Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1879-11-06
Josephine xeeker's Story.
Da"~ she Lived and what she Saw
Daring Her Captivity Of Twenty.
three Day. Aosag che Gs~s.

", III :
as We were fleeing out by the door. the win
| dows were smashed in, aud b ,lf dozen .hot
were fired into the room. Frank De.ser mr.,
aud Killed Johason's brother. We raa int
! the mik-roOm. which had only one small win
dow. and locked the door and hid under
! shelf. Firing went on for several hours at in
/ terNals. There was no shouting. no noise. b,,
4 frequent firing. We STAYED Ia the milk-roon
until II began to ill with smoke took NJ.
fricc, three years old and we all ran IN father
room. twas not disturbed. The paper. an,
/ books were lust as he len them. "Pepys' pia
I ~ lay open on the table.
W. knew the building would he burned an.
| ran across Douglass ave. for a field of $40
brush beyond the ploughed ground. We hs,
( gone loo yards when the Ules saw Us The,
threw down the blankets and cam. runnfn
! toward Us. firing a. they came. Bullets whizza.
| a. thick a. grss-boppers around Us do no
/ think they intended 10 MI u--only to trighte,
us-but they tried to shoot Frank Dresser .yh
/ had almost reached the sage brush Notbs
/ Ms hill by bullet. which wen, through he
| undertaking, and made q flc.h wound ND.
! inches long. A. the Indians came nearer the,
! shouted. We no shoot. Come TO u,,-
hai the ilule girt, and the Indian named Pur
I sune said for tue 10 go with hun. He an.
another | te seized me by the arms and sisrte,
I toward the river. An Tncompxhsr, tn,Ij.,
/ took Mrs. Price and her baby. and mother ~,
/ taken TO the headquarters OF Douglass ",
came To wide trrivra,ing canal which f,the,
/ had the indtsns build. said / could not eros,
4 H. The Indians answered by pushing through
| the water. had on only mccasins aud til,
! water and mud We're deep. The haby wade,
/ tno, and both Of Us came out we, tn The a IN
| \, We were walking in Chief Joseph came an,
| pushed away Pursuns, and in great anger
/ told him 10 give me up. ! Understood some o.
the laagusSe. Pur,une retired to surrcnJc,
me Hot words ensued. and feared the mcr
would hght Tor moment. Thought yoult
ask Douglas To take me. bit ~ both wer.
drums. Kept silent. and altc.w ard W a. glad
! did not go
Douglass finally went away and we wake,
on toward the river. Before reaching Ii,
stream, not more than aDo yr,i. AWAY. both
nv conductors pulled out battles and drank
twice. No whisky was sold a, the agency
Their bottles were not sSency loitlcs
Packing was finished a, dark and we .t.rtei
tor the wilderness OF the 80 18th rode hor.s
with sable. but no bride. .'hc halter strap
va. so short that 1t dropped c1ntinually. The
ch'id wa, lashed behind me. Pursunc AMI hi.
assistant rode each lido OF ma driving the pacs
mu'es ahead. AboLt twenty other lndi.n-
were Ia the party. Mother ,sme later, ridins
oarrba'A behind Douglass, boh on onc horse
N"' A. slNi| Hour years old, feeble To health
Nound'd' and not recovered from a bTokeu
ihish caused by fall two y,ars ago Chief
iousiass gave her neither horse. saddle not
b'anAets We trotisd slong ,ulti nlGc o'clock
when We halted for hsif an haIS All TIE 10.
iiAn' dismouuiei ami blanket Scre spread on
me ground, and lad down to rest with moth
'r - ihs not FAR from me. Jhri pougia,s wss
Considerably excited and mais a speech 10 me-
"ilh many gesture. and greet emphasis lie
SAIL Vletures OF The agent and b. family won
"a AMI children. had becn found on Thorn
o1fShs body just before the attack on the
agency. and the picture. wert covered Win
''"0i and showed marx. OF knises on different
parts OF the bodies The threats Were cut
l ~ one OF the agent had a bullet hole 10 biz
lr Al lie saii | was reprrsrniei 10 one OF
TIE pictures shoi through the breast. Doug.
las aid my father had male ,he-e pictures,
r'srcseui4ng the prospective tate Of his family
SUI sent them to Washington Ia b. used TO in
huenc" the soldiers and hurrr troops forward
!" uZht The Indians. Thi. remarkable .tair.
mrui, strange az u NAV seem, va. ailcrs ii
told the bY dorm different Indians, AMI The
TrTl' Al and the pArticuiars wcrr always the
san". " hllc Douglas was telling TIL. he
stood IN front of Inc with his gun. ami hi. an
ger Nas FcAdlui. Then b. swOrr fearful
oath Ia kngllsh aud sAd II the soldier. had not
coine and threatened the Indians with Fort
steele aud The cAiAbplsc and threatened 10 : il
The other iudian. at white River the ascn,
wouldn't have been ma-sacrrd. Then tie
brave chief Douglas, who had eaten AZ our
table tia, very day. walked 81 fcw feet ~.
