Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-12-10
Democratic Northwest.
AND HENRY COUNTY NEWS.
ABDUCTED BY IUDI9Us.
A MICHIGAN MAN CARRIED
OFF WHEN BUT A CHILD.
FOUND AFTER THIRTY-FIYE YEARS.

TRAVERSE CRY, Mich, Dec. g.
Albert, the 3year old son of Lyman
Smith, Grand Traverse county pio-
neer, whose log cabin stood in little
clearing north the north end OF Sill.
yer Lake, six miles south of here, dis
appeared on the evening of July %,
1851. The boy had been playing in
the yard near the lake and no trace
could be found of him. Various the
ories were advanced to explain his
disappearance, One was that bears
had eaten him; another that he had
been drowned, and still the third that
he had wandered away into tie wood
and been lost. After thirty five years
the mystery has been solved. The
boy was stolen by Indians.
John Pulcipher, young man NV
ing with his parents few miles from
the Smith place, was among those
who joined in the search for the lost
boy. He employed the Indian about
his farm and was on friendly terms
with the redmen. To him, after sew
eral years, they, told the secret of the
disappearance of the boy. Their
story was that there was to have been
an Indian rising, An Indian named
Whitefoot came here to sound the
war cry, He stayed hero for some
time, but his mission failed and in
anger he departed, swearing vengeance.
His trail for home skirted the Smith
place, on the border of Silver lake,
andas the warrior passed he abduct-
ed the little boy. That the story was
true has just been proved by the re-
turn of the abducted boy, now a
broad-shouldered man of 3S years.
Early last summer Gov. Rich re-
ceived letter from the west stating
that boy had been stolen by Indians
from northern Michigan early in the
sixties, and asking assistance in find
ing his parents. The letter was pub
lished in the papers. Pu'clpher read
the letter, and this has led to the re-
turn Of the boy. Albert Smith is
now with his mother aud family at
Silver Lake. His father died in 1882.
Smiths recollections of his abduc.
tion are very dim. He knows, how
ever, that it was Whitefoot who stole
him away. He was taken to Port
Huron and lived with the Indians
there and at Sarnla until migrated tc
the northwest. For fourteen years
the Indians, Chippewaws and Canadi
an Sioux, lived rowing life, with an
occasional forage against the whitse
and all these years the young captive
lived as the Indians lived and travel.
ed with them in their wanderlngs
In 1876 trouble arose between the
whites and the Indians, and tired o1
his wild life, Smith endeavored te
give information to the United States
troops as to where the Indians were
located. He was tied to stake ano
the FIRE was lighted about him, ant
then the Indians we're obliged to hurry
away to avoid the troops. Smith wa
badly burned, but was rescued by
man named John G. James from New
York, who was doing scouting servic
for party of settler bounds for tn
northwest.
James went to Montana and thei
to Colorado, and Smith accompanies
him. In 1878 he started for tn
mountains from Denver with hi
family on prospecting tour. Eight.
miles out of the city the little cara
van was attacked by masked men AM
Indians. James was killed, and whel
the mauraders had stolen all the,
wanted they made off with the horses
Smith started for Denver with James
four children, leaving the mother il
an improvised camp near the wagon
Twelve days later, when relief pal
~ arrived, the mother was dead. Fol
lowing this episode Smith became
cowboy, and in his wanderings ra
ACROSS an old Indian woman in Win