Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-01-13
An indian c,srs sOmocco.

She was a California Indian,
probably of the Tulaies, and migra-
ted to Oregon with her family,
thirty years ago, says III. H" In
the Atlantic. She was then hand
some young girl, and said to be the
handsomest squaw ever seen In
Oregon. In those days white men
in wildernesses thought it small
shame, if any, to take Indian wom-
en- to live with them as wives, and
Lucy was much sought and wooed.
But she seems to have had uncOm-
mon virtue or coldness, for she re-
sisted all such approaches for a long
time.
Finally, a man named Pomeroy
appeared, and, as Lucy said after
ward, as soon as she looked at him
she knew he WAS her "tumtum
man." and she must go with him.
He had a small sloop, and Lucy be-
came its mate. They two alone
ran il for several years up and down
the river. He established little
trading post and Lucy always took
charge of that when he went TO buy
goods. When gold was discovered
at Ringgold bar, Lucy went there,
worked with rocker like q man,
and washed out hundreds of dol
lars worth of gold, all Of which she
gave to Pomeroy. With il he built
a fine schooner and enlarged his
business, the faithful Lucy WORKING
always at his side and bidding. AT
last, after eight or ten years, he
grew weary of her and OF the coun~
try, and made up his mind TO go to
California. But he had not the
heart to tell Lucy he meant to
leave her. The pilot who told me
this story was at that time Captain
of a schooner on the river. P0me-
roy came to him one day and asked
him to move Lucy and her effects
down to Columbus. He said he
told her that she must go and live
with her relatives while he went to
California, and then he would send
for her.
The poor creature, who had no
idea OF treachery, came on board
and willingly, and | set
her off at Columbus. This was in
the early spring. Week after
week, month after month, when
ever his schooner stopped there,
Lucy was on the shore, asking il he
had heard from POmeroy. For a
long time he said he couldn't bear
to Tell her. At last he did, but she
would not believe him. Winter
came on. She had got few boards
together and built herself sort Of
hut, hear house where lived an
old bachelor, who finally
took compassion on her, and TO save
her from freezing let her come into
his shanty TO sleep. He was mys-
terious old man, a recluse, with u
morbid aversion to women, and at
the outset it was great struggle
for him to let even an Indian wom-
an cross his threshold. But little
by little Lucy won her way; first
she washed dishes, then she would
help at the cooking. Faith
full, patient, unpresuming, at last
she grew to be really the old mans
as well as servant. lie
lost his health and became blind.
Lucy took care of him until he
died, and followed him to the grave,
his only mourner, the only being in
the country with whom he had any
lie. He left her his little house and
4 few hundred dollars--all he had;
and there she is still, alone, max
ing out to live by doing whatever
work she can lind in the neighbor-
hood. Everybody respects hers
she is known as Lucy" up and
iown the river. "I did my best to
hire her to come and keep house
or my wife last year." said the pj-
at. "I'd rather have her for nurse
lr cook than any white woman i'm
Oregon. But she wouldn't come.
don't know as she's done looking
or Pomeroy TO come back yet, and
hes going to stay just where he
eft her. She never misses time
to me, when she knows
What boat I'm on, and there isn't
much going on on the river she
lon't know" ....t... ..,.