The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1919-04-18
GRANDMOTHER OF
d YANkS REARED
AMONG INDIANS
Richmond Woman Recalls
Early Life as She Waits for
Boys Return.

Four service stars, one of which
can now be gold. hang in the window
of Mrs. Annie Petry, 315 North a
street. Four grandchildren, Harry
Miller and Sergeant Clellie Outlet, of
Richmond, and Clarence Martin and
Cha rles Martin Of Hamilton, all of
whom played on her doorstep, licked
cake pans, and begged for Indian tales
at her home when they were young
sters, went out into the world war.
and now three are coming back-she
prays-to tell her their tales Of the
"big fight" and pat her wrinkled
cheeks.
Answering knock on her door this
morning. little grey haired, elderly
woman, with tear stained eyes, the
grandmother of -four OF the finest
boys that ever lived, came to the
door, and tried to talk about her boys
without crying. She did not quite
succeed with all her bravery. for sew
eral times tear trickled down her
grey calico dress.
Experienced In War
'Yes, l have four grandsons in the
service of their country. They are
good boys and have been good SOL
dters. But I'm just waiting and wait.
ing for them to come back Some
times at night I can't sleep just for
thinking about them and wondering
and praying that the three left win
get back SAFE" explained the little
woman.
I've had experiences with war ALI
my life. Just one war after another.
But pray God there will not have to
be another" she said. when was
a little girl. not more than five years
old, suppose. my uncle, the only rel
ative had on this earth, took me west
to live. My mother and 'poppie' had
both died when I was nothing but
baby. and he was raising me. We
had only just gotten settled on the
prairie when my uncle went to fight
in the civil war. He was the only
friend / had. His wife went for her
father to come and live with US, but
they treated my little sister and me
awfully bad. There were times when
they wouldn't let us come in the house
for day or two, and we would have
to go for hours without anything to
eat, and they didn't give US enough
clothes to keep us warm in the win
ter. But that was mostly all after
We had moved to the city. On the
prairie we had some friends but they
weren't the kind my aunt wanted US
to have. They were Indians-wild In
dians, and the enemy Of settlers.
Many times we would have no less
than ten or fifteen wagons Of Indians
sleeping in front of our door. We
always fed them for we had to. They
were good enough to some of those
who did but 1t was woe unto them
that didn't
Visitor Is Indian Chief
"One Indian, chief think, thought
a great lot Of me and my little sister.
He would come by the house often
and take us both on his knee and call
day we would be his very own little
pale pappooses, and then he would
look at my aunt and her father and
smile some way that scared them q
great deal.
MY aunt kept telling her father:
"'Some day you'll find the children
both stolen and US dead so finally
he agreed to move away and we came
back to Indiana to city where there
was more trouble than before. Just
before we left the west my little sis
ter took sick and died.
Il guess l could about write book
of my life" continued the little wo-
man. For, after we came back to
this state, some folks took me away
from NV amt and took me- over tn
Ohio where, after l was young lady,
/ married. I've been married twice.
had two sons and both Of them
fought in the Spanish-American war.
Neither one was killed though, thank
the good Father. My sons were Har-
vey Petry and William Martin.
"All three wars were hard to live
through, but this last one has been
the worst with four fine boys to worry
about" said she.