Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-04-01


freedom. A few months aftot the family
settled and put up a log house the father
returned home from fishing one evening
and found a big rassa;naquoddy Indian
Kissing his daughter, who. instead of tax.
ing Lis carcsScs as IN insult, seemed to bc
enjoying the company Of her copper hued
admircr. There was u bounty on Indians
in these days, 50 the father shot his daugh-
ter's admircr and hanging tho scalp over
the fro to dry for The Boston market, asked
Nell for an explanation Of her conduct
When she informed him that tho dead
brave was her promised husband, the ia
thor got angry and told her that if sho
liked Indians so well she would have to 20
where thcy were. Greatly to his surprise
she took him ht his word, left home at
once and passed the rest Of her lifo among
the tribes Of Maine and New Brunswick.
After tho fall of Quebec in 1853 and tho
overthrow OF French Eulo in America she
went to Grand Falls, on the upper st.
John, and taught in tho French schools
until 1915, when on March she appeared
in Jorcsboro among her old neighbors and
told them to get ready for war. As there
was no shorthand reporter present her ex-
act language has not been preserved, but
tradition has it that she foretold the battle
of Bunker Hill. which was to como soon
after, and then went on ana told the whole
story of the Revolution from the Declara-
ton Of Independence to the surrender Of
CORVALLIS. Two years later, in February,
III. she was arrested and brought to 1T.
John as a Yankee spy. Though let of
Indians and several white men who knew
H.. n l..
charitable deeds, she was found guilty and
hanged ms a spy. Standing ON the eallows
with II rope about her neck, she addressed
the people in English, French and Indian
After telling the story of her life she in
formed the spectators that she would come
! b;cl. from the dead whenever the country
, was Threatened with war and let tho PEG
PIE Know in time 20 arm themselves for
battle. In order that there might be- 10
! doubt abciit her identity and the objects
, OF her mission She said that whenever war
! was imminent she would appear ur,pn the
, big rock on HiltOn's neck in the town Of
.IoncsLCro at sunrise on the first day II
March and wave her hands and give the
: Passamaquoady warwhoop.
! Her body WAS claimed By tire Passama-
/ quoddy Indians. who took II to the tribal
reservation ard buried 1t on Peter Dana $
point, overlooking Passamaquoldy Lay
On March /, 1912, Charles and Edgar
Nass, two fishermen, rowing out by Hill
/ tons neck carly in the mbrning, heard
some ore utter the tribal warcry Of the
Passamaquoddics. Looking up, they saw
n long haired. aged woman Standing on
the big rock, and "a they gized the SUP
care up from the AtlaptiG Then. re-
Z meinbering the prediction OF Nell Hilton,
they rowcd back home and told the citi-
zens what they had seen. In three mouths
every ablebodied rIan in .JoDesburo hat,
enlisted in ti-3 navy 10 help fight England
| After that nobody doubted that Nell Hill
ton had told the truth. At the time Of the
boundary dispute in 1889 great nany
were sure that war was coming and cast
slUrs at the memory OF the ghostly prophet.
ess because she failed to appear, but as 10
boOdsifed resulted the doubters were con-
! WINGED On March /. 1861. Nell Hilton
stood upon the rock on Hilton's neck ut
sunrise aDd gave the Passannquoddy war
whoop for half an hour. staying there I'M
til the aroused townspeoIle hurried down
the neck to talk with her, wben she melt
ed into air.