St. Landry democrat., 1888-04-14
SCALPED BY SEMINOLES.
Florida woman's Experience with
BIoodthirsty Indians.

"A
| BIoodthirsty Indians.
During the Seminole Indian war of
1887 there were times when the In
dians would leave off hostilties in
order to make their crops and to pre-
pare anew for the walpalh. All the
! settlers had to live in forts, and in
planting crops and cultivating them
some of them would work while others
stood guard. During these cessations
of hostilities some would return to
their homes only to be driven back 10
the fort and sometimes killed and
scalped.
Fleming Johns and his wife re-
turned to their home. at what is now
Baldwin, rs the Indians had not been
seen for some time. Early in the
morning Johns got up. opened the
door and looked around. He saw no
SIGNS of Indians, and went out to cut
some firewood. While cutting, the
Indians fired at and wounded him.
He ran into the house and shut the
door. His gun was on rack. lie
reached for it, but fell from loss OF
blood, knocking off the hammer.
Johns had no other weapon and was
at the mercy of the | adams. who adj
vanced to the door and began. with
the axe. to knock it down. Johns e.
fered them his home and all he had if
they would spare his life. The Ildi-
ans only laughed and cursed him.
They broke the door down and shot
him, and began to take what they
wanted, ripping open the father bed.
pillows and holsters and packing up
all they wanted.
Johns wife looked on every minute
expecting to be killed and scalprd.
She told me they packed al they
wan ted before they molested her. An
old Indian motioned her to leave. but
she was afraiI to move. He took her
by the hand and led her toward the
door. She looked back and an Indian
was raising his gun to shoot She
threw her arm over her eyes and lie
shot, the ball striking her arm and
! going through her neck. She fell
forward stunned. with her arm under
her head. B,fore they got through
| scalping her she came to her senses,
but feigned being dead. The Indians
| then set fire to the house and left
quietly.
After they had been gone short
time, and the house was well on fire,
she got up and tried to pull her dead
husband from the burning house, and
pulled him as far as the door. when
she tainted. In falling, pail of water
! was upset upon her, which brought
her back to consciousness. She took
towel, folded it and covered her
head and left, taking the road. Want
ing water, and feeling faint, she went
to pond of water, where she wet the
towel, and put it on her head. She
saw horsemen coming and recognized
| her father-in-law. He also discovered
her. The men leveled their guns to
shoot her. and she was powerless to
speak. Her father-in-law cried out 10
the men not to shoot, as it was Jane.
She told what had happened. Some
| Oh LuGEu caETlCu IlGt 10 llG StatiOH tHll
some went to the house, but too late
| to get out the remains of her hus band.
After she was we'll an Englishman
persuaded her to 60 to Washington to
get pension, and she was exhibited.
| Her likeness was taken and hung in
the Capitol The E lglishman ran eff
with all the money. She returned to
Savannah, where she had sister, and
afterward she married man named
Matthias, who was sta bbed years after
ward by crazy man and died in Sa-
| vannah. Mrs. Matthias then returned
to Florida, where she had one brother
and two sisters living, one of whom is
my wife. -
The Indians frequently came to my
house, and she said she recognized one
of them, the chief Tonoman, as being
the one that led her toward the door.
She never would have any thing to
say 10 them, and said it made her sick
to look at thenL The Indians would
talk and point to her as though they
recognized her. Mrs. Jane Matthias
died in 1874, and is buried in the GEM
etery of Fort Ogden. Jacksonville
Times Union.
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