The summer of 1864 marked a period of unusual peril to the daring pioneers seeking homes in the far West. Following upon the horrible massacres in Minnesota in 1862, and the subsequent chastisements inflicted by the expeditions under Generals Sully and Sibley in 1863, whereby the Indians were driven from the then western borders of civilization, in Iowa, Minnesota, and the white settlements of Dakota, in the Missouri Valley, the great emigrant trails to Idaho and Montana became the scene of fresh outrages; and, from the wild, almost inaccessible nature of the country, pursuit and punishment were impossible.
I was a member of a small company of emigrants, who were attacked by an overwhelming force of hostile Sioux, which resulted in the death of a large proportion of the party, in my own capture, and a horrible captivity of five months’ duration.
Of my thrilling adventures and experience during this season of terror and privation, I propose to give a plain, unvarnished narrative, hoping the reader will be more interested in facts concerning the habits, manners, and customs of the Indians, and their treatment of prisoners, than in theoretical speculations and fine-wrought sentences.
Some explanation is due the public for the delay in publishing this my narrative. From memoranda, kept during the period of my captivity, I had completed the work for publication, when the manuscript was purloined and published; but the work was suppressed before it could be placed before the public. After surmounting many obstacles, I have at last succeeded in gathering the scattered fragments; and, by the aid of memory, impressed as I pray no mortal’s may ever be again, am enabled to place the results before, I trust, a kind-judging, appreciative public.
CONTENTS.
| [CHAPTER I.] | Page |
| Early History—Canada to Kansas—Death of my Father—My Marriage—“Ho! for Idaho!”—Crossing the Platte River—A Storm, | 11 |
| [CHAPTER II.] | |
| The Attack and the Capture, | 19 |
| [CHAPTER III.] | |
| My Husband’s Escape—Burial of the Dead—Arrival of the Survivors at Deer Creek—An ill-timed Ball, | 28 |
| [CHAPTER IV.] | |
| Beginning of my Captivity, | 37 |
| [CHAPTER V.] | |
| Plan for Little Mary’s Escape—Tortures of Uncertainty—Unsuccessful Attempt to Escape, | 45 |
| [CHAPTER VI.] | |
| Continuation of our March into the Wilderness—Suffering from Thirst and Weariness—Disappearance of my Fellow-prisoner—Loss of the old Chief’s Pipe, and its Consequences to me—A Scene of Terror, | 49 |
| [CHAPTER VII.] | |
| Powder River—Another Attempt to Escape—Detection and Despair—A Quarrel—My Life saved by “Jumping Bear,” | 62 |
| [CHAPTER VIII.] | |
| The Storm—Arrival at the Indian Village—The old Chief’s Wife—Some Kindness shown me—Attend a Feast, | 72 |
| [CHAPTER IX.] | |
| Preparations for Battle—An Indian Village on the Move—Scalp Dance—A Horrible Scene of Savage Exultation—Compelled to join the Orgies—A Cause of Indian Hostility—Another Battle with the White Troops—Burial of an Indian Boy—A Hasty Retreat—Made to act as Surgeon of the Wounded—Mauve Terre, or Bad Lands, | 92 |
| [CHAPTER X.] | |
| Mourning for the Slain—Threatened with Death at the Fiery Stake—Saved by a Speech from Ottawa—Starving Condition of the Indians, | 106 |
| [CHAPTER XI.] | |
| Meet another White Female Captive—Sad Story of Mary Boyeau—A Child Roasted, and its Brains Dashed out—Murder of Mrs. Fletcher—Five Children Slaughtered—Fate of their Mother, | 112 |
