Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-12-26
CAPTURED BY INDIANS.
Remarkable Adventures of an IOWasWO-
man and her SOn--.Made a Slave TO a
YanktOn Chief.
New York Herald.

An Omaha, Neb., special to the Her
aid, dated Dec. 14th, says: Deep interest
is taken here to-day in the narrative of
| Mrs. Charles Jones, OF Washington
county, Iowa, who arrived with her son
last night, and whose story of suffering
on the plains, with the astonishing reve-
lations regarding certain Indians of the
Yankton agency, has few parallels in
frontier history. Mrs. Jones and her
son, it is believed, are the sole survivors
of party of twelve emigrants who left
Washington county last February for
the Yellowstone Valley. They reached
Fort Kearney about March 1, 1878, and
when few days out from there, in the
river bottom, they were surrounded by
party of seventy Indians. William
Brown, Joshua Brown, and Joseph
Hyatt, brother of Mrs. Jones, consti-
tuting the men of the party, were in
stantly shot dead. All the others were
taken into captivity. All but Mrs
Jones and her son disappeared, and, as
she believes, were massacred.
She was made a slave to the chief
named Yankton, cooking, picking
berries, and performing other mental
offices. She was never allowed to meet
or talk with her son. Her clothes were
taken from her, and she was allowed
only blanket and moccasins. The camp
WAS moved often, and always northward
| The warriors several times left the
party and returned with clothing and
| plunder, evidently taken from murdered
whites. The interpreter who was with
the party, named Chimes, stated that
he was captured from party of emil
grants when he was only II years old,
and he is now 40. He adopted their
life, became Catholic, and was edu-
Gated at a Jesuit college. He told Mrs.
Jones that the party were chiefly Yank-
tons, from the Yankton agency, but
were a few from Red Cloud and Spotted
Tail agencies. They were out always
during the summer and retired to the
agencies in winter.
Their slaves are kept outside the
agencies in concealment. Other fe-
male white slaves in the party told her,
through the interpreter, that their
friends had been murdered, and, as they
had no friends, they did not desire to
escape. Young Jones, who is aged
10, became a favorite and was kindly
treated. At the expiration of two
months they reached the neighborhOOd
of small village in northern Nebraska,
where the Indians procured liquor, and
they all became drunk. That night
Mrs. Jones escaped, having on only a
ragged blanket and one moccasin. She
travelled south, being guided IN her
course by the stars, and subsisting for
| M doryC ortIohnl1no
five or six days she met occasional
emigrant wagons moving northward,
and Mrs. Jones was given dress. She
begged her way through the state,
reaching her old home in Iowa the last
day of June.
Here she procured a small sum of
money. She became alarmed at the
uncertainty of her sons fate, and re-
turned to Central Nebraska, where she
travelled from place to place, watching
for emigrants from the North and liv,
ing with farmers. At the expiration OF
many weeks. sick and disheartened
she again started eastward. One day
last October, while walking through
Kearney, she met an emaciated lad,
whom she recognized as her son, who
had just come in from a long and ter
rible journey. Sheltered by James
Carmichael, a farmer, she watched at
her sons bedside during long illness.
When the boy had partially recovered
they both started east on foot, stopping
with farmers, and making slow pro-
gress on account Of their enfeebled con-
dition.
Citizens here collected some money
and sent both home this morning.
Every detail of the above story is con-
irmed. The naked bodies of three
murdered men were found last March
on the plains north of Kearney, but the
murders were supposed to be the work
OF tramps. Men here from the agencies
are preparing to investigate the matter,
and express the opinion that many of
the agency Indians have kept up the
systematic murder of settlers, and sue
cessfuly concealing their crime. At the
Yankton agency there will be an i'm
mediate investigation, and the indentity
of the Indians secured if possible.
A FEW years ago Mr.. Edison was in
England, and anxious to find some one
to take UP one of his inventions; but he
failed, and went back to America, where
/ n -cI L =. -. Io