,t. he has really created OUT OF MS own
imqoinution. IN entirely new Eana' 'uisco
y-ifI vision Of peculiar kind, he secs "i,'''
a,n r,sc ran see: and. cropping in the
1,r,. drDfhs Of his own nature. Judging
'rt~,.. IN himself, has found ont >hal Johh
-,",J, VA. = liar aud pocahontas common
Gu6Iau wcuCh a ,,,.b;n,
~" mode of srlC-arcIin" used ny MN
ms Ia hc this John smith fao hhe OPP
usltunitics OF doing great oceo,' anu %
taking about them. Ii - EASIER 10 oo'>1
tgaA to perform. LAD lNt ~ 'n hana ,'l NV
fnrrp I.hot.lt rot have done the dceoa oi
r1d,rrcd The hardshipS but would nave
.,,-.tri ., thnm-I would have lied myself
mo (amr. Therefore. John smith lied" -.
1 ain rocahontas nobly put her own lie
.-, 7trr;I 10 save her fathers enemy, ano
g3-Erd that fathers di>Qlcasurc, ana opposed
g.r.uublir sentiment OF her tribe, 70 save
and warn this enemy OF danger. NO New
rual1nd woman that ever iNcu' nor a'I
combined. would or could have dohc lil>.
yl,nfr ro.ncl i 10 hate their enemies.
Therefore, PocahontaS did not 40 tn"sc
.,inc> thu: have made her name hut anothef
ubr4sc for generous, selt-SacrIhring dr'o-
ri,n. 1t i, characteristic exhibition OF
New England Sclf-roncct. Those noble
traits and those ScIt-sacriticin- deeds which
rand men and good women have cNh:blt-
a. inasmuch as it is Impossible FOR New
I.n.land.to exhibit them. therefore they
nave no existence except i'll the boasts OF
u4rra,0rs or the lies of historians.
There was more true manhood IN John
smith than exists in all New England. add
M even Charles summer and Ben Butler To
~ci. in their scale og moral maniincss:
There was more true and pure woInanhood
ii .socahontas than all the women OF New
england ever possessed, headed by Mrs.
Harriet Bccvhrr stowe.
The ONLY fault | discover in John Smith
j. that he 50 thoroughly explored and
nauncd out the shores al New England
hat lis existence could not bc forgotten.
Eu. Tor that il might have been forever lost,
and the world 50 much hcttc"ed thereby.
I viii give the narrative OF Smiths adj
venture and of PocahOntas'~ noble deed. and
present good and sufficient reason tor
lrr action. II i commonly supposed that
tho acted from 4 mere Impulse 81 human
III chiid'S instructive adherence Of SUI
i.ting and bloodshcd. Impulse there was.
"ud noble one: but her subsequent lntc-
rs, in Smith and IN his people shows that
Aar conduct was not governed ~ caprlce or
rla,o impulse. She doubtless acted from
impulse. but it was al impulse directed ny
vi Tom und guided 20 ucccSs bya Woman's
Wit.
John Smith. the chief Of this formidable
l+ud OF white ntrudcrs. had been captured
aud brought into the presence OF PoWha-
tan. According to Indian law. his fate was
rnftain-hc must die: yet, he seems 10 taNc
had good treatment and far trial. In The
very moment Ut execution the king
daughter a child Of cleVen o. twciy" years
surin-s forward. and. laying her head on
;iat q ,ir caDtiyc, demands and obtains his
release. Oi the conversation, Smith under
stands nothing. He saw and felt the act.
and his life is safe. No! only 50, but he i
treated with consideration, set free. and
sent home 10 Jamestown. Now, all this
Boston cannot comprehend, and does moi
believe in impulses Of pity. carried out at
H. risk Of life. Let mc try to explain it by
Hoaking Of an Indian custom still prevail
iug ana OF which smith himself ut that
time knew nothing.
WHOM prisoners are brought in after bat
t.c and arc about to he put TO death, any
widow who has lost e husband can rescue
@aycaptiyc ny marrying him, even ut the
take.
.'ocahontas, though child and no WI
&gW. "uHiuus 10 rcSclic the captive, had
dnultlc>> pleaded first for his life, and fail
~" in this. her head guiding her heart,
calling womaI's wit to aid her pity, sprang
forward 1t The decisive moment, laid her
head upon that OF the captive, and, child
a. -hc was. claimed him for her husband
ann demanded his release.
Her r~l, was greater than we think. Had
i beer an ordinary case OF iayorlte child
interfering between the king and the cap
tive, thc child could have been removed
WIj the victim suffer death. Not so here.
and pocahouta> knew it. shc put herself
a. danger OF death also. and stood in true
ricrfi. She appealed to the custom of the
y.ihc, ani had her claim been refused by the
ling and assembled warriors. had Smith
hern still adiudgcd worthy of death.
si. herself would have been put to death
u Il him. Both would have died, and the
e4,i! knew it when she thus put her life i'll
rtrii. The captive is. however, released:
fac 5odncss aud Wit OF this brave girl evil
Inutly a>tounded the tribe and smith is
nov treated with great honor.
! have no doubt that the subsequent cere-
monies at the court Of PoWhatan were viz
utIly those Of the marriage Of John Smith
md the child Pocahontas. The gallant
N.Dtain was married, according to Indian
custom, and did not know it either. Pow
hatan took him for a son, married him to
his daughter, but kept her with him until
She should bc of suitable age. doubt If
smith ever knew the honor that had been
done him.
Now, with this key you can unlock the
mystery of the conduct Of both Powhatan
and Pocanontas towards Smith and the
colony.
The king supposed that he had entered
into an alliance by marriage with The KING
uf the white men, and rcfrancd from lnjur-
ing them until he thought the peace had
been broken. rocah0ntas visited, warned,
fed, and protected, her husband and his
. .ople. Hence her frequent visits TO James
own. Hence her refusal TO marry Rolf
u4til she was told that Smith was dead.
ticncc her establishment and modest moru-
n,atiOn when she met him in England.
Hcal the account OF that interview and You
will see expressed i'll it the feelings of 4
woman married 10 one man and meeting
another to whom she had been married,
aud whom she believed dead. May we not
NJ this discovery one cause of that sud
den itl-health and rapid sinking into death
which occurred so soon after.
Doubtless one reason why Smith went
through SO many perils with safety was that
none Of the tribe dared to Stay the husband
of the young queen. Unconsoiously to him