The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-09-06
Pulled out Hair by Hair.

OKLAHOMA, I. T., August "a Liv-
ing near this town is a woman whose
perfectly bald head tells curious story
of jealousy and Indian cruelty. In
| 1853 Oswald Thurwald, a Swedish
farmer, had home in the Territory
| close to the Texas border and his fam
lily consisted of his wife, two daugh.
| ters and son. The Indians seemed
| friendly, passing over the Thurwalds,
even when Staying the other settlers
about, and frequenting their place to
sell their wares and to purchase such
goods as Thurwald brought out from
the States for barter. He was rapid
idly growing rich and had made his
preparation to move to Dallas, where
he intended to extend his bust
| ness, when the tragedy occurred that
destroyed his home and scattered his
family.
It seems that the Tonkawa Indians
| who visited that part of the country
| from the South on raiding expeditions
had seen Elsa, the elder daughter, and
fancying her offered to buy her OF her
father. But Thurwald, though fond
of money, refused, which gave great
offence to the chief. Returning home
he melted his people against the Thur
walds and the following Spring they
made an attack upon him. He and
his son succeeded in escaping, but the
wife and younger daughter, though
they eluded capture for the first few
days, were overtaken finally. Mrs;
Thurwald sank under the fatigue OF
her hasty flight through a rugged
country, and when the Indians came
up with them it was to find the girl
holding her mother in her arms, the
poor woman having just expired:
The next day the girl herself, lag
ging on the march from an arrow
wound in her ankle, was shot in the
presence Of her sister, who had been
seized and held from the moment OF
the attack till now. She was taken to
a village and given into the charge OF
the squaws until the men should have
returned from the war trail.
In the meantime the Kickapoos de-
clared war on the Tonkawas, and raid. :
ed the village, when Elsa Thurwald
was carried off with such Of the Indian
women as were spared as slaves. The
Tonkawas returning, found the smok-
ing remains of the houses, and start
ed after the despoilers, overtaking
them close to the Colorado, where an
obstinate battle ensued, but both
sides then consented to truce. The
chief of the Kickapoos, however, stip:
ulated that the white woman should
be given to him. This was opposed
to by right of priority. This brought
on a quarrel, which terminated in a
hand-to-h fight between the rivals,
which resulted in the chief of the
Tonkawas being killed and the bone OF
contention falling to the victor.
He carried her home and conhded
her to the care of his squaw, with the
| injuction that if she were harmed in
any way the life Of the woman would
pay for it. But fred by jealousy for
her successor the woman took advan-
tage of her lords absence to wreak
vengeance on the detested object.
Binding her to tree she deliberately
pulled of the unfortunate beauty s
| hair thread by thread. Theis tortue
4 lasted several hours until the white
woman's head was covered with
blood and she was shrieking with ago
ny.
When the chief returned and learn
ed what had occurred he ordered the
witch burned at the stake. She es,
capped into the bush, but was recover
ed and the sentence executed. Thur
| wald had now died, but his son hear.
ing Of his sister being in the hands OF
the Indians organized rescuing par
ty and succeeded in liberating hel
after eighteen months in captivity
Her head took weeks to heal, and il
was thought that her mind was afec
ted by her savage treatment, though
in 1875 she married a farmer in this
vicinity. Her hair has never grown