| [CHAPTER XII.] | |
| First Intimation of my Little Mary’s Fate—Despair and Delirium—A Shower of Grasshoppers—A Feast and a Fight—An Enraged Squaw—The Chief Wounded, | 120 |
| [CHAPTER XIII.] | |
| Arrival of “Porcupine”—A Letter from Captain Marshall—Hopes of Rescue—Treachery of the Messenger—Egosegalonicha—The Tables Turned—Another Gleam of Hope—The Indian “White Tipi”—Disappointed—A White Man Bound and left to Starve—A Burial Incident, | 129 |
| [CHAPTER XIV.] | |
| Lost in the Indian Village—Black Bear’s White Wife—A small Tea Party—The White Boy-captive, Charles Sylvester—The Sun Dance—A Conciliating Letter from General Sibley—A Puzzle of Human Bones—The Indian as an Artist—I Destroy a Picture and am Punished with Fire-brands—A Sick Indian, | 136 |
| [CHAPTER XV.] | |
| Preparing the Chi-cha-cha, or Killikinnick—Attack on Captain Fisk’s Emigrant Train—Fourteen Whites Killed—A big Haul of Whisky—A Drunken Debauch—I write a Letter to Captain Fisk under dictation—Poisoned Indians—The Train saved by my Clerical Strategy, | 147 |
| [CHAPTER XVI.] | |
| Scenes on Cannon Ball Prairie—Reflections, | 154 |
| [CHAPTER XVII.] | |
| A Prairie on Fire—Scenes of Terror, | 159 |
| [CHAPTER XVIII.] | |
| Last days with the Ogalalla Sioux—Massacre of a Party returning from Idaho—A Woman’s Scalp—A Scalp Dance—Suspicious Circumstance—Arrival of Blackfeet Indians—Negotiations for my Ransom—Treachery, | 164 |
| [CHAPTER XIX.] | |
| Indian Customs, | 175 |
| [CHAPTER XX.] | |
| An Indian tradition—Arrival at the Blackfeet Village—An offer to purchase me indignantly rejected—A Yankton attempts my Capture, | 191 |
| [CHAPTER XXI.] | |
| Appearance of Jumping Bear—I prevail on him to carry a Letter to the Fort—A War Speech—Intended Treachery—Resume our Journey to the Fort—Singular Meeting with a White Man—“Has Richmond Fallen?”—Arrival at the Fort—I am Free! | 199 |
| [CHAPTER XXII.] | |
| Retrospection—A Border Trading post—Garrison Hospitality—A Visit from the Commandant of Fort Rice—Arrival of my Husband—Affecting Scene, | 212 |
| [CHAPTER XXIII.] | |
| Sad Fate of Little Mary, | 218 |
| [CHAPTER XXIV.] | |
| What occurred at Fort Laramie after my Capture—Efforts to Rescue—Lieutenant Brown killed—Reward offered—It is the Means of restoring another White Woman and Child—Her Rescuers hung for Former Murders—A Letter announcing my Safe Arrival at Fort Sully, | 223 |
| [CHAPTER XXV.] | |
| Supper in Honor of our Re-union—Departure from Fort Sully—Incidents by the way—Arrival at Geneva—Mother and Child—A Happy Meeting, | 228 |
| [CHAPTER XXVI.] | |
| Elizabeth Blackwell—Mormon Home—A brutal Father—The Mother and Daughters flee to the Mountains—Death of the Mother and Sisters from exposure—Elizabeth saved by an Indian—A White Woman tortured—Rescued Children—The Boxx Family—Capture of Mrs. Blynn, | 238 |
| [CHAPTER XXVII.] | |
| Move to Wyoming—False Friends—The Manuscript of my Narrative taken by another party and published—I go to Washington, | 250 |
| [CHAPTER XXVIII.] | |
| General Sully’s Expedition, | 255 |
| [Poem to Mrs. Fannie Kelly], | 268 |
| [Certificate of Indian Chiefs], | 270 |
| [Certified Copies of my Correspondence with Captain Fisk], | 274 |
| [Statement of Lieutenant G. A. Hesselberg], | 279 |
| [Statement of Officers and Members of the Sixth Iowa Calvary], | 282 |
THE CAMP.