Kidnapped by Lakota | What it was Like to be a Woman CAPTURED by a Tribe of W4rriors
in the summer of 1864 a beautiful 19 year old woman Fanny Kelly was captured by Indians while traveling on the frontier for land in Idaho her Wagon Train was 4mbushed by the Lakota the men were ma.ssacred the women and children were taken for the next 6 months Fanny lived with them amid a hostile Wilderness and constant thre4t of de4th she endured her courage and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds would lead her to pen one of the most Vivid and gr.i.pping accounts of Frontier surv1val ever written this is her story
of what it was like to be kidnapped by the Lakota welcome to dates and de@d guys but before we get to our story I research historical topics I find interesting and tell them the way that I would to my friends if you like that kind of thing please like comment and subscribe to the channel and if you really like it take a look at my patreon the link is in the descr.i.ption but let’s get back to our story in May of 1864 a small train of wagons set out along the Oregon Trail Fanny only 19 had just gotten married to
Josiah Kelly Josiah had been a farmer and discharged Union sold1er and despite being 15 years her senior he was quickly Smitten by Fanny’s Beauty and cha.rm Josiah’s time farming and at W4r had taken a toll on his health and the family set their sights on the Golden Hills of Idaho along the Oregon Trail hoping that the climate would help him recover joining them was their adopted daughter 7 year old Mary recently orphaned by the de4th of her parents one of whom was Fanny’s sister she connected with her niece and grew to love and
adore her with distinctive Fair hair Mary was sweet and innocent Fanny desired to protect her at all costs The Wagon Train was small it had less than a dozen people it included the Kelly’s two bl4ck servants Frank and Andy others in the party included Kelly’s neighbor a minister and the laramore family consisting of William and Sarah laramore as well as their 8 year old son although they were heading far past the safety of the Eastern settlements the party didn’t fear @ttack from Indians that is all except for Mary she had seen Native
Americans at the trading posts and despite rea.ssurances from her adoptive father she always felt like they looked at her strangely like their smiles were fake and in different circumstances they would fade and the Indians would reveal their true intentions the stories heard by white children in the 1860s would have made Native Americans feel like boogeymen or Monsters the things in the dark that give children nightmares painted men in feathered headdresses that would raid wagon trains and k1ll the peaceful Travelers that fear was
partly Justified the party knew the land they were traveling into was home to the Lakota a large powerful tribe made up of many bands of mobile W4rriors who moved around on Horseback Fanny a.ssured Mary that they were safe ranches and outposts as well as sold1ers at nearby Fort ly protected settlers most of all there were agreements with natives in place so they should be allowed unmolested through the territory on July 12th the party crossed little Box Elder Creek and an optimistic warm orange poured over the vast plains
of the Black Hills in the evening they sang ho for Idaho together under the beautiful Setting Sun but then they saw them hundreds of painted W4rriors mounted and equipped for war the singing ended at first the Lakota didn’t move in full view of the Wagon Train they just sat at top of bluff mounted on their horses Fanny estimated that there must have been 200 W4rriors the war party then slowly descended Josiah taking the lead immediately commanded the wagons into a defensive ring and encouraged the few men to prepare arms the Lakota halted a
safe distance from their perimeter there they lingered menacingly whooping and firing g.uns into the air but not engaging the Pioneers Fanny’s mind focused solely on the shaking and terrified Mary with the child wrapped in her arms Fanny begged her husband not to do anything that would provoke the Indians telling him that if you fire one sh0t they will Ma.ssacre her all of us her advice encouraged her husband to hold fire Josiah a veteran h@ted doing nothing but his wife was right with their overwhelming numbers their lives
were in the hands of the Lakota after several minutes the war cries and g.unfire ceased as near silence hovered over the Prairie a single W4rrior approached the wagon Circle Josiah left Fanny to meet the warrior he was an elder and a chief named Ottawa Ottawa revealed to Des that he was in aala the same band of Sitting Bull Red Cloud and Crazy Horse the chief used his limited English to communicate good Indian me he beat his chest and pointed to those around him as he insisted on their benevolence he said that their party
