Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-12-11
they CLAIM ROYAL
ANCESTORS LAND.
Descendants OF the Great Chief
Massascit Have Lien on Many
New England Acres.
UNIQUE Story of How Princesscs
Live in Style Becoming Their
Ancient Lineage.

On the shores of Lake Assowonlpsett
in Massachusetts, in modest cottage of
their own construction, live the last of a
long line of American royalty, the Prin-
cesses Teweeleema and Wootonekanuske,
as they are pleased to call themselves,
or the Misses Melinda and Lottie Mitchell,
as they are known to the postmaster at
-Aakeville. The women are lineal de-
scendants in the eighth generation of
Massasoit, the chieftain of the Wom-
panoag Indians, says the Chicago Chron-
icle.
Massasoit, it will be remembered, was
ruler of the territory from Cape Cod to
Nalragansett bay when the pilgrims
landed at Plymouth. He made treaty
with the settlers in 1921 and maintained
friendship with them until his death,
forty years later. Had the pilgrims en-
countered the hostility from the natives
which was shown in other sections it is
doubtful if the infant colony which cop-
tributed SO much to the American COM
monWealth could nave gained a foothold
on these lnhosoitable shores. Massasoit
was the father of king Philip
The mother l,s e. the prinee s, Mrs;
Indian, a descendant of Massasoit.. Their
father was Thomas c. Mitchell, who. was
part Cherokee and Part English. They
IA lively shoe town in Plymouth county,
and it was here that the Indian girls re-
eeived the greater part Of their eamca
large part of their lives. Mrs. Mitchell
disd in North Abingdon in 1895, in her 9lst
year She had been en- fully ,a S civilized a ama
Der of the Baptist church there for
seventy-two years. Mr.. Mitchell followed
vessels sailing between Boston and China;
He was a member Of the Congresassllo0hai
church. He died in Fall RiveE in 1893. =
ance of being full-blooded Indians. They
have high cheek bones, dark, COPPER,
colored skins and coarse black hair, and
and culture, which have come with seN-
eral generations of intercourse with CIVIL
lied people,. The only Indian accompnsslitt
weaving . and fortune telling. They are
frequently seen at Massachusetts sum-
| mer resorts selling their wares
LIVE AS BECOME ROYALTIES.
The sisters formerly spent only the sum
| rner months on the shores of Lake AS AS.
sowompsett, passing the winters IN Noru IN
| Abingdon, but in recent years they have
They live in small, neat cottage which
| they built themselves, with the assist
ance of a carpenter to 90 the heavier We.
! rounded by about thirty acres. OF lane.
| part of which is under eultiVapon. Inc
farm work is done entirely by the sist sisters;
| They own several small cottages, Whlcn
4 they rent in the summer. and sell mix
| and farm produce to the visitors. .,s..
II Although 1t would seem lnilC Unity
| acres ought to satisfy almost any woman
l in the ordinary walks of life the, .prin-
1 cesses" are not satisfied and lay claim TO
! some 500 acres in Lakeville, which ne
| long, by right, to the heirs of MaSsasoit.
/ The have in their possession a deed 70
| this large amount of property, Whlch
| was recorded more than 200 years ago.
| The present owners of the land show no
Inclination to give it up to the royal sis,
used her influence to have the state tat,
| guardianship removed from the lnoian
l lands in Fall River, maintaining that 2Vo
l acres in that city rightfully belonged 10
i tho descendants of the old chleftan OF
i the Wompanoags.
| The Mitchell girls occasionally appear
in Indian court costumes. of which they
are exceedingly proud. and many times
they have left their work to don them
for some ''kodall fiend." The costume
| consists of d headdrcss OF feathers, sash;
| short skirt of red and gold. legginSs ana
/ moccasins. On all ordinary occasions
they wear the conventional dress of their
Yankee neighbors. They have always
worn short skirts, for by the nature Of
their manner of living they are athletlc.
1 Among their friends TIE Indian sisters
are proud to mention Hezekiah Butter
worth, the author, who one summer was
their boarder. He occupied an old COT
tage. known as King Philips. on the
shore of the lake, where he did consia,
Indian ancestor of the sisters 10o years