The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-06-02
Living As.er Being sealped.
Jacksonville (FlA.l Tunes,

IAckeonVtAto tkkA.l IlmcS.
 During the Seminole Indian war of 1887 there were times when the In- dians would leave of hostilities In order to make their crops and prepare anew for the warpath. Ali tine settlers had to live in forts, and In planting crops and cnltivating them some of them would work while others stood guard. During these oessations of hostilities some would return to their homes only to be driven back to the fort and sometimes killed and scalpeSi.
 Fleming Johns and his wife re- turned to their home, at what is now Baldwin, as 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 ot Indians, and went out to cut some flrewood. While cutting, the Indians fired al and wounded him. He ran into the house and shut the door. His gun was on rack. He reached for 1t, but fell from loss of blood, knocking of the hammer.
 Johns had no other weapon, and was at tho mercy of the Indians, who advanced to the door and began, with the axe, to knock 1t down. Johns of fered them his home and all he had if they would spare his lie. The ln- dians only laughed, and cursed him. They broke the door down and shot him, and began to take what they wanted, ripping open the feather bed. pillows and bolsters, and packing up all they wanted.
 Johns wife looked on, every min. ute expecting to be killed and scalped. She told me they packed all they wanted before they molested her. An old Indian motioncd her to leave, but she was afraid to move. He took her by the hand and led her toward the door. She looked back and an Indian was raising his gun te shoot. She threw her arm over her eyes and he shot, the ball striking her arm and going through her neck. She fell for ward, stunned, with her arm under her head. Before 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 a 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, 3 pail of water was upset upon her, which brought her back to consciousness. She took towel, folded 1t, and covered her head, and left, taking the road. Want ing water, and feeling faint, she went to pond of water where she we. 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 10 shoot her and she was powerless to speak. Her father iB- law cried out to the men not to shoot, as it WAS Jane. She told what had happened Some of them carried her to the station and some went to the house, but too late to get out the remains of her hus- band.
 After she was well an Englishman persuaded her to go to Washington and get pension, and she was exhib- ited. Her likeness was taken and hung in the Capitol. The Englishman ran oil with all the money. She re- turned to Savannah, here she had q sister, and afterwards she married a man named Mathes, who was stabbed years afterward by & crazy man and died in Savannah. Mrs Mathes 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 nave any thing to ssy to them, and said 1t made her sick to look at them. The Indians would talk and point to her as though they Tec- ognized her. Mrs. Jane MAthes died in 1874, and is buried in the cemetery of Fort Ogden.