Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-01-28
A Story of Indian Captivity.

Gen. Ross, who rescued Cynthia Ann
| Parker from tue Comanche Indians,
says that an oil painting OF tue famous
won III will be exhibited at the New
Orleans exposition. Cynthia was Cap
tured when about 10 years old, and,
when taken from the Indians and
/ placed III the household of her uncle,
Col Parker, near WestherfOrd, she was
/ the squaw of the Chief. Gen. Ross
writes: In the campaign against the
! Comancnes, as / could take but 40 of
M men from my post. I requested
Capt. n q Evans, Ill command or the
. UnIted States troops at Camp Cooper,
/ 10 send ne d detachment of I'd cavalry.
! lie promptly sent NE a sergeant ami %
well-mOunted men. NV force was still
augmented by some 10 volunteer cILi-
zens, under command of the brave OlG
frOntIer5man, Captain Jack CureEon,
of BoSque county.
ON one OF the Pease River sand
hills L found four fresh pony tracks,
and being satisfied that Indian videttes
had just gone 1 galloped forward about
mile TO higher point, and riding t.
the top, TO my ineXp.essibie surprise
found myself within 200 yards of
Comanche village, located or a small
stream winding around the b;iSe OF tie
hill. II was most happy circumstance
that a piercing north wind WAS blow
ing, bearing with it clouds of sand,
and my presence was unobServed and
the surprise complete. BY signalling
my men as stood concealed, they
reached me without being discovered
by tue Indians, who were busy packing
up preparatory to move. BY this
time ths indians mounted and moved
off north across the level plain. NY
command, with tue detachment of the
2ud cavalry, hau outmarched and be-
come separated from the cItiz-n CON-
uaud which left me bat Gu men. In
making disposition for attack the ser
geant AMI his 20 men were sent at a
gallop, behind a chain of sand hills. to
compass them in and cut off their re-
treat, while with 40 men | charged
them. The attack was so sudden that
@ considerable number were killed be-
fore they could prepare for defence.
They fled preciDitately right into the
presence of the sergeant and his men,
Here they met with a warm reception,
and finding themselves completely en-
cOmpassed every one fed his own way,
and was hotly pursued and hard pressed.
The chief of the party, noted War
rior OF great repute, with young girl
about II years Of age, mounted on his
horse benInd him and Cynthia Ann
Parker, with girl child about two
years of age in her arms and mounted
on a fleet pony, fled together, while
Lieutenant Tom Kelliher and l pur-
sued them. After running about a
mile kelliher Tan up by the side OF
Cynthia horse and l was III the act of
shooting, when she held up her child
and stopped. l kept OH after the chief,
a1J about half mile further, when in
about 20 yards of him, | fired my pistol,
striking the girl whom ] supposed To
be a man, as ,he rode like one, and only
her head was visible above the buffalo |
robe with which she was wrapped) near
The heart, killing her Instantly, and the |
same ball would have killed both but !
for the shield of the chief, which hung |
down, covering his back. When the |
girl fell from the horse she pulled him |
off also, but he caught on his feet, and |
before steadying himself, my horse, |
running at iull speed, was very nearly /
on top of him, when no was struc6 1
with an arrow, which caused him to 1
fall to pitching or backing, and it was
with great difficulty that 1 kept my /
saddle, and IN the mean time narrowly /
escaped several arrows coming in quick 1
arnr.a=Gf.Nta fr.tr1 tho atiaffS hntHv I[aipur
at such disadvantage, ne would have /
killed me in few minutes but for a 1
random shot froal my pistol (while l
WAS cling!ng with my left hand to the
pOmmel Of my saddlel which broke his
right arm at the elbow, completely 4
him. My horse then became |
quiet and | shot the chief twice through /
tile body, whereupon he deliberately /
walked to a small tree. the only one in
sight, and. leaning against it, began to
sing wild, weird song.
Riding back to the squaw as soon as
| looked on her face 1 said: "Why,
Tom, this is white woman; Indians
do not have b!ue eyes She said two
of her boys were with her when the
fight had began and she was distressed
by the fear that they had been killed. 1t
So happened, however, that both es-
capped, and one of them, Guiana, is now
a chief. The other died some years ago
OH the plaius. l then asked her to give
me the history of her life with the In
dians and the circumstances attending
her capture by them, which she promptly
did in very sensible manner, and as
the facts detailed correspOnded with the
at Parker's fort, / was i'm
pressed with the belief that she was
Cynthia Ann Parker. Subsequent
events proved the truth OF my SUPPOSE
ton,