The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-10

y
life but bag Of grain swung to his
saddle-bow--or that equally perilous
escape of his from his French captors
off the isle OF Rhe, when at dead tf
night. in the midst OF the wfntry storm,
he dropped over the side Of the caraval
into little boat without oars or food,
and drifted out on the wild sea, trust
ing to the mercy OF God, which did not
fall him.
: But IT Is this story Of his rescue BY
Pocahontas and the episode of his STAY
ing the three Turkish champions at
the Siege Of Regal that Smiths, de-.
tractors have singled out for special
attack, seeming to hold that II they
can successfully discredit hls account
OF these two events. he stands con-
yIcted of lying as to the rest of his
adventures.
With all Of honest Jacks "damnablc
iteration" they point out again and
again that Smith. in his True Rela-
ton" published in 5000. makes no
and that 1t was not until sixteen years
after that he told the romantic story"
Of his rescue In the General Historic
published in 1924.
Before considering the True Rela-
ton let us examine briefly the actual
facts In the case. In 1915 Pocahontas
came to England with her English hus-
band. Master John Folfe. an honest
gentleman OF good behaviour" and was
made much OF by fashionable London
society. as being "a princess. daughter
OF an Emperour." She and Smith held
a pathetic interview at Brentford. after
which he Warmly commended her to
the favor of the Queen (Anne of Dem
mark) in letter ca littel booke." he
quantity terms ito, an abstract of
which he afterwards printed In the
"Generall Historic" In this letter he
gratefully dwells on her many friendly
services to the struggling colonists,
and thus rnodest1y alludes TO his own
deliverance from death. when captive,
through her tender commiseration:
after some six weeks fatting amongst
these salvage courtiers, at the minute
of my execution she flaZarded the beat
ing out OF her own braines to save
mine. and not only that, but so pre-
vailed with her father that was
safely conducted to Jamestowne." None
of Smiths critics at first questioned the
genuineness OF this letter, contenting
themselves with the cheap sneer that
Its author finding Pocahontas had been
received by the rich and powerful as
a pCI Soi6So III ldnCc, "TOle
the letter In order ito advertise" him
self by connecting his name with that
of the Indian princess.
But the shrewdest OF them. Mr.. Hen
ry Adams, seeing at once that, IL Its
genuineness were conceded, the letter
settled definitely the truth of the res
cue (unless PocaRontas was to be
branded as a liar tool, promptly as.
sailed it's credibility In the North Amer.
lean Review. declaring it forgery
because no copy of 1t could be traced
outside the pages Of the General
| Historic,
| This amazing reason for such {
charge indicates fairly enough the ami
| mus of Smiths detractors. The Gen
erall Historic" published in 1924 wa!
dedicated to the Duchess of Richmond
and Lennox. Can any dispassionatt
man believe for moment that Smith
would have dared to insert such a for.
gerry in book dedicated. by permits.
sion, to great lady, who had been 4
member of the Court In 1916, wher
Pocahontas was received by the Queen
and who must have often talked witt
the heroine Of the story?
The King. too, was still alive; so was
| Prince Charles, as were also such
u
as the Duchess of Bedford. the Duches.
of Suffolk, the Duchess Of Nottingham
and others of rank. men and womer
who must still have remembered
wildly the gentle and dignified "Em.
| perour's daughter" and who would a
once have exposed the falsehood. hat
Smith dared to print in the Historic
| a letter containing such romantic
incident that had never really been sen
to the Queen.
Again in 1922 (two years before tn,
appearance of the General Historie")
in his New England Trials" Smitl
makes reference to the rescue In thes.
words: ut Is true in our greatest ex
| tremfties they (the Indians) shot me
slue three of my men. and by the foil,
Of them that fed tooke me prisoner
yet God made Pocahontas the King:
daughter the meanes to deliver me-"
In 1923 the King appointed Com
missioners for the reformation OF Vr
GINA" who were empowered to lool
into the affairs OF tho London Com
pany. In his sbrief relation" to thes,
commissioners. Smith says: six week
was led captive by those Barbarians
though some of my men We're slain,
and the rest fled; yet 1t pleased God t
make their great Kings daughter til,
! means to returne me safe to James
towne and relieve our wants"
Many men, conyersant with the at
fairs Of the colony and with Smith
share in It's administration, were ex
amined at the time. and the falsity o
his statements would have been in
stantly detected by the commissioner
had he not been telling the truth.
Finally, in 1924. Smith published hi
|"General Historic" a composite work
made up of his own narrative an
those of tried and trusty comrades, re
vised By himself.
The book is a virile one. and pos
sesses the powerful charm of the sim
pie. vet vivid, touch of an actlv
participant in the scenes described.
1t at once excited keen public inter
est, and went through edition afte
edition. but nowhere do we find an
denial Of the Pocahontas story, thong
some of Smiths structures on the con
duct Of affairs In Virginia were strenu
ously combated.
Especially worthy OF note is the FAC
that. within year Of its publicatio,
Captain George Percy. one of the origi
nal Virginian colonists, and Brother
the Earl of Northumberland, wrote