The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-12-16
FRANCES sA@Ca1s.
rIE. EoRNLY's VERSION or IIER ROMANTIC
STORY.


STORY.
Colouel j. w. Torney, in his Anecdotes
Of Public Men, has this to say about a
woman in a recent issue Of his paper:
Shortly after | took possession Of the
Lancaster pa IuteIleencer, more than
ihiTfy-fuur years agO-bcfore had reach
ed manhood-hIIs. Dickson, The amiable
and gentle postmiatress OF that place,
handed me soiled letter directed to she
editor of newspaper" which she said
had been in her possession ior more than
year, and had not been delivered because
it had no definite address. Upon opening
II | foCnd il dated IoganspuIt, indiana,
nnd signed by George ". Ewing, United
States Indian agent. lie stated that lie
had only recently stopped at an Indian
wigwam for the night on ihe banks Of the
Massissinawa, about fifty miles south Of
Fort Wayne, and found ii occupied by
family who wsre itch for Indians, and
Toasted of c, nsiderabie property in houses
aud lands He wen; on to say that III
tile course Of the evening he noticed that
lie hair Of one Of the women was light
and her skin under her dress wLite, and
so he entered into con7 srsation with her,
which was not difficult, as he spoke the
language OF the Tribe. Sac told him she
was white; but had been carried away
when very small girl. She could only
remember that her name was s5lUcum
that she had lived in little house on The
banks of The Susquehanna, also The mum
koT f.: f. I L.
of their ages; tut she could not recall the
name Of lhe town from which she WIS
taken.
Fascinated by this romantic story, yet
unde iicd how to let the facts be known,
lie wrote letter and sent it TO my native
town Of Lancaster, rs tie place nearest
the Susquehanna that he could remember
Ui any Importance. After, as have said,
sleeping in the post-olice for many months
1t came out through the columns If my
little journal, and in that way got to the
Slocums Of Wilkesbnrre, being the first
intelligence Of the child which had been
stolen from them sixty years bsfore. The
brother Of Frances, who was only two
years and a half old when his sister was
carried away by lie Indians, started for
the Indian country in company with his
eldest sister, who had aided him TO escape,
and another brother, then living in Ohio,
born after tie capture Of Frances
After long journey they found Tttle
Wigwam among the Mama Indians
Ne shaIl know Frances" said the sis-
ter, because she LOST the nail Of her frs!
finger. You, brother, hammered il of in
the old blacksmith shop when she was four
years Cd" They entered and found a
swarthy woman who looked 10 ba seven
ly-tiSe. she waa panied, jeweled, and
dresseA like an Indian in all respects
nothing but her hair and her covered skin
indicated her origin. They got an inter
prefer, asked her name, and whsrc she
was born. How came that nail gone 2"
said The elder sister. She answered, MY
elder brother pounded it off when I was
little Child in the shop" They had
discovered the long lost sistsr. They
asked her Christian uane. She had for
gotten ii. "}Nas it Frances 20 AS if
smiiten by Il revelation, she answered,
"Yes"
1t was the first lime she had heard !.
pronounced in sixty years. Here they
we're met, two brothers and two sisters.
after having bean separated for more than
half century. The brothers were walk
ing the cabin, unable to speak, the sister
was drowned in tears. but the pcor Indian
sat moJioness and psssionless. She could
net speak n word of English. She did
not know VIXEN Sunday came. Was not
this the consdmmalion Of ignorance in
descendant OF tho Plritaus? She was
carried off by lhe Indians, and when she
sraw Up she married one OF their number.
he either died or ran away, and then she
married Miami chief, since dead.
She had two dAu2 2hlers, both married.
who, thirty two years ago, lived in all the
glory ol Indian CSaiug, deer-skin clothes.
and cow>skin head>dresses. They had
horses il abundance, and when the Indian
sistor accompanied her new relatives size
mounted il asnitlo.
At night she slept on the floor, with her
blanket around Eor. They could not per-
Suade her to return to Wi!kesbarre. even
when the invitation WAS extended to her
children. She had always lived with the
Indians, they had been kind to her. and
size promised her husband on his death
bed she would never leave them. Il is
now nearly Hiuety-fve years since tlis
white child was torn from her parents
home in Wyoming valley She herself
hss been gathered to her fathers, and
most Of her double family who were living
IN 1888. with tie exception, believe, of
MIR. Joseph Slocum, one Of the most in
tluential and respectable citizens of Scran-
ton. Among all The changes that have
taken place in this long interval, few are
more interesting Than this transformation
from civilization 20 barbarism.