The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-01-31


educations and insists that they adopt
the white mans civilization. Some
of these days am going to have
Quanah come and see me- He has
promised that he will come"
The Romance of His Mother.
Col, Nathaniel Parker Mrs. ST.
Johns grandfather. was 4 Georgian
with a large family of sons and
daughters, who, in the early years OF
tae last century, located in Southern
Illinois and there formed commun
i,y Of Hard Shell Baptists,' of which
he became a prophet. In the '30s Ma
thaniel Parker, Tost OF his sons and
his congregation left Illinois and set
tied in what is now Parker County
Texas, and he took leading part in
the struggles which followed with the
Mexicans and Indians. They had not
been In Texas long, when the Co
manches ralded the settlement, killed
two OF the sons and carried Off Ra'
chel Pummer. the married daughles
of James Parker, and little Cynthia
Ann Parker. the S-year-old daughter
Of Sias Parker.
Rachel plummer was sold by the
CDmanches to another tribe ana car
riea Off to New Mexico ana Arizona
where, few years later she was
purchased from the Indians by trad
ers and brought to independence,
Mo-, whence she was returned to her
family iii Texas. Mrs, ST. Johns
book will tell Of Rachel Plummer's
experience with the Indians and the
story Of Jim Parker, who. from the
day his daughters and niece were
stolen and his brothers killed be
came an Indian killer and wreaked a
bloody vengeance upon the redskin.
Of Synthia Ann no trace was found
for twenty-three years. one day,
about Christmas, 1860, a party OF
rangers and soldiers ran into a small
body Of Comanches in Northwestern
Texas and killed OF captured all OF
them. Among the captives was a
squaw with papoose--a little girl.
1t was found that the squaw was a
white woman She was taken TO
Fort Cooper and some one remember
ing the incident OF the Parker mas
sacre twenty-three years before, sent
for one of the Parker brothers.
When he came she still would not
talk but someone happening to men
tion the name Cynthia Ann she
said:
''Me Cynthia Ann"
That was all the English she re-
membered. With her baby Cynthia
Ann was taken to the home of her
uncle. william Parker, whose widow
now lives In Wcstport with her
daughter Ms. Homer Howard. The
little girl lived only few years. At
first CYNTHIA Ann longed TO return to
her boys with the Comanches; hut,
after a while, became contented and
remained till her death with her
white relatives.
Cynthia Ann. when she grew M,
had became the wife Of the great Co
manche chief. Nocona, and had by
him tsree children, one girl and two
boys, of whom Quanah Is the only
su yivor Among his most treasured
possessions is the life size painting
of his mother. which hangs on the
wall Of his home
Quanah grew up with his tribe, a
wild Indian, helping TO fight and scalp
whites. He got his baptism of fire
al the battle of adobe Walls" an
account of which has been written by
Col Ed c. Little. This battle tool,
place in the Panhandle Of Texas in
1874 between party Of Kansas buf,
falo hunters and mixed band OF
Comanches, Cheyennes, Kiowas and
Araphoes. With the hunters were
noted frontiersmen like William Bart
ley, Bat Masterson, Jim Hanrahan
and Billy Dixon In the first charge
Quanah ode at the lead of his Co
manches and received wound In The
Ibreas. which put him ont of the
fight. but his daring in that fight wa
the beginning Of that supremacy
among the Comanches which he Still
maintains.
A Friend of Civilization.
When peace was restored the gov
ernment recognizing Quanah's ability
employed him 10 induce his people Il
come in and be good. He soon saw
the advantages of civilization and, be
ing a born diplomat and administra
tor. he soon brought his people Il
an acceptance OF the new conditions
He is an earnest advocate of schoo
and education. He breaches religion
TO his people and is as public spil
tied citizen as thee is in the stat
OF Oklahoma. He is great frien
and admirer of Mr. Roosevelt an
they have hunted iogether
There Is = delicious bit Of India
egoiism in Quanab's story of his NEE
ing with ex-President Roosevelt a
Frederick, Ok. as he told 1t last yea
in speech at Cache:
"Quanah go TO Frederick to SO
Roosevelt There big crowd. Quar-
ah no could get to Roosevelt. Roos'
welt he look over crowd and sc
/ Quanah. He say. why, Quanah
| and crowd opened to let Guiana
through. and there two big chiei
shake hands--Roosevelt, big chief {
white man. and Quanah, big chief {
the Comanche5."
These things are the merest Oh
line of the interesting and romant
story which Mrs ST. John will tell
her book.