The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-07-26
Little Journeys
Americana
LESTER q. COLBY

~ A~@-S &~&N -. SS4~Ss
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ate Of Cynthia Anne Parker
or nearly q hundred years now
tia tale Of the Kidnapping Of Gym
Ia Anne Parker has been q favor
story around the fresides OF
IaS Cynthia Anns's parents. with
small group Of friends and rela-
Fes, settled in 1888 on the Navasota
yer, not far from the present town
Groesbeck.
One bright May morning In 1855
war party made I'd OF fierce Co
6nches, cousins Of the Navaj0s.
Fept down upon them and murdered
ZEN all That ID. al except Gym
Ia Anne, who was twelve, q younger
rothsr, and two or three who g.
aped The two children were car
led OF.
For many years after that rumors
seped into the settlements. telling Of
white girl who rode swiftly with
ne Comanches. She was blue-eyed
- raiders, occasionally IN contact with
he nomadic plains tribes. now and
gain set eyes upon her. Once q
arty met her face 70 face but she
snained dumb In their presence.
They tried 70 ten her Of her rsla-
tvsA but though aha Hztened- they
,o1ld not get her TO answer them
: finally she grew MP and became the
wife Of Pets Noc0na- Noeona, IN the
Iasstng Of years, was elected chief
She bore him children
Once, after she was married, q
roup Of white men who visited the
Somsnche camp, asked her II she
would not Ike 70 return % her peo-
he. Pointing % Pefa Nocona she
said, he Ii my husband I love him"
And pointing to three naked little
red-skinned children padding about
she added: -And those are my babies-
love them, too. No. no. Ny place
1 here"
Comsnches were restless, fierce,
swift-moving savages- They were bet.
ter n home on horseback than any
where else In the world They could
not resist the Joy Of making forays
On those ranches which were the out
postF Of civilization. Thievery, espe-
dali horse stealing. was IN honor
abl business among them
Is! II happened that q command Of
% iers under 8. Z Ross, later gov
srIor Of Texas, surprised Psta No
cOna's band one day In 1890. Ross
himself, In Individual combat with
Nocona, broke the chiefs right arm
with q pistol bullet Ross described
the death Of Nocona, thirty year
afterward. as follows:
Il then shot the chief twice
through the body. He walked DELHI
erateIy TO q small tree nearby, the
only one In sight and, leaning against
II with one arm about Il for support,
began 70 sing q weird, Wild sons-
he death song Of the savage.
Il called upon him TO surrender but
he refused, with contempt, and tried
10 run me through with his lance
which he held IN his left hand I
could only look upon him with ad-
niration. He had no chance for es-
cape. His band was utterly destroyed
and his wife and child captured with
in his sight
yet be was undaunted and pre-
ferred death 70 life. / directed my
Mexican servant to end his misery
with q charge Of buckshot"
Cynthia Anne was brought TO CIV
and turned over to her uncle
Col Isaac Parker, living near Wealth
srtord In Parker county, named
for the family. The rest Of Cynthia
Anne's story Is touching.
After twenty-four years with the
COmanches she could not return 70
the life Of the whites Many times
she tried TO run away. Her family
watched her, hopefully but IN vain
Her heart bled for her tribe and her
babies. Finally II broke. She died
in 1854. literally beating herself TO
death against the bars that held her
&C. 1929. Lester 3. COIby.l