Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-04-24
POCAHONTAS MUST GO.
Tho Pretty Romance Connected with Her
saving the Life OF Captain John smith
Said to Have Originated IN the
Latter's Fertile Brain.

From the Philadelphia Bulletin.
Must we give up another fond legend,
cherished since those glorious days OF child |
hood, when we were first taught the outlines
of American history' Must we give up
Pocahontas-the gentle, generous daughter
of fierce Powhatan--the dark red or copper
colored maiden, who fell in love with Cap
tain John Smith and interceded to save his
life just as the executioners bludgeon was
raised to strike Alas, we fear that even this |
sacrifice must be made upon the altar OF in |
exorable Truth. Mr. w. +. Poole the we'll |
known librarian of Chicago, in a recent arti-
Gle, sums up the evidence and shows that
the Princess Pocahontos of our childhood
was myth. At the time when Captain
| Smith was supposed TO have fallen in love
| with her ut of gratitude for her intercession,
| Powhatan's daughter was but "a child of
| tenne years old" And what il even more
damaging TO the legend, II seems that accord
ing to Smiths own statement his life was
never I" in danger at any time after he was
brought into the presence of Powhatan''-so
| that obviously the episode of the entreating
Pocahontas the brawny executloner, with
his bludgeOn high I'm air. and Captain Smith
prone on the ground, tied hand and foot,
with his head ON a log and an expression of
suspense on his countenance, existed only
in the brain Of some imaginative chronicler.
The captivity of Smith took place in l60S,
and in that year he wrote and published In
London his ''True Relation" of it 1t was
, | not until 1924 that an edition with some addi-
tions appeared, and In 1t the first hint from
which the whole story has been fabricated.
, | The tale runs thus:
"Having feasted him after their best bar
, | barous manner they could, long consulta-
ton was held but the conclusion was, two
Q great stones were brought before Powhatan
H. Ia
| dragged him to them, and thereon laid his
j head, and being ready with their clubs tc
s | beat out his brains, Pocahontas the Kings
dearest daughter, when no intreaty could
. prevail, got his head I'm her armes, and laic
g her owne upon his TO save him from death
N | whereat the Emperor was contented h,
should live to make him hatchets, and he
s. bells, beads and copper; for they though
e | him as well Of all occupations as themselves.
i Having regretfully surrendered the legen,
itself we are prepared to know the trutl
le about Pocahontas, who was, indeed a rea
IF person, but who did not possess the estims
BILE qualities which tradition has given hel
Thus her very name-Pocahontas--s -signife
Of Little wantOn," and according to the In
Of dian fashion she ran naked until she wa
about twelve years Old-two years, at lea
rs after the Smith episode When, some tim
later, she married the Englishman Rolf
nothing was reported about her having save
be Captain John Smiths life. But Mr.. Poo
finds it easy to explain the original of u
ssThe weak spot in Smiths character W;
,ia his personal vanity and boastfulness. He Il
Est vented the Pocahontas story sixteen yea
after he alleged IL to have occurred, In ord
to crafty his love of notoriety. Since he hi
left Virginia, Pocahontas had married Jof
Rolfe an Englishman. In 1916 she had VI
tied England, and had been received at cou
and i'll society rcyal princess. In q
Dext book he wrote on Virginia, Smith cou
'ds not resist the temptation TO connect her mar
,et with his, and he would do II in mann
20 creditable to both. How could IL better
done than by her saving his life in 1905 =? s
was dead, and could not deny it. Other W
nesses who might he questioned we
ing dead or were inaccessible. The only trout
, of he had was that he had never to
nm the story before. But this could be
ranged. He would write a letter of sim
Ior | tenor to Queen Anne (who was also deat
ion giving il the date Of 1916, and would prin
n CO ! with the story itself The scheme was "A y,
| cess for II has given the legend plausibili
Geo and to minds like Mr.. John Esten Cooke
The confirmation. Shall we censure the gala
the | captain for indulging in this harmless "
res his personal vanity, and conforming t.
- custom Of his day."
eht Certainly not We begrudge the galls
not | captain no harmless vanity, but we are ri
by that we studied history before the lege
or was exploded because the page Of the DO
which was embellished with wood-cut
len Powhatan, Pocahontas, Smith and the
will dian executioners is the best-reinebered of
18th How dry the younger generation must ii
.o history with all the juice squeezed out