Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-05-28
LEARNED WHO EE WAS.
Strange Story of a Man Who was Stolen by
Indians in His Infancy.

There is barber in this city, named
! Henry Petit, says the Indianapolis Journ-
al. who has a rare tale Of adventure to
tell concerning himself. of how he was
stolen when Years Old by the Indians.
and how he finally found his father. Petit
was born in 1888. at the Indian trading
post near Port Huron, Mich, where his
father had an exchange store, and was well
patrOnlZed by the Indians. In 1912 Tur-
key Foot, chief of the Black Greek In
dlans, got into a difficulty with the father
of Petit, claiming that he had given him
a wildcat" dollar in making change
This was denied by Petit, who would not
take back the money
The Indian went away mad and vowing
that he would get even. The Indians
about that time sold their lands about Port
Huron and were being removed to reser-
Walton near the present city Of Sanduskf
The Indian at once executed a plan to get
revenge on Petit. The night before Tur-
key Foot left he stole the boy in this man
ner: He found out that Petit Was not at
home one night, and he entered the house
at midnight. Walking lightly across the
floor he jerked the sleeping babe from the
arms of the mother, who awoke In alarm,
ONLY to find that her baby was gone. A
diigent search failed to find a trace of
The missing boy. and he was given up as
dead. The Indian took the lad, now four
years DID, to Ohio, where an old squaw
took charge of him.
There was d white man with the tribe
named Timothy Croker, whom the In
dlans sent back t. Port Huron to tell Pet
tit that his boy had died IN Canada Thus
the parents were made to believe that their
boy was dead. The lad lived with the Iu-
dams until II years old, when a man
howser, Of Wiiliamsport, Pa, who was
among these Indians, bought the boy for
small consideration and took him back to
his home. The boy there learned the
BARRIERS trade, but as to where the Indians
got him he could not remember. He Was
sent to school al Republic. O., where he
received a license to teach. He was there
going by the name of Timothy Croker,
and In 1855 ne was married to Miss
Catharlne ECkert, who lived at Delphi,
this state, where he purchased a barber
shop.
When the war commenced he enlisted in
the ninth Indiana infantry. While this
company was with Sherman III the march
to the sea- and IN Alabama, 'Crocker"
was approached by a man who asked his
name "Crocker' told hin, and the man
denied it., saying that he was the
very counterpart Of a certain Mr.
Petit at Port Huron, Mich. that he must
be the missing son, long since supposed to
be dead. The stranger took the name OF
the town where "Crocker" lived, and told
bin that when the war closed proof would
be presented showing Timothy Crocker"
was Henry Petit. the son of Edward Pet
tit. After the war ''Crocker' settled al
Westyille, near l., Porte, where he soon
heard from the mysterious person
who had told him such strange story
while in the army This was soon follow
ed by { telegram from Edward Petit, of
Port Huron Mich. saying: Come at
once and lose no time
"Crocker" went, hardly knowing what
to think would be the outcome of his trip
He arrived at Port Huron, and, upon step
ping from the train, be met his father lace
to face-two men almost the exact image
of each other. There could be no mistak-
ing the fact that one was the father and
the other the son. The mother had died
many years before.