The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-07
New Light on Old PastimeS of
 the Indians
STORIES BY PIONEERS
Pennsylvania Woman, With Aid or Frying Pan, Successfully Under went the ordeal-Escaped
 Marriage to Indian.

illi uucS III q Ddfbdlu fusn or d IneellHB of suffra gettes. Time was when 1t stood for a bloody ordeal of savagery. There are not a few descendants in this coun- try of those who suffered it. and many thrilling story of the Indian rite is still told around the evening fire in regions where people have time to dwell on plo- neer days Holidays commemorating the early days of the republic are well oal- cuated to stir up such family traditions, while dark, gusty night in the Adiron- dacks or Maine woods gives the best possible setting for a recital of hair-rais- ing horrors. But It Is possible to go too far in the search for dramatic access sorles. The presence of a modern red man talking slang and smoking a cigar ette would spoil the picture
 The gantlet was a peculiar institution among the Indians, being combination of field sport and spectacle, and the sat isfaction of a deep, semireligious thirst for revenge. IL was like football and "Parsifal' and an attack on the umpire joined in one grand performance. The social instincts of the Indians demanded that all members of the tribe should take part in the torture of a captive; 1t was educational for the children, and it kept the squaws amused so that they did not ask for votes. An Indian on the war path had his selfish tendency to aocu- mulate scalps at his belt modified by the tribal sentiment of taking home few captives to give pleasure to others.
 Knives Forbidden.
 There were feasting and dancing as a prelude to the game, and every h. dian put on his best feathers and painted his face like the leading lady of a barn storming troupe. Red blankets and pur- pie wampum were the costume de rigueur. Two long lines were formed, and the members of the tribe were armed with stones attached to thongs, pointed sticks, rawhide whips and other miscellaneous weapons Knives and tomahawks were forbidden by the rules not out Of kind- ness but lest the victim should drop be- fore everybody had a share in the fun. It was also a foul to give mortal wound unless the captive's face was painted black Generally he was expected to survive the gantlet and afford final spectacle by being burned at the stake. The more humane white Puritans, it has been pointed out. merely put their witches on the rack before burning them. The Indian love of bravery or physical forti- tude occasionally saved the life of a captive who had withstood the ordeal of
 
 then adopted by some member of the tribe perhaps a widow or a mother bereft of her son. Fenimore Cooper describes the narrow escape of his hero from mar I rying a squaw who elected him after the i test of the gantlet Leatherstocldng 1 frankly declared that he would rather die than become pater-familias in wigwam | A story is told how a Pennsylvania woman in the year 1780 successfully ran the gantlet with the aid of frying pan. Her name was Mrs. Elder and she lived in the Juniata valley. She was good looking, black haired, and 30 years of age when the Senecas captured her in a raid and took her to tn cir settlement on the Allegheny. They made her walk during the long journey, and her homespun dress be- came torn, her feet were bare, and her hair was filled with twigs and leaves. She carried the big iron frying pan which she had been washing when the attack was made on her home. She had a presentment that the frying pan, emblem of civilization. would be of use to her, and she clutched it firmly as she trudged through the woods. The other captives were downh hearted; she had faith in the frying pan in which had sizzled many indigestible dain- ties for her loved ones.
 Used Pan as Shield.
 The fatal day and moment came when the Indians, yelling like demons, started the captives down the line of the gantlet. Mrs. Elder calmly watched the progress of her companions and waited her turn. She trusted to the speed natural to a frontierswoma and the charmed domestic implement that she bore. The word was given, and she ran. By using the pan as a shield she escaped so many blows and was getting on so we'll that an old Indian stepped out to block her progress. She raised the frying pan in the air and brought it down on his bare shoulder with such force that the sharp edge of the iron cut his flesh. The Indian fell back, taking the name of the Great Spirit in vain.
 The beautiful captive made a hit with chivalrous few, but the most were en- ragged by her daring. However, the suc- cess of her first attempt gave her re- newed strength. and. using her weapon first on one side and then on the other, she finally reached the end of her tor mentors and safety. The medicine man who dressed the wounded braves said that there must be a heap of magic in the white squaws pan.
 At the council fire that night the young brave who had taken Mrs Elder prisoner asked permission to have her as his wife He was so impressed with her courage that he was willing to take chances with the frying pan and it's owner. ->The couu- ell postponed decision on this request until the Indians should be established Tn their winter quarters. Tho march toward this village was begun in few days On the march the young brave was very kind to the captive he desired, and she, with a slight degree of the coquettishncss of her sex, kept him guessing. One day she would promise to ask the council that she be given to him, and then she would spend all her time doing little things for other admirers. The frying pan was her constant companion, and, discovering It's proper use. the Indians appointed her chief of the culinary department. A thought came to Mrs Elder of undermin- ing the health of her captors by frequent treats of fiapjacks and doughnuts, but she hesitated, thinking it would be less cruel to use poison. She was saved from the necessity of deciding these doubts by the opportune arrival of an English res- cuing party, and she lived many years to tell her grandchildren of her adventures in captivity
 Meant Her Invitation.