The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-03-24
rFrou The spripefeld an, yourn.l, Mach III

Iron the Springfield nl) journal, Mach IL
We had q call on yesterday, from man who
was for twenty years captive among the Indians
His name is James @. Kimball. son OF Judge New
ell Kimball, of Syracuse, N. Y. In company with
a number of others, he was, in ls4s. on his way
across the plains TO California, when, after having
reached the mountains beyond Denver, the party
were attacked by band Of the Snakes and Shoe
shones, and he was captured. 1H- rt.r
From the rapid sketch he gave OF his adventures,
Il is evident that they must have been full OF ex
citing iniere st. The tribe IL known TO be an ex
ceedipgly cruel one, and though they did not mas
sacre him outright, they compelled him to run
the gauntlet Perhaps some OF our readers may
not know what that means. They will imagine,
then two lines of Indians armed with battle-clubs,
and facing each other. The intended victim also
armed with club, with which to protect himself.
is then started on run through the lines, aud II
he can manage 70 reach the lodge house alive, he
is permitted 10 live but in nine cases out OF ten
he is knocked dead before he half way reaches
the goal Mr.. Kimbal says that he received several
severe blows on the head. which 30 maddened
him that though be did not expect to get through
alive he determined TO sell his life as dearly as
possibIe: and giving the war whoop, handled his
club with such spirit and pluck that his torment
ors dropped their clubs in admiration and let him
pass unframed and when he reached the lodge.
the old chief extended to him his right haUd. and
placing the other on his head, Announced that ne
was the property of the "Chief Medicine Man" OF
the tribe.
TONED the tribe; and upon the death of the
.Medicine Man." he selected TO I'LL the place,
position which is held IN great honor among the
Indians.
/ 16 years OF age. She had been captured from
near Fort Scott, when she was q mere infant, her
father having moved to that place as 10 supposed,
| from near what is now Woodson In Morgan
county. She is not positive abont her Icaiueo
name, but thinks it was Corn or Com. kimball
wss married TO this girl some time 10 lS5l aud has
| had FIVE children. two Of whom are now living.
one girl, sged IL years. whom he left In Kansas.
the other bright boy of years, who accom-
| panied Kimball TO our Office.
Mr. Kimbsil says that when he frst joined the
| tribe bis wife, whom be calls Jenny" though
the Indians called her Enog0ssowsnna," could
| not speak word of the English language. he
had pretty good education himself, and ne
| taught her to speak the language. and then
taught her to spell by cutting the alphabet on
bark and thus combining the letters. About Is
years ago, he found a murated copy OF the New
| Testament on one Of the mountains OF Utah ter.
ritory, from which his wife learned to read, and
| which be and she ever priced as q most precious
| possession. That was all the reading matter that
| be saw during all the twenty years, except q
| fragment of st. Louis newspaper, which they
read and re-read until it was literally worn 10
| nothing.
AS may be supposed, Mr.. Kimbsll knew next to
| nothing of what was going on In the United
| States. he never heard word of politics or
| news. he did not even know who was president.
| He had never heard Of Mr.. Lincoln or his assas-
siDstion until after his reespture He bad learned,
| however that there was big war; going on
between the people of the North and South. he
says that Gen. Stringfellow had an interview with
| the chief of the Snakes and Shoshones, and tried
70 induce them to join the South bat no induce
| ment could prevail on Spotted Tail TO do so.
We have no space to give an account OF Mr..
Kimbsll's wanderings. manifold adventures. mode
of life, fights, etc. We can only say that, after
twenty years of life with the Indians, he was re-
captured, together with bis wife, by an expedi