The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1891-10-19
THE POCAHONTAS TALE.
TRUE VERSION OF THE AMERICAN
HISTORICAL LEGEND.

Life, but Interceded in Behalf OF One
OF Her Lovers, Who Was Doomed 10
Die and Whom She Did Not Marry.
ut Is strange and incomprehensible,
nevertheless a fact, that raconteurs, from
the time of the first liar down to the
present age Of MUTATIONS and Mum
chausens, with a wonderful unanimity
persist in classifying and twisting the
truth into IN unacceptable quantity"
said Colonel George as he gaSd at the
wondrous landscape p~anoramically COM
ing into view.
We were speeding over the beautiful
sea green waters of the Chesapeake bay
on the steamer Ariel from Norfolk to
Richmond. made the acquaintance on
board of the gentleman who gave utter
ance to the above sage remark. When
the colonel spoke the boat was on the
eve Of passing historical jamestown, and
the passengers had grouped themselves
together on The lee side to catch a feet
ing glimpse of the ivy clad front wall of
the old church, standing sentinel-like on
a peninsula formed point Of land.
AS we rounded the wide bend of the
river, and the church, the sole remain
ing relic standing on the scene of the
romance Of Captain Smith and Pocahon-
tas, hove into view, the colonel resumed
his conversation, or rather monologue:
"You must have noticed in your life
time how a story will grow as it is re-
peated from lip to lip-how the truth
becomes distorted and subjected to in
Vulnerable alterations of fact. In illus
tration of this, said the colonel thought
fully, II will relate you an Indian legend
recalled to my mind by that old ruin"
pointing to the church wall which the
boat was just then gliding by. "The
story, as | heard it, was told me by an
old farmer, we'll known in the neighbor-
hood, on my last trip up the James
river, just before the war"
PoCAHoNTAs' REA NAME.
jamestown vanishing from sight, the
colonel and | returned to the cabin,
sought seats away from the crowd Of
passengers and | settled myself comfort
ably'to listen to the tale.
when Captain John Smith made the
first settlement in Virginia, the white
and red man lived on terms of amity
and confidence" began Colonel George.
caucasian and Indian mingled with
each other and were held in mutual es-
TEEN. Until the outcropping of the
%greediness and righteousness of the
E~nglishmen became apparent, peace and
prosperity smiled on the hardy settlers.
in the village ruled by Powhatan
there dwelt a lovely Indian maiden. Her
skin was the color Of polished copper,
her hair of ravens hue and her eyes
sparkled as the morning star yelled be-
hind a gathering storm cloud. Warriors
from far and near sought her hand in
marriage, but her heart remained invul-
nerable to all vows Of love and devotion.
However, when the white man invaded
the h%abitations of the Indians, among
their number was a youth comely to
look upon, famed for his courage and
manly qualities. Tetehee, in the course
of her many visits to the newly founded
village on the James river, cast her eyes
on handsome Homer Castalwain, and,
10! the little Indian god of love pierced
her heart with his arrow, and she loved
him with all an Indian maiden's fierce
ness.
Nov, Chief Opechancanough, one of
Powhatan's tributary rulers, had a son
who was madly in love with Tetehee,
the Morning Star. Bankee BLACK Bear)
was a cruel and vindictive Indian. and
when he learned that Tetehee's heart be-
longed to a despised white man he swore
vengeance upon his tomahawk against
Homer C~astalwain.
TIL TRUE VERSION.
in the soft Indian summer, with
rofT7ro or10v with x-oyioco+ol aolo~1
Tetehee, in company with the other
maidens and squaws of the village, was
gathering the golden ripe maize for win
ter use from the fields of the king.
While the maidens were at work Bankee
raided the cornfields of the powerful
Powhatan, carrying off to his own vii
lage the object Of his savage affections.
He meant to coerce Tetehee into mar
riage while in his power, raise a war
party, attack the settlement of the white
men and exterminate it.
"Castalwain. upon hearing of the
threatened danger Of his lovely Indian
bride-to-be, accompanied by Captain
John Smith, duplicated King Powhatan
for aid to rescue her. This was granted.
So, with a war party composed of Indians
and settlers, under the leadership of
Smith, Opechancanough's village was
surprised in the midst of his sons we'd
ding festivities, Tetehee rescued and
Bankee captured and carried before King
Powhatan.
Then it was that his fate was decreed
death by beheading, so to speak. AS
Bankee's head lay on the stone, a huge
Indian standing over him, P~ocahontas
rushed between the appraised club and
PROSTATE man and begged her father, the
king, for his life-not from love, how
ever, but simply through pity and weak
ness of heart,
"This is the true version of the world
wide famous legend of Captain Smith
and P~ocahontas, which poets and his
~torians have handed down for genera
tions. 1t is a sample of what a truth
undergoes-how it is garbled as related
by one and another in the course of mar
ration. The accuracy of the story is un-