The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-02-16
GREAT LOVE
STORIES
of HISTORY
JOHN SMITH AND
POCAHONTAS

Copyright. b the Aushor.I

Capt. John Smith was a soldier of
fortune. He was also q bully. a brag.
CART and . most amazing liar. But in
spite Of all this he was a great man
and our country owes him q debt that
should never be forgotten. Smith had
Knocked about the world ever since.
as boy, he ran away from his Eng
lish home. He had been a soldier, a
sailor. a captive slave in the orient
and had followed many trades. 1t is
hard to gain true idea Of his career.
since for a great deal OF it we have
only his own word to go on. And he
had scant regard for truth.
A band Of English colonists landed
in Virginia in 1907. They were a mot
ley rabble, who had gone there expect
ing to find gold. 1t was sort Of get
rtch-quick" scheme. When they could
not pick up gold for the asking in
the new world they were disguised
farmers. They would have starved
or gone back to England but for
Smith. He was one Of their leaders
and set them to blowing. housebuild-
ing, clearing forests and doing other
needful work. They hated him, but
could not get on without his help. So
they sulkily obeyed him. Having got
ten the colonists
e,..'..; started on their
@"ua''o"' labors, Smith set
out to explore the neighboring country.
During this trip he was captured by
Chickahominy Indians. passed from
IN frihn n olVrinSifv
length was brought before Chief Pow
hatan. The old chief pretended to
treat him as an honored guest. Sud.
denly, however, number of Indians
hurled themselves upon Smith, over.
powered and bound him, throwing him
to the ground and placing a great
stone beneath his head. Then two ex-
ecutioners, armed with big clubs, ad-
vanced to dash out his brains. Amer
ica's future fate hung in the balance.
Without Sn h the Virginia colony
could not live. The colonists' failure
would discourage other Englishmen
from crossing the seas. France and
Spain, which had already formed set
Elements in America, would probably
have overrun the Atlantic seaboard
forever the Anglo-Saxon race. The sit
uation and the country's future were
saved by a girl.
From earliest ages it has been the
custom among many savage tribes all
over the world to permit any woman
of the tribe to save a prisoners life
by offering to marry him. When a
woman interfered to rescue doomed
prisoner it was on the understanding
that she consented to be his wife.
That this old custom was in vogue in
Powhatan's tribe is not improbable.
for the chiefs daughter, Pocahontas.
sprang forward before the execution
ers' clubs could descend and flung her.
self upon Smiths breast, praying her
father to spare the condemned Eng
lishman. Her plea was granted. Smith
was spared. Had the rescue been
merely an act of girlish pity the af
fair would probably have ended then
and there. But it did not. Smith
went back to his colonists at James.
town. Pocahontas followed him. She
risked her life to visit him there on
every possible occasion. He told her
the colonists were starving. She and
her servants brought them food that
tided them over a famine season.
But for her this first English colony
in America must have persisted for
lack of provisions. But for her love
bled to feed the settlers or to per.
suade her father to leave them in
peace This is proved by the fact that
after Smith went back to England Pc
cahontas lost all interest in the col.
| ony and neither returned to visit il
| nor sent it aid. Whether or not Smith
: reciprocated the savage maiden's love,
he undoubtedly made great use Of 1t
in behalf of his suffering fellow-Eng.
! lishmen Whether or not Pocahontas
actually regarded herself as Smiths
| wife, she loved him devotedly to the
end of her days.
Smith fell i'll and left Virginia. Word
| came that he was dead. Pocahontas
was heartbroken. When the English
| captured her by treachery and urged
her to strengthen
''o,' >"e the alliance be-
| tween E n 6 Ia n
and the savages by marrying a colon
list named Rolfe she consented. Rolfe
took her to London. There at court
she came face to face with Smith. Al
first she thought she had seen a ghost
| The unhappy girl fell to the floor in a
dead faint Recovering, she threw hel
arms about Smiths neck, covered his
bearded face with kisses and called
him countless endearing names. Sc
| overcome with Joy was she at seeing
once more the man she had loved and
lost that she forgot all the stiff court
! etiquette into which she had been sc
carefully drilled, and had no eyes fol
Rolfe, nor for the king of England
himself. so long as Smith was pres
ent
A quick reaction followed upon hel
| Joy. Though Smith was alive, she
realized that she was bound for life
to another man. Rolfe. perhaps with
the idea Of removing her from so dan
gerous a rival, prepared to take Poca
hontas back at once to Virginia. Blu
| sho mined evay apd N{oN hNforA ran r n