Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1889-01-05
INDEPENDENT.
SATURDAY, JANUARY S, 1889.
A Western Romance.

to the widest conceived border
drama, with the additional charm,
however, that her history is strictly
trne. Last Sunday quiet, unas-
Stunning couple stopped at the Eng
lish Kitchen and registered as Mr..
and Mrs. Dosh Kensington. Yester-
day the G. II. Man received point.
er that theirs was more than an or
binary history, and he called on the
lady, her husband being temporarily
absent from the city From her
own lips the following weird tale Of
Indian life and captivity among them
was learned
The lady's maiden name was Miss
Jesse Lacomber, a full blooded
American girl, and her father was
killed by the Indians when she was
about two years Old Her mother
married General Lagretto, retired
Mexican officer, who became citi.
zen Of the United States many years
ago. In 1871, the child in question
then, but now the lady of twenty
seven or eight, was stolen from her
mother and step-father by the Banit-
to tribe Of Indians in Northern Ida
no. Thirteen years passed with 20
tidings Of the little girls fate, and
the parents many times gave her up
as dead, but the story came to the
ears OF the department at Washing
ton and search was ordered. 1t
may here be remarked that when
Indians steal white child the cap
tive is carefully concealed, and
though sometimes almost in sight of
civilization, the prisoner is carefully
guarded and concealed on the ap-
proach of pale face. General Phil
Sheridan took the matter in charge,
believing that the child still lived,
and after the expenditure of thous-
ands Of government dollars, news
was received of the girls wherea-
bouts, and she was rescued on Au-
gust T, 1884. The chief scout and
guide was Dosh Kensington, and,
naturally enough for the ending of
the romance, he was smitten with
the charms Of the pretty young miss,
and married her.
The lady's story of her life among
the Indians is even more dramatic
than her capture. She tells of their
marauding expedition, and graphic
ally describes the tortures of the
faggot and stake and tomahawk.
just like the story in the dime
novel, big brave fell in love with
her when she WIS thirteen, and cool
ly announced himself as her future
husband. She refused the proffered
but doubtful honor, and then a pro-
cess of coercion was tried 1t was,
to say the least, annoying at first,
but it gradually increased to such a
little persuasive means as gashing
her with knife, she now bearing no
less than sixteen wounds on her per-
son. She still remained obdurate,
anG from then on to her rescue she
was treated as kindly as possible,
but always kept under the strictest
surveillance. When she had been
rescued tie young lady was taken to
her former home, only to find that
her step-father had been killed by
Mexicahs on the Rio Grande. Since
then she has travel at ease, being
ward of the government and well
provided for. Her husband. Dosh
Kensington, was born in Colfax,
Colorado, and his parents were killed
when he was an infant by the Modoc
Indians. The child was taken pris
Qner and passed his life in captivity
until he was ten years old, when he
was rescued by Cheatham and
placed in the government school at
San Francisco, where he remained
four years. For sixteen years he was
in the employ of the government, and
was with General Custer just previ-
Gus to the battle with Sitting Bull,
but he was sent to Reno with orders
just before the massacre aud then es-
capped death. He started with Gen.
Grant on his memorable tour around
the world, but was recalled from
London. He was with White Cloud,
Big Bear and Golden Eagle, of the
Umatilla tribe, when arranging for
the transfer Of their reservation to the
government. Afterwards he was de-
tailed to look up moonshiners in the
mountains of Kentucky and Tennes-
see, and since then, at various times,
has been detailed on government
business.
Mrs. Kensington is quite pretty
and very healthy looking. She has
not as much education as is the lot
of young ladies of the day, but she
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