Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-11-13

hoe.
We left the trail and came to little
canon in the mountains with high rocks
on all oides. All dismOunted and the
prisoners were searched by the Indians,
even to our shoes and stockings. They
stole my pocket book, which was full Of
needles, and handkerchief, but they
gave the handkerchief back. They
talked indecently to us and made
shameful proposals. They were drunk
and their conversation was loud with
ribaldry. They even threatened me
with death if l did not submit to their
brutality Fortunately | escaped out
rage, but had to submit to terrifying
threats of violence and death.
Douglass squaw treated me very
well for one or two days, then she be-
gan to ill-use me and gave me nothing
to eat for one day. While Douglass
was gone his son-in-law told me fright
full stories. He said the Indians "no
shoot me, but would stab me to death
with knives. One of the squaws went
through the pantomime of roasting me
alive-at least | so understood it.
Josephine told me it was only done to
torment me.
Many of the squaws looked very sor-
rowful, as if some great calamity were
about to happen; others were not kind
to me, and Freddie Douglass, the chief S
son, whom / had taken into my house
at the agency and washed and taught
and doctored and nursed and made
healthy, came to me in my captivity
and Knocked me worse than all the rest.
The Douglass blood was in him, and he
was bad. He said l was a bad squaw
and an old white squaw. He tried to
steal the old wildcat skin that | slept
on, and he stole my handkerchief while
| was asleep and jeered me during my
Imprisonment.
In o day or two johnson became very
cross, and early one morning we began
to move again. 1t was very long and
terrible journey that made that day.
| rode a pony with neither saddle nor
bride nor stirrups. There was only a
tent cloth strapped on the horses back
and an old halter to guide him with. 1t
was the most distressing experience of
my life. Not single halt was made,
and my pain was SO great that the cold
drops stood on my forehead. | could
only cling to the pony by riding astride.
We travelled rapidly over mountains so
steep that one would find difficulty in
walking over them on foot. The dust
was suffocating, and | had neither
water nor dinner. Josephine and Mrs.
Price rode ahead. One of the mount
aims was so steep that after making
part of the ascent, Douglass party had
to turn back and 90 around it. This
incident shows what hardships delicate
women on bareback horses had to en-
dure.
We reached a camping ground half
an hour after dark and pitched our
tents in the valley The moon was
small. was so faint that l could not
get off the horse nor move until a kind
woman assisted me to the ground. |
was too i'll and exhausted to eat, and |
went to bed without any supper. We
stayed at this place for several days.
AS the soldiers approached the Indians
moved further south at intervals Of two
or three days, until they reached the
pleasant meadows of Plateau Greek, be-
low Grand River, where General Adams
found us. Before we reached this place
Douglass permitted Josephine to come
to see me every day, and the long hours
were more endurable. The courage of
the brave girl and her words of hope
cheered me very much. My life would
not have been safe had it not been for
her influence with the Indians. She
could speak some of their language,
and she made them cease terrifying me
with their horrible threats and indecent
stories. She finally forced Douglass to
give me o saddle, so that in the last
days of jOurneying | had something be-
side a bareback horse to ride upon. 1t
gave me great joy on one of the even
ings of those terrible first days to have
her, as we passed each other in the
sing out cheerily:
keep up good courage mother; |
am all right We shall not be killed"
Next day we were washing at the
creek, when Chief johnson came and
said big council was to be held and we
must not come up TO the tents until the
end of the meeting. Dinner was sent
TO us by the squaws, and we began to
have hopes of release, after being de-
Iuded with false predictions many times
before. Finally we saw the foremost
Of the white men on the hill by the tent.
When first saw General Adams |
could not say q word, my emotion was
80 great. We had borne insults and
threats Of death, mookery and ridicule,
and not one Of us had shed a tear, but
he sight of General Adams, Captain
Cline, Mr.. Sherman and their men was
90 much for me. My gratitude was
greater than my speech. We owe much
o the wife of Johnson. She is 0uray's
lister, and, like him, she has q kind
leart Ouray had ordered us to be
veil treated and that we should be al
owed to 60 home.
The council was a stormy one, Vari-
,us opinions prevailed. The war party
wanted us held until peace should be
made between the Indians and the Gov.
They wanted to set us against
he guilty murderers, so as to save
hem through us. After a few hours of
riolent speeches, Mrs. johnson burst
pto the lodge in a magnificent wrap
md demanded that the captives be set