Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 3, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 December 1859 — The Indian Captive Reclaimed after Thirty Five Years' Abseace-Incd dents of his Life. [ARTICLE]

The Indian Captive Reclaimed after Thirty Five Years' Abseace-Incd dents of his Life.

(Froui the TilVin Tiibioio.

The foil awing narrative of the- return c.ml ! recognition .of A!at!tew Bnayton, the J.m_ lost son of Elijah Bray ton tu this count v, who was stolen by the Itidi u'm liiirty-fonr years ago, will he nadwit I* intere. t. It w.is kindly furnished by* M J. \V. Chandierlin ol (!tirey, ntid ca ll be r- licd upon as true: On the . 2#th of •iffcp'temher, 1:2.5, tw o children o's Elijaii Br; vlon, then resiling mar Sjiring.vill' in .this county, were mat. out alter the cows. After going it sh a t distance Irom home the younger one, Mathew-, a lad between seven and eight years of age, j became fatigued-, and started lor a neighboring hot: •' close by, while the other continued the search u,r the' cows. Since that time ■ nothing Iras been hoard of the child until, lately. The country was thoroughly searched bv all the whites and friendly Indians that resided neat this settlement, and continued several weeks, hut w ithout effect. At the time he was lo I there was two scars on Iff-; person, one on 'his head, caused by a boil, ; and one on the big too of his right foot, cansi d by a cut with an ax. During the latter part off hist A'fi'gust it was ascertafiu-d through the medium off the papers that a returned Indian capt ive was at Cleveland searching for Ins relatives. Search was made for this person, but he was not found until Tuesday evening, Nov. 15, w hen he was discovered at a farmer’s house near Sugar Grove, Warren county, Pa., by Win. Brayton, who started with him immediately for Adrian, where Im- arrived on ThfV-aay noun. The news flew like wild-fire through Iho neighborhood; and'people have been \ isiling [ him constantly since his arrival, questioning him and cross-questioning till he was almost exhausted. The scars corresponding to those on Mathew Brayton when lost, were found ion Ims person. He is a man about five feet seven inches in bight and light, complexion:. he has Some tattoo marks on his chest; also, some scars on his right leg, caused by wounds r .'reived in an Indian battle some three years ago. Tld- Indians, in pertorming the j necessary surgical operation, tied him to a log an.l sewed up the vvousid, some eight inches in length, with a buckskin t-heug, making hat three c! iehes.. The scar.-, made by the needle and thong are nearly as large as that by the cut off the tomahawk. lie has with him hi Indian i! g, called lu’ifii-i

and a large pipe made of flint, yvhicu weigns nine ounces. He soys it took him “one moon”’to drill the hole through Iris pipe, which he did with a piece of steel,’ som:' bear’s oil and water. He was stolen by lue Canada and Pottawatomie Indians, ami was shift.ed from one of thus" tribes to the oilier till he was sold by them to the P. paw Indians for.five-gallons and a half of whisky, s.nd they sold him to 1 he r.; for seven gallons and a half. They v. •re living ,in Michigan at tint time. The Cliijipf.vaas houg’itt him of -the, Winnebago: s' and kept l-iim two moil 1 hs and a hr.if, and then sold him to.the Sioux for eleven gallons of tli? “fire, water,” Tiffs lie dees not revelled himself, but.-it was SoM to him by the v." • oits trib, - as luetraced himseif hack to Ohio. He remembers hack to the tliu.e he was , twenty-six years ago. To use his language, “ I was then a 1 . nd shorter than I am now.”' lie was pur. • I April', at Coder Rapids, lowa*,- by the Snakes 'and Copperheadsffwith whom he has resided ; ever since. He lived' -in • lowa two year*. six months; thence to- (’alifornia, where he r< sided five am! a in.” years; thence- to Or'e- ! goji. where lli-cy staid two years: thence to ! the Russian Possession's, where he. has resided ever, since , except, v. lien trav-.-li.iig to and from their trailing pci:lie lived ’ near Behring Sir .its, to. u hundred miles north-west of “Big esquimaux'’ vid luge, 60 deg's n*>rth latitude. 110 ' ha., crossed the | Straits several times in tb.e winter season eti t he ice He w as crossing once, a few winters ago, sharp puce, wlien the elk stepped into an airhole, throwing him ever his head into the ; waiter. At the time this took place the. lamented I)r. Kano with his expedition was ■in that section. After, get-ing o-.ff oF the water lie tn°t one of the crew, a tnatt by the :rr tn+'-4>l i'homas Hickey. Since his return ;*o the States, on lii.s nrr'val at Cleveland when he got oIT the train, he saw Hickey, i who recognized him instantly, called him by pi's jaidian name. ;■: "I Pa was in St. Paul when it oicy cot)! a •ried seven houses. About eight years ago, his ■ tribe being nearly famished by hntiger, he went to Hudson Bay in search of provisions, w here he first learned that bo was a pale face; The whites h.ffng unable to purchase I im. (the I: liiaii.- refusing to part with him.) ’ li-e-tc ned to t him by force, let the c.'t iff.q...riiy of their numbers: prevented ■ them from putting their thro: t in forceleave them or he taken'aw y by tim whites. They t on visit' d Lord Selkirk's settlement j oil Rid ■River',' where they got into a skirmish with the w hit s. The whites told him , there, alsb, tiuft he was. a .white man. He had been at Ss, Paul seven or eight times on ; trading expeditions; also at Lord Selkirk’s seUienuyit, Hudson’s Bay and St- Antlnry's Fall’s: The. whites repeatedly told his .tribe that if they did noV let him go to the States, Lo search :or Iffs relations, tl-u y would take him from thorn -by force! He left his. residence Septe-n.her, 1>58; left St. Paul on the 16 th of April, f A 9, i.n company \\ it li li i> luff! a u lirotleaf,;(c!iie! elect last fall.) six Imlidians, three ponies and live dogs. Thev ; came with iiim to t hycago, where lie was taken sick and placed in the hospital for treatment, and kept there till ho r n \ • two. I His Indian friends there left him' and re- : turned to ’• I• ■ ■;. tribe. He Went from tliete :o Detroit, .Michigan; thenca to Ohio; thence :to Northern Pennsylvania, where ho was ■found by William Bray ton; Esq. 110 was : then on his way to s um: Indians in New : York. He carr speak five different Indian languages, viz: Snake, Copperhead, Crow, j Utah and Flathead. He also speaks the English language very fluently and correctly, [which lie says came, to him a linos!, inluitive|ly on meeting with the whites. The tribe ; with which he lived had a compass and 'watch enclosed in one copper case, wlech [they used in traveling* They purchased it. of the Russians for one hundred dollars. He says the Snakes, Copperheads, Crows, [ Ufalls, and Flutheiids together number }OO,~ 1.500 souls—men, women and children injeluded. He married the daughter of the Grand ] Chief seven .'years ago. lie has two children, son and daughter. His daughter's name is Trelonn, (Tamo Deer) and is five \ ears old. His son’ name is Tulle, usa, two years old lasi June. His o\yn uuusc is Owahov. av Kish me wall. Y\ t:e>i he arrived in j Chicago he w.i.-:dt- sad in Indian c u me, daubed and palptecff hi . hais in u d ■ ' n lo his knees. While in the h itai tii y 'cut off Ida I'utii'. and .scrohh.ed lu'ni wrßv sand. |

soap and Water, until all vestige of the paint was removed-. He eats meat raw, but will Lot eat food containing salt