The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-11-10
suRMIsEs ABOUT AN INDIAN
WOMAN on A WYOMING
RESERVATION.
Belief That She Is White and Was
Stolen From Her Parents In an
Indian Raid About Thirty-tive
Years Ago.

old ArapahOe Indian living on the Wind
River Reservation, who IS believed to De
white woman. and TO have been stolen
when a child from an emigrant train on
the plains. Her features and the ira
ditions Of the tribe point clearly to white
parentage; but after residence of al
most forty years in tepees the white
squaw. as she is commonly known on the
reservation. speaks only the Indian tongue
and Processes 10 have no recollection of
nothing else than Squaws. warriors and
medicine men
Attention was attracted TO the white
| squaw little more than year ago when
small band of Arapahoes came TO Cas-
per. a town on the border of the reser-
vation. TO sell some trinkets. She was
member of the band, and almost imme
diately drew remarks from the visitors
She seemed almost as dirty as the other
squaws, but beneath the darkened skin
were traces of a different race. Her hair
was light in color. finer than that of the
other women of her tribe, and her eyes
were clear blue. At the same time she
appeared to be a favorite in the band
and received more consideration than is
usually given to full-blooded squaw Her
of better quality than those of her as
sosciates.
Interested in her. number of residents
of Casper started an investigation con-
corning her parentage and then from an
old warrior heard the following tradition
While passing through the State thir-
ty-five years ago, train of emigrant wag-
ons was attacked by Indians and ali of
I
girl. She was taken away by the warri-
ors and then put in Indian dress. At the
home camp she was taken in charge by
an old chief and grew up into typical
Indian maiden. She was then given in
marriage to Broken Horn.
Such was. in brief the story printed at
that time by the Natrona County Tribune
in Casper, a story that may end in unit
ing two sisters separated thirty-five years
ago by an Indian attack ON an emigrant
train. For by the help of some Western
editors, the little paragraph headed "A
White Squaw' travelled from town to
town until at last it was reprinted in the
columns of the Salt Lake Tribune. copy
of which was sent to Mrs. A. NJ. Cook, of
Davenport, Iowa. She lost a younger sis
ter in an Indian attack and for thirty
FIVE years has sought some trace of the
missing girl. So when her friends sent
her a copy of the Utah paper. Mrs. Cook
wrote TO the editor of the Casper paper:
Il am very much interested in this
news, for was captured on Rock Greek,
Wyoming. thirty-fve years ago and also
my younger sister. Lizzie. | never saw
her again after 10 O'Clock that same
night
Mrs. Cook put herself in communica-
ton with several Wyoming people in
Guiding Captain Nickerson. at present
agent on the Wind River reservation. Her
capture occurred when she was 13. when
her family were on their way from Hi
nois to California. On the plains her
father joined an OK train of seventy-five
wagons and continued with it to Rock
Greek station. in Wyoming. thirty-one
mile seast of Fort Hallock. Just as the
party had camped for the night. and the
entire Fletcher family-the maiden name
of Mrs. Cook-were on the bank of the
stream. a war party of 800 Cheyennes
sprang from the hillsides and attacked
the whites. Fletcher and his three sons
escaped TO the wagons with many other
emigrants; but the mother and her two
daughters were seized by the redskins
In the fight the mother was speared to
death. and one of the Indians seized Liz
zie. the younger daughter. pulled her
upon his horse and rode off Mary
Fletcher. the Mrs. Cook of today. was
carried off prisoner to a mountain re
treat
Mary Fletcher. who lost sight of her
Younger sister that night. was put on a
pony and adopted into the tribe IS an In
dian girl. After she had seen a scalp
dance and skirmish with soldiers from
old Fort Laramie she was painted red
with stripes of black and green. and her
hair was colored with SCOT water. She
had fourteen ponies 10 pack on days of
march. and was sent with the squaws to
gather wood for the fires. Once. while
returning from a camp in Colorado, and
while crossing stream. she was carried !
away by the current on a large cake of |
ice. At the sight the Indians laughed
heartily. but when she leaped from her !
ice cake and swan ashore she was well |
coined as a heroine.
In the spring of 1866. not quite a year
after her capture. she entered the tent of |
an Indian trader who had visited the /
tribe near Fort Dodge. on the Arkansas
river. Instead of using the Indian tongue /
she inquired in English:
Have you any soap
Hardly had she uttered the words when /
8 brave knocked her down and threw her |
from the tent without giving the trader /
an opportunity 10 discover her identity. /
But later in the day. when he happened 1
To be uear the girl. he remarked:
Yes. ! have some soap.
That night. while the man was sup l
posed to be listening TO a serenade, he /
heard the story of the captured girl He !
learned also that & kiowa buck had been {
negotiating for her purchase and had in
tended TO take her to Southern New
Mexico The trader offered S1.500 in
cash for the girl. His offer was accepted
and the girl Vas started toward her home
and friends in Illinois
On she way 10 the Indian agency a for
mer owner of the girl. an old Arapahce.
demanded a horse and gun from the +
trader. These were given him and the
siH was FRYE. Soon afterwari she reach
ii the white settlements and later became
he wife Of William +. Cook son Of for
ner Judge Cock 81 pavenuort I0w-a