Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-04-23
Lost for n Lifetime.

Some thirsy years ago John Quincy
Adams attracted considerable attention
in Congress by strong speech in avor
of bill introduced by b. A. Bidlack
of Pennsylvania, which provided that
one mile square of the land then occu-
pied by the Miami Indians, embracing
the house and improvements of Frances
Slocum, should be granted in fee to her
and her heirs forever. The bill became
law, and she occupied this especial re-
serve until her death in the spring of
1S47.
The history Of this woman was re-
markable, She was the daughter of a
Quaker who lived in the Wyoming Val
| ley during the revolution. Several
months after the massacre of 1878 she
was caught up by party of marauding
Delaware Indians, who got off before
any attempt could be made to rescue
her. She was five years old at this time.
| About month later her father was shot
dead by the Indians while at work in a
field near his hou e. Knowing that he
was gone to his eternal rest the widow
in time became reconciled to her loss,
but she could never forget her child, the
last sight of which was when she was in
the arms of a brawny Indian, struggling
and calling piteously upon her parent
to 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
to recover their lost sister. In 1884 two
of them visited Niagara, where large
number of Indians we're gathered, made
diligent inquiries and offered liberal re-
wards for any information of her. They
prosecuted the search for several weeks
and returned home with the impression
that she was dead
The mother however, could not be
persuaded that such was the case, and
four years later the Slocums spent sew
eral months in the west, offering $500 to
any one who would give authentic infor-
nation of the fate of their sister, but
their success was no better than before.
A similar expedition was undertaken in
1897 by four of the brothers, with the
same result. As in the Ross case, the
search brought numbers of stolen chill
dren to light, but none was the one par.
ticularly wanted.
Mrs. Slocum never lost faith in her
daughters existence. She believed she
was somewhere waiting to be clasped in
her arms, and she continued the search
with scarcely any intermission until
1907 when she died, her children prom
ising her to use every effort to learn
what had become of the little one alb
Quoted nearly 80 years before. They
faithfully carried out this pledge, and in
1926 made long and expensive journey
to upper Sandusky to see a woman who
there was no reason to hope, was the
one for whom they were searching. Dis
appointed again, they finally came to
the conclusion that Frances was dead,
and the search ended.
In the month of January, 1885, Col
George w. Ewing, a gentleman connect
ed with the public service among the In
dians, and able to speak several of their
languages, was benightened near an In
dian town known as the Deaf Mans Vii
lage, on branch of the Wabash. He
applied for lodging, and was Hospitality
received at a respectable dwelling. He
was fatigued and unwell, and after eat.
ing lay down upon some skins in the cor.
ner. The household consisted of ven.
erable woman and a number of children
all of whom treated her with the great
est Difference, and who departed to their
own rooms.
AS Col. Ewing lay upon his pallet he
watched the old lady moving about, and
noticed particularly the color of her skin
and hair The result of the scrutiny
convinced him she was white woman
and he opened conversation with her
She admitted that his suspicious were
correct. She said that she was stolen by
the Indians when very small child,
and she had carefully concealed the fact
from those of her own race whom she
met for fear that her relatives would
come and take her away. She was now
so old that she felt she could not live
much longer, and if any of her friends
were living she would be glad to see
them. In short she was Frances Slocum,
and she remembered distinctly the name
of her father, though her own given
name was forgotten.
Col. Ewing was so impressed with her
narrative that he addressed long letter,
giving the full particulars, to the post
master at Lancaster, Pa. He had never
heard of the Slocums, but he judged
from certain answers made by the old
lady that her home was somewhere in