Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-12-25
CAPTURED By INDrANa.
1omaskable Adventures Of an
oOssa woman and Her Son.
0pecial to the New York Herald

| SPecle 70 tne New I Ork Herald.
/ Omaha, Neb., Dec, l4.-Deep intee
est y taken here to-day in the nara
tive0 Mrs. Charles Jones Of Wash
tngton cornty, Iowa, who arrived
witk her SON last night, and who's,
story of suffering or the plains, will
the astonishing revelations reRsrdins
certain Indians Of the Yankton apen.
cy, ms few parallels in frontier his
tory. Mrs. Jones and her son, il i,
believed, are the sole survivors of 4
party Of twelve emigrants who lef
Washington county last February 70,
the. Yellowstone valley, They reach
fed Eert kearney about March !, 1878
and when few days out from there
In the river bottom, they were sur.
rounded by . party of seventy Indi.
ans. Joshua Brown and joseph
Hyatt, . brother of Mrs Jones. con.
stituting the men of the party, were
instantly shot dead. All the others
were taken into captivity. All but
Mrs. Jones and her son disappeared,
and, as she believes, were massacred.
MADEA SLAVE TO THE CHIEF.
She was made slave to the chief
named Yankton, cooking, picking
berries and performing other menisl
omces. She was never allowed to
meet or talk with her son. Her
clothes were taken from her and she
was allowed only blanket and moe
casins. The camp was moved often.
always northward. The warriors
several times left the party and re-
turned with clothing and plnnder,
evidently taken from murdered
whites. The interpreter who was
with tho party, named Chimes, stated
that he was captured from . party Of
emigrants when he was only IL years
old, and he 10 now 40. He adopted
their life, became q Catholic and wss
educated ct jesuit college. He
told Mrs. Jones that the party were
chiefly fanktons, from the Yankton
agency, but were q few from Red
Cloud and Spotted Tail agencies.
They were out always during sum-
mer and returned to the agencies Ia
the winter.
MCRDERERs SHELTERED ATTHE AGEN-
C1ES.
Their slaves are kept outside the
agencies in concealmcnt. Other fe-
male white slaves in the party told
her, through the interpreter, that
their friends had been murdered. and
% they had no homes they did not
desire to escape. Young Jones. who
is aged fifteen, became favorite and
was kindly treated. At the expira-
ton Of two months they reached the
neighborhood of small village in
Northern Nebraska, where the In.
diane procured liquor, and they oil
became drunk. That Bixht Mrs.
Jones escaped, having on only rag
ged blanket and one moccasin. She
travelled south, being guided in her
course by the stars, and suhsisting
for many days on raw artichokes.
After Ave or six days sh, met occa.
sional emigrant wagons moving
northward, and Mrs, Jones was given
q dress. She begged her way
through the state, reaching her old
home in Iowa the last day of June.
A BRAVE AND AFrECTioNATE MOTHER.
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 living with farmers. At
expiration Of many weeks, sick and
disheartened, she again started east
ward. One day last October, while
walking through Kesrney, she met
an emaciAted lad. whom she recOg-
nized - her son, who had Just come
in from q long and terrible Journey.
Sheltered by James Carmichael, q
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 prog
ress on account OF their enfeebled
condition.
THE 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 the
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 investi-
gate the matter and express the opin-
Ion that many Of the agency Indians
have kept up the Systematic murder
Of settlers during the summer and
SUCCESSFULLY concealing their crime.
At the Ysnkton agency there will be
an immediate Investigation, and
the identity Of the Indisns secured if
possible.