Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-29
SHE REMEMBERS 1T ALL.
How an Indian Depreciation claim Grew
to Enormous Proportions
A Hundred Thousand Dollars Overlooked
for Years is Now Readily Re-
called and Claimed.

Jasper Fletcher, deceased.
VS..
The United States and the Cheyenne and
Arapahoe tribes Of Indians.
No. 6072.
The above Is printed on the outside OF q /
neat little pamphlet with a deep blue cover. /
1t is an Indian depreciation claim and one |
or the last prepared by Assistant Attorney |
General Colby before his retirement Ac-
cording to this brief Mrs. Amanda NJ
Fletcher Cook is one of the most remark
able women of the age. Her memory would
seem to be piece Of unexcelled mechan-
Ism. with the peculiar attachment OF grow
ing better and better as the years roll by
ana gray hairs make their unweicome pres
ence known From all Appearances II Mrs.
COOK lives to be hundred she viii remem-
per little incidents Of the flood and astonish
a bewildered world by telling IL what Ham
sslo 70 Japhet Just at present. however.
Of July, 1855.
Certain facts in the case are pretty well
tain Jasper Fletcher, who had come TO this
country from England and moved TO the
vest was settled on a farm at a place called
there with his wife. two daughters and sons
In July of 1866 the Cheyenne and Arapahoe
Indians lar went on one of their bloody raids
IN his neighborhood, and F1etcher's house
railing directly IN the pathway OF the raid.
II was burned, his wife killed and his two
d daughter carried , on into captivity. The
fourteen years respectively. The elder OF
the two Is the Mrs. Amanda NJ Fletcher
as has been said, was captured. along With
her little sister, by the Indians. but was
preserved to astonish the Indian depreda-
After some time she was rescued from the
Indians. The fate Of her little sister has
never been clearly known. but, as nothing
has ever been heard OF her. IL is supposed
she either died. was murdered or grew up
IN the tribe as an Indian woman. Fletcher.
the father. and William Fletcher. the son.
at the time Of the raid q boy OF twelve
unhurt
How the Claim Grew.
These are well known facts in the case
and make an exciting and Interesting little
story. The history of the claims Is still
more marvellous. In 1866 Jasper Fletcher
the father Of the family. presented a claim
on the government in which he iteuixed HIS
rex,ssd az h; 49, In the following year he
only 1855. Mr.. Fletcher then died, but In
1910 Mrs Amanda NJ Fletcher Cook APP
! a sworn nemized list of losses amounting
TO N.sl5. On this claim she was allowed
Aeo and all seemed serene. The end was
er Cook was not one of the kind to be sat
isfied with paltry 5000 for that ranch out
NV IN Myom ai and In this year Of grace she
claim, which has been nursed well In the
interval, and has now grown TO something
over 100000. This growth would seem SO
startling to the average observer that IL
needs some explanation, when everything
Will be as clear as daylight and 1t Will be
sight that the claim was not placed at
100000 In the first place.
One or two smaller items are interesting
as showing the rise and fall of the MEM
DRY OF the claimants. Jasper Fletcher
who might be called the original claimant
In his first account casually mentions four
later, after thinking over the matter. he
| decides that after all he was mistaken
ule he quietly drops them from the claim.
Mrs. Amanda NJ. Fletcher Cook, however
knows full well that the ranch at Rock
Creek. wyoming, did possess four mules.
and accordingly in her account the mules
| appear again fresh as ever. Again Fletch-
e.. the father. In his first schedule places
| the value of the ladies' wearing apparel
knocks on $50 Of this sum. That sort Of
thing: ,h however; won't 90 for MIS-; Amanda
| glance the utter absurdity OF one woman
and two little girls living on a lonely ranch
worth OF clothes In her schedule therefore
| she remembers clothing to the value Of
1855. besides 500 worth Of Jewelry.
A Gigantic Memory.
All this does not explain the mighty
| growth Of the claim. and We must look
elsewhere for the real cause. In his first
| CAIN Jasper Fletcher said that he had
$3.50 in coin, which the wild, unnamed saw
| ages had carried on to spend in lire water
| all back and decided that his loss In coin
| only amounted to $3.50. Mrs. Amanda NJ.
/ Fletcher Cook was only fourteen years old
when she was swept away, along with all
her fathers coin. but In the matter of
memory on financial questions she was and
is giant and her father a pigmy. In 1875
/ Mrs. Amanda NJ. Fletcher Cook entered
her first claim as her fathers heir and In
the nine years her memory had been de-
yeloping at a fairly rapid rate. At that
| Their at the time OF the raid was possessed
of 5000 in coin, not to speak II $l.0uo In
eank not notes -, !, t mas been since ls, how,
| memory OF Mrs. Amanda NJ. Fletcher Cook
has shown itself. In her present claim she
a little matter OF 10000 English pounds. or
| IN amount 100000. has not been stated, and
she therefore inserts IT. Some people are
| the various little sums which hey possess
! Here was that neglectful Fletcher putting
In claim for beggarly little $3.50 IN
other sum OF 100000. It was a mighty
| lucky thing for the Fletcher family that
Mrs. Amanda N. Fletcher Cook belonged
| to II, as otherwise the whole crowd might
have gone down to their graves putting in
| petty little claims for a few thousand dol
lars and utterly torgetful Of all that good
| bed.
| As In . Dream.
In an average case skeptical persons
might be able to throw a shadow over the
probability Of Jasper Fletcher. an unedu-
| Gated English workman, wandering around
the wilds Of Wyoming with 100000 in his
clothes. especially as no one OF the family,
| including Jasper himself, seems to have re-
called the fact OF such possession until
| Mrs. Amanda NJ. Fletcher Cook gave her
| memory trial trip tweuty-six years after
| the raid. Mrs. Amanda NJ. Fletcher Cook.
| however, Is not the woman to forget even
| so small a thing 100000. and what lie
| more she knows her rights and means to
| have them. In her testimony on the last
| claim she remembers the whole affair
| clearly and distinctly. Before the family
came to this country, when Mrs. Amanda
NJ. Fletcher Cook was something under
| nine years Of age, she had assisted her
| father to count his money and full well she
| knows that he had f2l 900. During the time
| that the family lived in Henry county Ill,
| this money was always kept in the house
| and shown to no one. When the Fletcher
| family moved out into the wilds of Wyom-
ing the money Of necessity went along too.
| and Mrs. Amanda NJ. Fletcher Cook is able
at the present time to draw up in her
| ni;d's eye perfect picture OF the money
| chest which she is well assured contained
1900 English sovereigns and 1900 In CSC
| and go bank notes. She remembers dis
| tinctly that in this treasury of the Fletcher
| family there were no notes OF a smaller de-
nomination than f20
! Indfaus WITH R~cal>