The New York herald., 1878-12-15
Remarkable Adventures of an Iowa
Woman and Her Son.
EMIGRANTS MASSACRED
Mrs. Jones Made q Slave to
a Yankton Chief.
A History for the Consideration Of the
Interior Department.
[By TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD

OMAHA Neb., Dec. IA, 1878.
Deep interest Is taken here to-day in the narrative
OF Mrs. Charles Jones. of Washington county. Iowa,
who arrived with her last night. and whose story
Of suffering the plains, with the astonishing
revelations regarding Indians OF the Yankon
agency. has few parallels III frontier history Mrs.
Jones and her son. is believed the sole sur
yivors Of party Of twelve emigrants who left Wash
ington county last February for the Yellowstone
Valley. They relchel Fort Kcarney about March l.
1878. and when n few days out from there, in the
river bottom. they surrounded by party of
seventy Indians. William Brown, Joshua Brown and
Joseph Hyatt. brother OF Mrs Jones. constituting
the of the party We're instantly shot dead. All
the others taken into captivity. All but Mrs.
Jones and her disappeared. and. she believes.
were massacred.
MADE A SLAVE 10 THE CHIEF.
She was made slave to the chief named Yankton
cooking. picking berries and performing other
menial Offices. She allowed to meet talk
with her Her clothes taken from her and
she was allowed only blanket and moccasins. The
camp moved often always northward. The
riors several times left the party and returned with
clothing and plumber. evidently taken from murdered
whites. The interpreter who with the party named
Chimes stated that he captured from party Of
emgrants when lie only eleven years old. and he
is now forty. He adopted their life became Cath
olic and educated at Jesuit college. He told
Mrs. Jones that the party were chiefly Yanktons.
from the Yankton agency. but were few from Red
Cloud and Spotted Tail agencies. They out al
ways during summer and returned to the agencies in
the winter.
MURDERERs SHELTERED AT THE AGENCIES.
Their slaves kept outside the agencies in con-
cealment Other female white slaves in the party
told her. through the interpreter that their friends
had been murdered and they had homes they
did not desire to escape. Young Jones. who is aged
fifteen, became favortc and kindly treated. At
the expiration of two months they reached the neigh
borhood Of small village in Northern Nebraska.
where the Indians procured liquor and they all be-
came drunk That night Mrs. Jones escaped, having
on only ragged blanket and one moccasin. She
travelled south being guided in her course by the
stars, and subsisting for many days on raw arti-
chokes. After five 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.
A AFFECTIoNATE MOTHER.
Here she procured u small sum Of money. She be-
alarmed at the uncertainty Of her fate and
returned to Central Nebraska. where she travelled
from place to place. watching for emigrans from the
many weeks sick and dishcarcncd she again started
eastward. One day last October. while walking
through Kearney. she met an emaciated lad whom
she recognized her son, who had just come in from
. long and terrible journey. Sheltered by James Car
michael a farmer she watched at her sons bedside
during long illness. When tho boy had partially
recovered they both started east on foot stopping
with farmers and making slow progress account
Of their enfecblcd condition.
STORY TO BE INVESTIGATED.
Citizens here collected some money and sent both
home this morning. Every detail Of the above story
is confirmed. 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 investigate the matter and express the
opinion that many of the agency Indians have kept
up the systematic murder of settlers during the
mer and successfully concealing their crime. At the
Yankton agency there will be an immediate investga
ton and the identity Of the Indians secured II
possible.