Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-04
Frances Slocum Would Not Leave
Tribe for Her Relatives.
MONUMENT IN HER MEMORY
Romantic Story Of Her Devotion to
the Miamis Perpetuated by
Women Of Indiana.
BY WILLIAM z. Curtis.


Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
On the bank Of the Mississinnewa river.
near Peru, Ind, is a monument erected
by the women of that county to the mem
DRY Of Frances Slocum, a white woman
who spent almost her entire life as the
wife Of an Indian chief, and whose story
is full of romance and adventure.
In 171I Wilkesbarre, Pa, was strag-
Cling settlement made up of the cabins
Of half dozen or more Quaker families.
Among them was one Of the name OF
Slocum. consisting Of father and mother
and four or five small children, one Of
whom, Frances, was then some six or
seven years of age. One evening In the
summer of 1777, while Frances and two
or three of her playmates were amusing
themselves In front of the cabin on the
edge of a forest several Indians suddenly
sprang upon them, killed one of the girls
and carried Frances and another girl
away into captivity. A sister and brother
Of Frances escaped and gave the alarm.
but nothing could be heard OF the cap
another and the father and mother of
Frances went down to their graves
mourning the unknown fate of their little
one. Her brothers and sisters grew old
and became aged and gray-haired men
and women, and still no tidings were re-
ceived until three score years had slip
ped into the past. Sixty years after her
capture the first information concerning
her reached her aged relatives.
Found by Accident.
In 1S34-5 George W. Ewing, United
States agent among the Miamis, then
claiming nearly all the northern half OF
Indiana, visited the Indian village on the
banks of the Mississinnewa, not far from
where the city Of Peru now stands. He
stopped at the cabin of Sha-pah-can-nah'
head of the tribe. and was received by
the aged wife of the chief In her move
ments about the wigwam she exhibited
some parts Of her body, and when Mr.
Ewing became satisfied that she was not
an Indian, but white woman. he ques-
toned her. She told him she was white.
and that she had been stolen when a
little child by some members OF the Deia-
ware tribe. She could not remember her
name, nor where her home had been, put
believed her fathers name was Slocum,
and that he had lived somewhere on the
banks of the Susquehanna. She had peen
adopted into the tribe OF the DelawaTes
and moved with them from place 10 pace
until she became grown woman. Shs
married a Delaware chief. who was khioo
in battle, and after a few years OF WIDOW
hood had become the wife of Sha-pan-
can-nah.
The indian agent. who naturally was
much interested in what he considered
a strange and remarkable discovery OF
a captive, conceived the idea Of using
the newspapers al a medium for clearing
I'D the mystery. He did not know wh0m
to address. but sent the story 10 Inc
Editor Of Any Newspaper In Lancaster,
Pa No paper was was ,ha t not
knowing to whom to deliver the letter.
threw it upon a shelf in his ONCE, Wnere
it remained for several years unt1i Jouh
w. Forney started newspaper IIe1e
Then the postmaster, finding the letter
one day. turned it over to Mr.. Forney,
who published It.
Caught Her Brothers Eye.
1t was copied In several newspapers
through Pennsylvania, and in 1887 came
under the notice of Isaac Slocum, man
nearly fourscore years of age. He re-
called the incident Of his childhood he
Immediately prepared to visit Indiana,
taking with him another sister who mad
ESCAPED the massacre. He told the IN
dian agent, upon reaching the settle
| ment, that If the woman was MS sister
she would have upon one of the fingers
Of her left hand a scar made by him
with a hammer. Brother and sister met
but neither could recognize the other.
The captive carried the scar, however,
and when questioned, told the agent now
it was caused, which corresp0nded with
the statement Mr.. Slocum had MADE.
There was no longer any DOUBT or ner
identity, but having lived with the IN
dams for sixty years. she did not wish
to leave them. and declined TO return 10
PENNSYLVANIA with her brother.
She remained at the Indian village,
where she died a few years later. She
had several children, and quite NUMBER
of her descendants still live near Peru.
One of her daughters married me, me son son
of boy who had been stoieh AIoH' 'i'9
home in Kentucky.
At the summit of high knoll over
looking the Wabash river. Is maIoIe
shaft erected to the memory OF fa-ionA-
wa, chief OF the Miami Indians. DetIer
known as Francis Godfroy, VINO was ceie
brated in his time.
The Miamis, or Twightwees, as they
were sometimes called. became a strong
organization and proved to be the nam
enemies of the settlers in Kentucky. They
had several noted chiefs. among them be-
ing he-kan-nah-quah. or little Turtle,
Buck -a~he-las, Pa-lonz-wa, or Francls
Godfrey Little Turtle was entitled 10
rank among the greatest Indian chiefs
in the country. AS a general he was the
superior Of Osceola, King Philip or Ponti,
&C. and as a statesman he outranked all
others. He commanded the Indians at
the time of st. Glars defeat, and IN the
The headquarters of the Miamis was
near where Fl. Wayne Ind, now stands
and it was from there the orders went
out of incursions into Kentusky. or to
assemble for battle with the armies OF
the whites Little Turtle trained his war
riors to maneuvers In battle which gave
him absolute control Of their movements;
thew advanced. fell back, moved to the
right or left flank at his signals with as
much percision as the Venteran troops
Of a civilized army. When he commanded
he never suffered a defeat. He was
present and took part in the battle Of
FALLEN Timber. whore Gen. Anthony
Wayne overthrow the Indian power. but
the Indians against that battle and coun-
seized them to make peace. but Blue
Jacket, chief of the Shawnees. carried
the day for a fight and Little Turtle re-
iinouished the command to him.
Ruled Tribe Forty Years.
Little Turtle ruled the Mianis for forty
wears and no chief ever welded a more
absolute authority than did he during
all those years. After the defeat Of the
Indians by Gen. Wayne. Little Turtle
made peace and from that time until his
death remained a steadfast friend of the
whites. He kept the Mianlis from taking
the part of the British during the war Of
1910. Unfortunately for the Americans he
died just as that war was assuming
serious proportions.
Little Turtle was ever the advocate of
upright living among the tribes. dis
courasing drunkenness and all the civil
ICED vices In 1897 he visited President
| DILL lA1