Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-07-11
ROMANCE OF 17ta CENTURY.
Smith and His Marriage to
Miss Pocahontas

One OF the most thrilling scenes in
the early days of our country was
that in which figured Hon. John 81
Smith, formerly of England, and Miss
Pocahontas, the charming and viva
cious daughter of Col. PowhataH.
writes W. d. Nesbit, in the Baltimore
American.
This happened along in the first part
of the seventeenth century, before the
street cars began running to Pow
hatan.
In fact, it has been stated that Poca-
hontas was the first fare that was
ever collected on that line, but you
know how it is about distance lending
enchantment to the view, and maybe
Pocahontas was not so fair after all.
1t happened that Mr.. Smith was out
doing few deeds that would serve tic
enliven the pages of the ten-cent nov
els when some of Col. Powhatan's
braves gathered him in.
He was taken before Col. Powhatan
who coldly asked him what he was do
ing over in that ward.
Smith came back with, some saucy
retort or other, and the upshot was
that he was confined in the calaboose.
Powhatan merrily said to him, that
it was well that his captors, were not
cannibals or they would make Indian
meal of him.
However, that is mere airy persi-
fage, so to speak, and has no place in
real-for-sure historical novel.
1t SO CHANGED that while Smith was
confined in prison Miss Pocahontas
came around one day to see if there
were any murderers or horse thieves
to whom she might carry flowers or
jelly.
Unfortunately, they were just out
of murderers and horse thieves that
morning, and she had to content her
self with listening to the long. sad
story of Smiths past life. For hours
he held her spellbound with his stir
ring recital of things he had seen and
done.
Little Pocahontas began to think he
was almost as interesting as a MUIR
derer could well be, and naturally she
was rather perturbed when a great
big Indian came in and said that Smith
was wanted at the captains office. He
went on to say that it was the inten-
ton of Powhatan to have Smith
turned over to the ministrations of
the court eXecutioner.
In those days there was no fun in be-
ing executed.
The papers did not send two or
three reporters around to find out.
what the condemned man had eaten
for breakfast and to write sad and
thrilling things about his last words.
Nor were there any extras issued tc
tell the waiting public about the exc
cution.
No, indeed. They simply took the
person who formed the center of at
traction for the time being to a con.
venient spot, and the court execution
er applied a club to his head until his
thought had all leaked out and his
imagination collided with his appetite.
Then the eXecutioner cashed his
voucher and the festivities were al
end.
Consequently little Pocahontas was
tremulous with suppressed excitement
when they put Mr.. Smith on the block
and parted his hair in the middle tc
give the executioner fair sight at his
thinl-center. Col. Powhatan was
standing in a good spot to view the
proceedings. Had kodaks been invent.
ed he would have had his hand inside
his coat, but as it was, he simply let
his hands hang at the end of his arms.
Just as the eXecutioner was about to
drive Smiths eyebrows into his vest
pockets POcahontas made a wild rush
from the parquet seats and threw her
self across the manly form of Smith.
PocahOntas was cornfed bud of So
ciety, too, and would have made a
penny-in- the-slot weighing machine
look like whirligig. aThe feelings of
Smith. may readily be imagined. She
ruined the curl of his hair and
smashed his ruff1ed collar beyond re-
demption. Smith tried to speak-he
wanted to urge her to shift a little, for
she was grinding his collar button into
the tic1lish spot at the top of the
breast bone, but she exclaimed:
Say not a word, my hero!"
Having no breath left with which to
say the word, Smith refrained from
speech.
Turning to her stern old father,
Pocahontas begged him to spare the
poor man.
Powhatan nodded assent and the ex-
ecutioner went sadly away. Smith
rose to his feet and took Poeahontas
by the hand, advancing to the center
of the stage to respond to the curtain
call.
There are many other stories told Of
Mr.. Smith. He told most of them him
self. But we should draw the great
moral lesson from this one that GOO
goo eyes are sometimes as useful in
real life as in song.
President Palma's Mother
Thirty years ago Gen. Palma. now