Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-04-21
MYTH OF T0CAH0NTAS.
Th5 BEAUTIFUL LEcEHD SHATTERED
BY CRM lcoNocLksTs.

around the story ot Her Rescue of thps
tain John Smith the Charm at Postrs
Can No Longer LinCrr-Whst History
shows To he the Facts ia the Case.
The iconoclast is never a popala:
person, least of all when his irreyerent
hammer assails the cherished heroiues
OF history. We are willing 10 give up,
u We must, King Canute and William
Tell, tine apple OF Newton aud the
cherry tree Of Washington, the hump
nl Richard III. and the eat OF Wait
tington, but when the ruthless band
OF modern Investigation strikes al
Lucretio aud Godiva. Jeanne dare
AMI PocanOntas, we are ready Ia cry,
"NandaI, stay thy iuipious hand ~
Around the story OF Pocanontas and
her rescue OF Captain John Smith tLn
charm of poetry ana romance has ever
fingered. Every child is familiar with
II. In his recent speech in the Senate,
presenting to the United States an oil
portrait OF the Indian princess, Scua-
tor Daniel, of Virginia, thus described
The incident which young America has
always loved TO believe as gospel his
.ory:
Wrapped in a robe OF coon skins
sat the tall, gaunt, sour old Indian
Emperor, and Smith, who had slain
Two of his Indian assailants in the
light on the Chickahominy. was con-
demued to die. Two stones were
brought forth before Powhatan and
Smith was dragged to them. and clubs
were raised to heat out his brains,
when, 10, an IHdlan girl Of twelve ~
thirteen years of age rushed upon the
scene, caught his head in her arms
and laid her own upon his to save him
from death. The sour old King re
,ented and Smith was saved, for the
lntercessor was Powhatan's fayoYite
daughter. PocGhou,Qs. "
But. alas Tor faith in history ard in
human nature, and alas for some of
the first families of Virginia. modern
investigators have pronounced The in
cident a myth. aud have even furnished
the tair fame ul the lovely Pocahonlas,
declares the New York Mail AMI EI-
press. One Historian assures Us that
the copper-co,oYei lady WAS a mere
camp follower Of ,he whites, and PRO.
fessor Cooke in mis- "IIjstory e Nlr.
ginia, gives an alleged interview be.
tween Smith and Pocahontas. then
Mrs. John Eolfe, in London, which
would indicate that she had the
strongest possible motive for rascujun
the adventurous gallant from the cluG
of her father. had his head ever been
in any danger.
Unfortunately for the credibihty Of
the clubbing story, II rests upon the
unsupported testimony of Captain
Smith, who was II notorious braggart
and liar, or, rs historian Fuller more
euphemistically puts il, in the earliest
known biography OF Smith, 1T
soundeth much to the diminution OF
his deeds that he alone IS the herald
to publish and proclaim them
1t was on the 9TH of January. 1908,
that Smith lett jamestown for WeTo.
wowocomoca, the Indian village, to
visit King Powhatar in his wigwam.
III &C ""N i"'e' no et"iie''' eS'"''e''
by four Indians. OF what occurred
III .n7 "'V"'''i''t 10 'Netc was 10 "'"',
Whl'G witness WA" ''ll''',' h''HStI' an"
n ,.r, 'ei'S tNo s'o' res "po"' H. !" '''N
his VISIT to Powhatan and published
in London in June, zoos, there il no
'nen'ioH "'iH'1'e' u tI'e io'ii""'io / W
c"non'"S inT''eI,' va ''e 'ol',"i y
ne S"'' ne ." n't'"'' u '"'e'' ''''
lnoT' 'oUL'eo"S,y' "nu sun me o .''
W ", me -" H. ''1A'I1ti cur > '''l''
WINE ~ I'"'''on' il9i { ! oo'nGN'H' vas
'''n6 ie'o, 40 nc """E uSe' VI a Nh
''n''n !, ''o'i'.iI'' MS 81,
'oi'g, !" "licn n1 !o' 'ut i'i'I !, ''''[
ee.''tS ~ p nl' oNi !"'," sle ".''' ~.
,''c' 'u"1 ; =" n''''H .0,'' wy ny l''' 9
Uee" % . T 17 "'. , s' .I1
,lII 'ne '"",' i'"S , "".t"' '.,' VIC
"t"'''t - o''' u ''' '"'' - '''''' ~ '''' Z
nline .;.,;e,........ H.. w.,
~ - " o's' ''itlI'','' '"o, ''''' pan
.;,,,., &c l;sl,,.;,,. ,.h;Io H., ,,oDt;,,e
.,o'', 81 nt9,ol '.I "n,'o no ieH t,G,'S
'ne teS t. ln'i, .p ",." i'"''' ~
nnuo'a'ion ~ ,no nia' t" II; % I 'l.s
nlS'o'S' eu'n o,y ontl'" - Al tIo i"S',
De9no' "a or.s MY 4t, =. ,S ~ '' Ioo W
,'iilttn > Toi 49, ' ',''e9 w. 0t1,'
W 'o'n;sh :" ,ofI ot ~ ios;Ua
,''It?lt' 80 rH w. a. ~ "st1'
70 lee. 'uv lL ;o I T I NJ" ~
,uen 'toit'ne IL "i;, 80 ~, -. -
Ne1il' III ms ; 1-o 't5ll oG JIi: -
An N"' esIro 'i-o lD
statement of marriage OF POcahOn.
tas earlier than her union with Role,
and seriously questions other charac-
ters than that of the notorious gallant,