The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1953-10-15
An Indian DivOrre

"a cross, peevish brute, quarrel
some, greasy and none too clean,,
brooded Jonathan Alder, and forth
with began trying to devise way to
get rid of his squaw. White, "a and
unable to remember single word of
English, Alder did his thinking in
Indian and his ways were Indian
ways.
Captured by the savages when only
nine, the man had lived with the In
dians for Is years but recently had
begun wondering about his own
people and longing for a white wife
instead of the sqpaw.
1t was 1895 and Alder had his little
cabin on Big Darby creek in Madison
County, about four miles north of
present West Jefferson. A few white
settlers already had begun to move
into the neighborhood and two of
them were teaching the renegade
English. Alder wanted to farm and
soon began to do if. He had hogs
cows and horses, selling milk and
butter to the Indians and pork and
horses to the whites. Thus he began
to accumulate some property.
Once he told John Moore, an ac-
quaintance, that he had been taken
captive near a place called Green
briar and that lead mine was near
by, where he used to go to play. He
did not know the state. Then he. was
able to recall the name of 8another
family there and through il Moore
was able to find Alder's people. ] /
I A letter from Alder's brother Paul
was received in answer to an adver
tisement Moore put in the newspaper
and the white captive made arrange
ments to return to his old home and
people. But first he had to get rid
of his Indian wife.
The squaw kicked up an awful
rumpus but by giving her ID cows,
worth $50 each; seven horses; much
other property and all the family
money-$2oO in silver, which the
squaw already had ain her own tin
box" Alder persuaded her to return
to her own people-the Ottawas at
Sandusky. Though he had been taken
by Shawnees, Alder and his squaw
lived among the Mingoes in Madison
County.
The agreement to each go his own
way was about all there was in Indian
divorce. Alder's Indian marriage
had been equally simple but with the
property settlement on the other foot
the wise savage father donating the,
ponies and wannpum to the groom for
taking the ugly duckling off his
hands.
1t was abput noon, the Sunday
after New Years Day, 1796, when
Alder arrived at his mothers home.
None of the family recognized him.
But when he told them who he was
his old mqther ran and threw her
arms around him and tears ran down
her cheeks. "How you have grown'v
she exclaimed His brother shook
hands with him.
Jonathan Alder had been captured
in March, 1889, when out with his
brother, David, hunting the strayed
family mare and her colt. David was
killed and scalped but because Jona-
than had black hair the tomahawk
was lowered and he was carried away
unhurt. He would make zoo good an
Indian, the savages explained.
The last he had seen of David was
when one Indian was holding him
around the body and another savage
was pulling out a spear which had
gone nearly through the boy. Short
ly after that the Indians had shown
Jonathan his btother's CORY scalp.
Alder was taken to a Mingo vii
lage in Logan County, Ohio, where
he was given to an Indian couple,
Succohanos, q small chief, and his
squaw, Whinechech, who raised him
as their own. They were old people
who had lost son but had three
daughters-Mary, Hannah and Sally
The Indian mother washed all the
4 &c 4ln ho,y with cnan anI