turned AMI placed his loaded gun to my f1r--
head three tincs. aud asked me II | was gatns
20 run away. told him | va. not afraid Of
,+-'fN fltgF VI GrAli. anu should yav
" h~n h" ipIni III TuT-Alr'I tutrat- ts..ri -,
frfEhten IN. all the other Indian. turned on
him and laughed AZ him. and made 90 much fuu
Il lin Thai be suc8ked Of and went over %
frishicn my mother. All hands took 5 drink
around my hTd then they sAdilcd their hofsr-
aud rursunc Ivj my h9r-s 10 me, and kuclr
down on his hand. sui Anccs Tor me ID aloIui
nv horse from his back.
w urged our horses forward and lournas n
Ia the moon shi through TO the Grant Moan.
tain. with ih~ Indian. taking In Iow tones
among hcmseiYts. IL VA. amer midul. ~
when made the second halt Ia d-cp And
sombeT canon, with trcmc ndou, mountain.
towering on every side. Pursun- had plruiy
Of blankets, " hicA wcrr stolen from the agency
lie spread >oule for my b-I. aud rolled o. - M
FOR INV pillow and ,olI me 10 retire Then ID,
squavs came and laughed. sod grinn.d ~.
gbsrreJ Ia their own grim way. when had
iasu down on the blankets two squaw. %,
oil aud one Young, eame 10 the bed. and .anl
aud danced fauiastically aud joyOu.ly At Ia,
feet The .tfangcne-, and Wild novelty Of my
position kept lac aSAk~ Uu.t. morning. wien
fell into a DOE, and did No; awake unit. Ia.
-dn va, shining over the mountains.
en- >IDda. night Jack came and made bi,
/ speech, Al-o Johnson. They said more troop,
were coming. and they recitei what orJcf,
| the, lay had becn brought from Chief Ocray
They were IN great commotion, AMI dil no
know what 10 do. They talked all night. an,
! the next morning they struck half their Il nt-
! aud put Them up Again. Part were Tor g,in.
| away, part for staying. Jacks men w-rr n
! day coming up into camp. They len on TUE.
jay for Grand River, and we had \ long ride
! / he csya!cadc was fully two miles long Tn,
| wind blew a hurricane. snd the dust wa, :,
| thick We could not see ten feet bIcA on III,
! line, and could write my name on my hand II
! the dust. Most OF the Indians had had u,
| breakfast, and We travelled ali day wlihou
! dinner or water. A part Of the syepcy herr
Z NJ driven alnnfs he NJ IN arI d
/ beef twas killed each day. As was reque-tet
/ Ia cook most Of the time and make the brrsd.
/ did ma suffer from the tilth OF ordinary Indiar
I fare. No whites were simitted to th,
tents while the Cies sang their medicine song
/ over the sick, but |, being considered one o
/ Pur.une's family, was allowed 10 remain
! W hen their child wa. sick his family asked III.
/ 10 sing with them. which did.
| On Noudsy night an Uncompahgre Ute can't
| in, aud sad that next day General Adams
whom they called Washington, was comm,
| after The captlyes. | felt very glad, and tol,
| the Indians that was ready 10 60. The mex
day, about IL O'Clock, while | was sewing II
| Pursune's tent, the boy, about twelve year
/ Old. came In, picked up q buffalo robe an,
wanted me to 90 TO bed. told him WAS 10
| sleepy. Then squaw came and hung u blanke
| before the door, and spread out 10th hands 4
| keep the blanket down. 50 | could not push /
| away; but looked over the top and saw Gen
ersl Adams and party outside on horses.
/ pushed the squaw aside aud walked out I.
meet them. They asked my name and dis
mounted said they had come TO take Us bacl
| If We cared 10 20. Next morning we left 10
| Uncompahgre In charge of Captain Cline an,
Mr.. Sherman. To these gentlemen We wer,
indebted tor n safe and rapid Journey TO Chic
Ouray's house on the Uncompshgre River
near Los Pnos. We rode on ponies forty mile
the three first days, and reached Ca?tan Cline
| wagon on a small tributary Of the Grand
! Here We took the blackboard wagon and ,ray
elled next day TO the Granni>on River. and tb
next and last day Of fear we travelled forty II
miles, and reached the house OF good Chief GU
ray about shutdown. Here Inspector Pollocl
and my brother Ralph me, me, and was bapp
enough. Chief Oursy and his noble wife iii,