The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-06-20
miscellaneous.
STOLEN BY INDIANS.
Tho Romantic Story of Red Dog and DrOOplnl
i,VDresas

STOLEN BY INDIANA
The Romantic Story of Red Dog and Dropping
Cypress.
A letter from New Braunfels, Texas, to
the St. Louis Globe Democrat, says;
One of the most noted instances OF
captivity among the wild, rowing tribes
of the Southwest has just come to light,
and might we'll serve as the groundwork
of another fresh, racy and interesting
yellow covered novel on the Far South
west. Ned Buntline's widest romances
have been lately thrown in the shade by
the real adventures of Lehman Books
never, who, while lad of eleven years,
was. in 1870, stolen from his mother and
family, residing in Mason county, on the
extreme frontier of West Texas. AT the
time the lad was carried away by the
savages, Mason county, situated on the
headwaters Of theLlano river, a western
tributary of the Colorado, was CONS
plete wilderness. inhabited by the Bufia'
10, the deer and the bear, and the echoes
of whose solitudes were frequently disN
turbed by the whoop of the savage and
the unearthly yel! of the Comanche.
Bookmeyer's mother and father lived in
frontier hut on the very verge, il not
beyond the circle, of civilization. 1t was
located on the rocky banks of pure
and beautiful brook that went babbling
by, and whose sands glittered like those
on the golden shore of romance. 1t was
retired spot shaded by lofty trees, and
shut in by rocks that rise like eternal
walls around the northern and western
horizon. Loyal Valley was it name,
and but for the terror of the wild beasts
that ever threatened, and the stealthy
tread of the remorseless savage, it might
we'll have ranked with the Happy Valley
in which roamed Rasselas, Prince Of
Abyssinia.
The little family were happy, but
great grief suddenly befell. One moon
light night band of rowing Apaches,
fresh from the great plains to the west.
ward suddenly swooped down upon the
little hut and its inhabitants. What
happened to Mrs. Bookmeyer is not
positively known, but the savages seized
the little Lehman, and, binding his
hands, put him on one of their ponies
and carried him away. Another boy,
about the same age as himself, was also
captured, but, while the party was riding
through the shadows and obscurity of a
rocky pass, he escaped and returned to
his friends in the valley. Great was the
grief of Lehman's mother, who loved
him tenderly, but now mourned him as
lost. Her thoughts for years ran on the
unsolved problem, whether he had been
basely murdered, tortured to death, and
his little body allowed to lie unburied in
the lonesome soltudes. Five, six, seven
years passed away without ever hearing
of her boy again. Finally she conclu~
ded he was dead. One day, however,
and it was a joyful one for her, news was
received that Lehman still lived among
the Indians; having now grown into a
young man. Mrs Bookmeyer still re-
siding in Mason county-now settled by
thrifty emigrants-at once made an ear
nest appeal to one of the most gallant
United States Officers in the frontier ser.
vice, General Mckenzie. He at once
had the proper steps taken. They re
suited in the reCapture of Lehman Book
meyer, and his restoration to his mother |
and family in Mason county.
1t so happened that on one occasion
General McKenzie's troops took lot of
Comanche bucks prisoners. In the lot
was Lehman Bookmeyer, whom General
Mckenzie Immediately turned over to
his mother, IN Loyal Valley. Her Joy may
be better imagined than described. After
being carried off by the Apaches far into
the great plains through which flows the
Rio Pecos, Lehman's CaptorS sold him
as slave to the Comanches. The In
dians named him Red Dog" He
was sold into the Comanche tribe of
Chief Quinine, one of the big Medi~
cines" of the Comanches. He served
and slaved for the Indians several years,
soon learning their language, habits, and
manners, and becoming, to all lntents
and purposes, real Indian. He wore
moCcasins, painted his face with the US
ual tattoo, sported crows feathers and
silver ornaments, drew the bow and shot
the arrow-in fact, got to be one of the
warriors of his tribe Lehman Books
meyer, alias Red Dog, though an invol.
untary tramp among the noble red men, |
to get into their confidence.
While rowing in the great plains and in
the shadows of the lofty mountains of
Arizona and lower New Mexico he be-
came enamored and made love to one of
the most beautiful maidens of the tribe
Dropping Cypress-a Princess, and
daughter of the Chief She had the I
graceful form, the dusky yet handsome
eatures, the large fawn.like eyes, the
dark hair that flowed down the should.
srs, and the natural, unadorned beauty,
or which the Indian girl is noted. She =
istened to his overtures of love and the
pair were married-that is to say, Indian q
ashion. By Dropping Cypress the ad, !
lenturer had two pappooses, very beau~ Il
iful children. When Lehman was de, Il
ivered back to his mother in Loyal Val. .
ey, after eight years residence among 5
he Comanches, the first request made u
)y him was that his Indian wife, Droop, P
ng Cypress, his ponies, his rifle and his s.
'appooses should be sent for, as it was s.
Utterly impossible he could be happy u
Without them. His mother and General e
Mckenzie promised it should be as he $
Wished, but whether the Comanches will II
'e willing to give them up is question ?
o be decided in the future, In the +
meantime, may it not be hoped that 81
Red Dog and his fair and lovely Indian u
'ife, Dropping Cypress, may spend the q
esidue of their lives, with their ponies e
md children, on the banks of the Llano "
n regard to the case, a curious fact is D
mentioned. 1t is that Lehman Book, a
meyer, when stolen, could only speak n
he German tongue. When he returned u
D his mother it was found he had totally II
orgotten that language, and spoke only W
which he did fuently, and "
roken English. &c