The weekly Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1872-1887, 1875-07-17
Lost for Il Lifetime.

Some thirty years ago John Quincy
| Adams acquired considerable notice in
Congress by strong speech in favor of n
bill introduced by Is. 4. Bidlack of Penn
| sylvania, which provided that one mile
square Of the land occupied by the Miami
Indians, embracing the house and i'm
provcmGnts Of Frances SlOcum, should be
granted i'll fee TO her and hers forever.
The bill became law, and she occupied
this special reserve until her death in the
spring of 1917.
The history Of this Woman was remark
able. She was the daughter of n Quaker
who lived in Wyoming Valley during the
Revolution. Several months after tho
massacre Of 17GS, she was caught by n
party of marauding Delaware Indians,
who got off before any effort could he
made Ia rescue her. She was five years
old at this time. About Il month later her
fnthcr was shot by the Indians while at
work in the field near his house. Know
ing that he was going to his eternal rest
the widow in time was.Icconciled to her
loss, but she conld never forget her child,
the Inst sight of which was when she was
i'll the arms of brawny Indian, strug-
CLING and calling pi,rOuSly upon her pn-
| rent tn come To her help.
The sons Of Mrs. Slocum became pros
porous business men, and after the close
Of the Revolution they used every effort
tu recover their sister. In 1854 two OF
them visited Niagara, where II large num-
Der ot Indians were gathered, made dill
gent inquiries nnd offered libcrnl rewards
fer any information Other; they prosecuted
the search for several weeks. and returned
home with the impression that she was
dead
The mother could not he persuaded
that such was the case, and four years
later the Slocums spent several months in
the West, offering $j,O00 to any one wlIn
would give them authentic information of
the fate of their sister, but their success
was no better than before.
| y similar expedition was undertaken in
| l70i by four Of the brothers, with the
same result. As in the Ross case, the
search brought numbers of stolen chill
drcn To light, bnt none was the one par
ticularly wanted.
Mrs. SicCum never lost faith in her
daughters existence. She believed she
was somewhere waiting to br claspcd in
her nrins, and she continued the search
with scarcely any intcrmission until 1907,
when she died, her children promising
her to Use every effort Ia learn what had
became of their little one abducted 30
years before. They faithfully carricd out
this pledge, and In 1924 made u long and
expensive journey To Upper Sandusky, ia
see woman who, there was some IcasOn
10 hope, was the one for whom they were
searching. Disappointed again, they
finally concluded that Frances was dead
and ilIc search ended.
Ia the month Of January, 1895, Col
George w. Ewing, u gentleman connected
with the public service among the Iu
dians, and uhlC to speak several nf Tho
languages, WAS hrnightcd near mn Indian
town, known rs the Deaf Mans Yillngc
on II branch of the Wabash. lie applied
for lodging and WIS Hospitality received
at Il respectable dwelling. lie WAS fa
tigucd and unwcll, and after eating Ia,
down upon suur skins in the corner. ThI
household consisted of venerable wo
man and number of children, NIL O
whom treated her with the greatest defer
cncr, aud who departed 10 their owl
rooms.
IA Col. Ewing lay upon li4 pallet, h
watched the old lady walking about, IN,
noticed particularly the color of her ski
aud hail. The result Of the scrutiny con
vincCd him she was white woman, m,
lar 0pCncd II conversation with her. Sh
admitted that hs s"spicions were correct
She said she was stolen by the Indian
when very smnll child, and lhut she la
carefully concealed the fact from her on
race whom sllc met, for fear her relative
would come and take her away. She wa
now so old that she felt she could not liv
. great whilr longer and if any of he
. friends wcrr living she would be glad I
I SEQ them. In short, she wns frances Slr
J.. cum, aud she remembered distinctly III
{ name ur her father, though her own give
name wns inrgottcn.
;, Col. Ewing was 50 Impressed with ht
narrative that he ndtrrss"d n lOmg lcilc
giving the whole particulars 10 the pos
master at Lancaster, Pa. lie replied tIi