The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-14
HISTORICAL.
(CONCLUDED.)

make him comfortable.
He observed that great Difference was
paid her by the family. AS she per-
formed her household duties. he noticed
that her arm above the elbow was
white. After the other members of the
family had left the room he talked to
her in the Miami dialect. and asked II
she were not a white woman.
She finally acknowledged that she
was. that she had been captured upon
the Susquehanna by Indians when
child. that she thought her fathers
name was Slocum and that he was
Quaker. Colonel Ewing wrote an ac-
count of this interesting interview, and
sent it to the postmaster at Lancaster,
Pennsylvania. No attention was given
it; finally the letter reached John w.
Forney, who published 1t is his paper,
the Lancaster Intelligencer.
Reverend Samuel Bowman forwarded
copy to Joseph Slocum, Of Wilkes
Barre.
There was great excitement in the
town when 1t was known that there
was news Of the long lost Frances
Slocum.
Mr. Joseph Slocum started for Indi-
ana stopping in Ohio, for his sister Mrs.
Mary Towne. Isaac Slocum. who also
lived in Ohio, but much nearer Deaf
Mans village. started in advance to
| find the sister.
There was one mark by which the
! family expected to recognize Frances.
Ore day while the Slocum children
| were playing in the blacksmith shop,
one CT her brothers struck the fore
| finger of Frances left hand with
hammer. injuring 1t so that the nail
| came off.
Taking with him an interpreter Isaac
| sought the Indian woman who received
him with the stoical indifference OF the
| race.
After some conversation, he saw that
| her finger had been injured, and asked
the cause. The reply was instantly
given-"My brother struck 1t with a
hammer in the shop, before was TAX
| On away" This convinced him that
| the aged, wrinkled woman, apparently
an Indian. was indeed, his sister Fran
! ces.
Later the scene between Mrs. Towne,
| Frances, Isaac and Joseph Slocum, was
| one that moved all deeply, save Fran
| ces, Mrs. Towne shedding tears, the
| brothers eXcitedly pacing the floor but
, the lost sister, the tiny child so dear to
their memories had become stoical,
| iron hearted, immovatle Indian who
suspected these strange relatives might
| attempt to take her from her family.
| L
meeting when Frances gave Mrs.
Towne the hind quarter Of deer, an
Indian ceremony establishing friend
I ship, then her formal manner became
cordial distrust and fear vanished.
Through the interpreter Frances de-
I scribed her capture saying THE Della
ware Indians carried her over the other
side Of the mountain to o cave where
she cried herself to sleep. The follow
ing day she saw her father with SOL
diers searching FOR her. but a big In
dian stood over her with drawn knife
and threateningly said "Me kill, ME
kill So she dared not call to him.
When 1t was dark they pushed on un-
til they came to a thicket where their
horses were tied, then they rode to an
Indian village. probably Fort Niagara.
There the chief. Tuck Horse, dressed
her hair in the Indian fashion, painted
her face, adorned her with wampum
beads and took her to an Indian who
adopted her.
In the spring she was taken to San
dusky, returning in the fall. The fol-
lowing spring they went to Detroit
where they lived for three years. After
much wandering they settled near
Fort Wayne, where they lived for
twenty years; then they moved to
Peru, settling within nine miles Of that
place.
She was first married to Delaware
Indian, later to a chief OF the Miamis.
She-fan-can-ah.
Frances had received the name of
Ma-con-a-qua (young bear) her daugh-
ters were Kich-ke-ne-c e-che-Qua (Cut
Finger and O-sah-wah- -shing- qua (Yel-
tried to persuade her to visit the home
OF her childhood.
But her reply was II cannot, can
not; I am an old tree; l cannot move
about. was sapling when they took
me away. I am afraid / should die
and never come back. am happy
here. 1 shall die here, and lie in that
graveyard. I am glad to see my white
relatives, but cannot go, l cannot go.
! have DONE" She did. however, later
pay visit to her early home.
The sister and brothers with sad
dened hearts departed East. BY the
treaty of 1888 the daughters of Frances
Slocum were given one section of land
on the Mississinewa river.
In September of 1899, Joseph Slocum
with two Of his daughters, HANNAH,
Bennett and Harriet Slocum, visited
Frances. Mrs. Bennett kept a journal
which contains description of Frances
Slocum that is Of great interest.
/
is grey, her eyes bright chestnut
clear ard sprightly, her face much
wrlnkled and weatherbeaten, she has
a scar on her left cheek received at an
Indian dance, her teeth are remarkably
good. Her dress was blue calico
short gown, white Mackinaw blanket
fold of blue broadcloth wrapped
around her, red cloth leggins, and
buckskin rnoccasins. They have many
silver earrings, my aunt wore sever
pairs in her ears. Some Of their dress.
es are richly embroidered with silver
breaches. Many trinkets, beads ant
chains of silver hung about the house.
Harriet Slocum says-"After an excel.
; lent dinner of fried ven!son, potatoes
short cake and coffee, the daughter.
} washed the dishes, replaced them edge.
wise on the shelves. and swept the floor
My aunt remembers that her mother
did SO, and she taught her daughter.
J to wipe the dust from the dishes be-
fore placing them on the table. JOSEPH
Slocum never saw his sister again a,
she died the ninth of March, 1847.
. George Slocum Bennett. of Wilkes
. Barre. has an oil painting of France.
J Slocum made by George Winter, also {
painting Of the spot where she livet
| when found by her brothers and &
piece Of her dress and moccasins.
MISS tilllarQ mas u painting OF nel
moccasins and earrings. Mrs. France!
. Slocum Oakford of Scranton has q pho
tograph taken from daguerrotype.
, Although Frances Slocum when ques
toned by her relatives, maintained
that she had always been treated wei
by the Indians, who admired her au
burn hair, and respected and reveret
!, her for her bravery, strength and goot
Judgment, yet to us Of the nineteenth
century. her fate seems an appalling
one 4. TsiS,,
! Torn from her family at the age O
lOAe znaaroundAd only by fierce beinr