Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-01-18
A FRONTIER ROMANCE.
A Grandfather in Quest Of His Captive
Grandohild.


We take the following from the Topeka
(Kansas) Commonwealth: Many citlzehs
IF Topeka will remember q white-haired
old man that represented Butler county in
the Legislature two winters ago, and
whose seat was contested by Mr.. Baker
The old gentleman, Mr.. L. Friend, a large
dealer in Texas cattle, has for the last i've
years been uuremitlingly engaged In an
endeavor to recover his grandehild, who
has all that time been a captive amongst
the Comanche Indians. The grandfather
has. In this labor of love, Travelled over
ifte thousand miles and expended over
five thousand dollars. The other day he
passed through Wellington with his grand.
child in his possession, bis mission Of
years an accomplished fact, his toll repaid
1 thousand fold,
The circumstances Of the capture and
release are substantially these The boy
Lea Temple Friend, was living with his
father, John Friepd, In Llano county,
Texas. in 1868, aud was at that time eight
years old. The predatory Comanehes
made that region their raiding ground,
and Mr.. Friend finally had fearful vlsi-
tatlon from them, In which the boy was
carried of. After many trials, the details
of which would form chapter of almost
as pathetic interest as Mr.. Peggoty's
search for Little Emily, Mr.. Friend be-
came satisfied his boy was alive and was
adopted into the tribe. 1t has been the
policy of the wild Indians of the plains
TO hold women and children captives, to
be used as hostages 10 any serious emer-
gency. Such was the relation OF thls NUS
fellow to the tribe, and his pale skin might
seal his doom in any savage freak OF ms
captors. In this fearful uncertainty the
fas sber and grandfather lived for five years,
pieturiug to themselves, no doubt, the
darling Of their hearts subjected to tyranny
and torture. All the agencies that could
be employed 10 reach him were unceas-
inglv used, aud many times they nave
heen upon the point of success, wsen the
| Indians would break into small bands,
separate their captives and send them OH
to the wilds of the West, aud there elude
capture. -
In the latter part of the fall, however,
it seems that the band that had TINS BOY
were attacked by a party Of troops undeI
Mtior Mckinney, of the United states
army, and badly cut to pieces. some
TWENTY-FIVE of their warriors were killed,
and about one hundred and fifty of then
women and children captured. Thl'
forced them to come into Fort Sill ant
give up their captiyes, among others th'l
boy. The boy is rather small Of his age
! and seems to have forgotten almost al
, the experiences of his early childhood
, He remembered his name, and when re
covered could talk a few words OF English
, His grandfather says that he picks ul
g words in English very rapidly. NotWl.n Il
standing his long captivity, he Is Dflghl
4 intelligent looking boy in the face, hi
=. walk. and his actions being those of a
I Indian, and he talks Comanche Ike
= native brave. He being young it Will rt
d quire but a short time TO bring back
e his memory the rocollections of the pas
# and to divest him of the actions an
d habits lie has acquired by his long. res
G dence with the sayages. The mother
1t the hoy died before his capture. The jo
}, of his father and friends will be boundle'
Is on recovering their long lost boy