Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-12-20
A DOUBTFUL YARN.
The Story eta Woman who Says h Ha,
Been Nino Months A Captive
Of tho Yankton Indians.
From the New York Herald

The Story eta Woman who Says She Has
Been Nino Months A Captive
Of the Yankton Indians.
From the New York Herald.
Omaha, Neb., Dec. 14.-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 etory Of suffering on the plains,
with the astonishing revelations regarding
certain Indians Of the Yankton agency, has
few parallels in frontier history. Mrs. Jones
and her son, il is believed, are the sole sur
viyors Of party of twelve emigrants who
left Washington county last February for
Yellowstone Valley. They reached Fort
Kearney about March !, 1873, and, when .
few days out from there, in the river bot
tom, they we're surrounded by a party Of
seventy Indians. William Brown, Joshua
Brown, and Joseph Hyatt a brother of Mrs.
Jones, constituting the men Of the party,
we're instantly shot dead. All the others
we're taken into captivity. All but Mrs.
Jones and her son disappeared, and, as she
believes were maseacred.
She vas made . slave to the chief named
Yankton, cooking, and picking berries, and
performing other mental Offices. She was
never 3llOWSO W uSSt " k0lh WALL uSE bOQs
Her clothes we're taken from her, and she
vas 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 from murdered whites.
The interpreter who was with the party,
named Chimes, stated that he was captured
from a partylof emigrants when he was only
IL years old, and he is now 40. He adopt.
ed their life, became . Catholic, and was ed.
ucated at q jesuit college. He told Mrs
Jones that the party were chiefly Yankton.
from Yankton agency, but were . few from
Red Ciou and Spotted Tail agencies. They
we're out always during the summer and re
turned to the agencies In the winter.
Their slaves are kept outside the. agen-
cies In conceslment. Other female whit,
slaves 10 the party told her, through tn
interpreter, that their friends had beer
murdered, and, as they had no friends. the!
did not desire to escape. Young Jones
Who is aged Is, became a favorlte and wa
kindly treated. At the expiration Of tw'
months they reached the neighborhood Q
q small village in Northern Nebrasks
where the Indians procured liquor and the
all became drunk. That night Mrs. Jone
escaped, having on only q ragged blsnke
and one moccasin. She travelled south
being guided 10 her course bv the stars, an
subsistiug for many Gays on raw artichoke
After i've or six days she met occasion,
IMMIGRANT wagons moving n%orlhwsrd. 40
Nrs. Jones IVES given . dress. She begge
her way through the state reaching her oil
home in Iowa The last Gay Of June.
Here she procured ANAL sun Of mon
ey. She became alarmed at the uncertair
,y OF her sons fate. as6 returned to- entr
Nebraska, where che lsaveled from phce
plsoe. watching for enigants from 4
north and living with tarOeeS. Al q
expinuon Of many weeks, slck and d