Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-03-27
STOLEN EN-.
TWO REMARKABLE CASES.

The utter failure after this length of time,
and with all the rewards offered, 10 discover
any trace of the stolen Ross child, has caused
a general feeling that the boy is dead
that he was either killed by the kidnappers,
or that he has died from natural causes.
This does not necessarily follow. There are
numerous instances on record OF lost or stolen
childen who have been found long after all
hope had been abandoned. In some cases the
lost ones have not been discovered for almost
a full life time. Judge j. w. Wright, form
erly of Indiana, but now residing in this city,
relates two cases OF this kind within his
knowledge.
In 1884 Judge Wright was living al Logans-
port on the Wabash river in Indiana. At
that time there were but four or five settle
meDts of importance in Northern Indiana
north of the Wabash, 4 man by the name
of Brown living about twelve miles east of
LOganspOrt was clearing piece OF land, and
at noon his wife sent their four year old boy
10 call him TO dinner. Brown reached his
house somewhat late for his dinner and on
explanation il was found that he had not
seen the boy. In the afternoon the father
and mother and the few persons in the neigh
borhood hunted for the child without sue
cess The next day all the country as far
LOganspOrt was called out in the search, but
no trace of the child could be found. AT that
time large proportion of the state of Indiana
north of Indianapolis belonged to the Miami
and Pottawattamie Indians. Mr.. Brown
visited all the Indian camps in the states of
Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, and went
as far as the present states of Iowa and Kan
sas, continuing the search for some
years. In 1889 Judge Wright passing through
what is now Whitley county, Indiana, found
2 white child in a stray band OF Kickapoo
Indians that from Its age and appearance he
thought might be the stolen boy. He notified
Brown, who visited the Child and decided
that il was not his though IL was evidently
a STOLEN n n no lnSf
gained, ard at length all hope was aban-
doned and 1t was given up a. dead. In 1863
Judge Wright, while on an expedition near
Pixies Peak, heard of white man living
with band of the CheyenneS that was said
TO have been taken from the Wabash in his
childhood. He informed Col. Bent, who had
lived for many years amongst these Indians,
OF the facts about the loss of the Brown child
on the Wabash, and asked him to see this
white man and talk with him. Bent did SO,
and induced him to visit the Wabash the
next year, where his identity was fully es-
tablisned as the boy stolen thirty years be
fore Wright saw him while he was at Lo-
ganSpOrt. He had adopted all the habits and
manners Of the Indians. He said he could
not live with the white people, and should
return TO his people, (the Cheyennes,) where
he had wife and family. After short stay
at his birth place on The Wabash he did re-
turn to the Indians. As already stated, the
time elapsed from his departure until his
return was in the neigh6orhood of thirty
years. He was stolen bya STRAY Indian"
L. e., one who did not belong To the Miamis or
the Pottawottamies. He passed into the
hands of the kickapOOS and SiouXs by sale,
and finally was captured by the CheyenneS
while yet a boy, and was adopted by that
tribe. AS related above, he found the habits
of civilized life too irksOme after the wild
freedom of his nomadic career with the red
men, and lac returned 10 mis- wigwam and his
Indian wife, and is now living with the In
dams.
THE WHITE WOMAN OF THE MIAMI.
Another remarkable case of a stolen child
In, after iS atp1 hy
Judge Wright as having been located in the
same region of country with the instance de-
tailed above. In 1858 there lived with the
Miami Indians on the Massissinewa branch
of the Wabash white woman, who was
married and had a large family of children.
Judge Wright saw her frequently in passing
through that country. She uniformly refuse
To talk about her early history, speaking
very little English. She became very Old
and feeble, and about 1912 or 'i3 she sent for
Col. Wash. Ewing and told him all she re-
membered about her early history. She said
L at h er father and the other men where she
! ived when child wore broad brimmed hats;
that the hills were very high; and that there
was big river, full of rocks, that ran fast,
and that she was by this river when she was
captured. Col Ewing wrote letter giving
these particulars to a newspaper published
in Lancaster, Pa, thinking from her deScrip-
ton OF the people and the locality that she
was taken from sOme.Quaker neighoOrhOod
in that vicinity. This newspaper cea sed
TO exist about the time this letter was sent,
and it was thrown aside on its receipt. Some
two years afterward il was discovered by
Colonel Forney and published in his paper.
Almost Immediately two brothers OF this
woman, one living near WilfleSbarre, Pa,
and another at lumbuS, Ohio, opened a
correspondence with Colonel Ewing IN rela-
ton to her, and they stated her name as
| Catherine Slocum. They went out to Indiana
| to visit her doth OF them being aged mem,
and several OF her friends accompanied them.
She exhibited all the stOlid Indifference of the
Indian TO the visitors, aud repeated nothing
more than she had previously told Colonel
| Ewing. At last one Of the bTU,.I erS asked her
to raise her hand. and. calling attention to
| the fact that the emu of the little finger was
| missing, reminded her that ne had cut it OF
| accidentally when they were children at play
| together. This clue seemed 10 revive her dor
| mant recollection; the memory of the cir
| cumStance came up, together with other
| "reminiscences. and she Acknowledged him "a
| her brother with some show of feeling. The
| time that had passed from her capture
| (which took place near Wilkesbarre Pa
| until this recognition by her brothers was
nearly seventy years, Her descendants are
| now living on the MaSSiSsinewa. drawing an
| annuity from the Government as Miami In
1 dams, enjoying also all the advantages of
| citizenship III Indiana. They are people of
| education aud intelligence. and are much re-
| specied IN the society where they live.
| OF course the circumstances under which
| these two children were stolen are widely
| different from those of the kidnapping of the
| Ross child; and yet IL is not impossible that
| as in these cases, Charley Ross may vet turn
| up again; perhaps at great distance from
| the point where he was stolen. and pOSSibly
| too. after the lapSe of MANY