wasn’t meant for war but rather they had stumbled upon the wagons while on a h.unt for Buffalo and deer Fanny still gr.i.pping Mary felt momentary relief as Josiah sh00k ottawa’s hand but it was then that the rest of the W4rriors quickly pushed forward into the ring the 200 W4rrior party completely enveloped the small Wagon Train despite their smiles handshakes and nods Fanny could tell that Mary knew something was very wrong she looked at Fanny the way that she had when she saw Indians at the trading posts as the natives moved Among
The Travelers their eyes scanned the wagon Circle the only way that Fanny and Josiah could interpret it is that they were looking for thre4ts and valuables Chief Ottawa insisted that they should trade and Josiah desperate to keep the peace willingly agreed but the Indians began to brazenly seize more and more Josiah did everything he could to appease them he even traded his favorite horse Josiah’s submissiveness to the Indians was an effort to stall delaying the constantly traveled Trail increased the possibility of help the arrival of
even a small Convoy would scare the Lakota away who preferred only engaging when they had an advantage eventually their request for so called trade went too far when one of the Indians reached for jah’s g.un he pulled the g.un away telling the Indian no then he began to take a more aggress1ve posture confirming for him what he already knew they were not truly here in peace just as immediate conflict seems certain Ottawa stepped in he told the Pioneers to continue down the trail that trading was done wearily Josiah Fanny Mary and
the rest of the party or organized the wagons and continued steadily down the trail however the Lakota followed them closely with some W4rriors still among the wagons shortly later the party approached a valley surrounded by rocks Josiah stopped the wagons a narrow location like this was perfect for an 4mbush his intuition told him that that’s why the Indians were pushing him here despite the lota’s insistence to proceed Josiah refused Conflict for a second time time seemed certain until tension was again eased when the natives
requested instead that they share a meal before departing into the hills eager to keep them peaceful the party began preparing the provisions for the meal Josiah and one of the servants Andy weely went to collect firewood in the forest the others in the party spread out to gather what else they had in their hurry they didn’t realize that they had become isolated and vulnerable Fanny describes what happened next then suddenly our terrible enemy threw off their masks and displayed their true Natures the Lakota set upon the
Pioneers with the crack of a g.unsh0t one of The Travelers heads jerked back and his body collapsed de@d cha0s ensued amidst the Wagon train as the arrows and bull3ts join the war cries of the Lakota one of the bl4ck servants Frank rushed to Aid Fanny but he tumbled de@d at her feet his body pierced by several arrows the Lakota had made short work of the few men and quick Qui L turned their attention to the wagons hearing the cacophony of g.unsh0ts and screams Josiah and Andy ran until they could see the Wagon Train smoke from g.unpowder filled
the air Carnage and Chaos unfolded before them unable to clearly see Josiah a.ssumed it was too late even if his wife and adopted daughter were alive he and Andy were no match for an entire war party for Indian captives Mercy could be shown to women and children but almost never met this was known without anyone left to resist them the W4rriors jumped into the wagons and began looting their tomahawks some still dr.i.pping with bl00d smashed open chests to reveal heirlooms they had been in families for Generations the Indians even emptied
bags of flour into the dirt so that they could make off with even more plunder Fanny clutched Mary standing there still as possible she prayed that doing so would prolong their lives perhaps if they weren’t a thre4t the Lakota would take what they wanted and simply leave they weren’t ignored for long when Fanny noticed W4rriors looking at them she ran to the chief Ottawa and begged for his protection he seemed indifferent and told her to be quiet resting his hand on his revolver to send a clear message she left him but now the W4rriors stayed
near with her eyes she frantically scoured the trees for signs of her husband but she never saw him the Lakota brought Sarah more and her son to join Fanny and Mary Sarah’s husband had fled at the start of the @ttack Sarah was distraught Fanny tried to calm her down but Sarah’s weeping turned to wailing when she saw the Indian set upon her family’s wagon tired of hearing the woman’s scream Ottawa walked up to her with a knife and pointed the blade directly at her he insisted on her silence this she understood and the
screaming stopped Fanny took the moment again to plead with Ottawa for for her life and protection he hesitated stoic and quiet as the Rampage continued around them but then he placed a wreath of feathers on her head something Fanny would learn later was a token of his protection Fanny and Mary clung to each other as the Indians finished their raid the men with them had either all been murd3red or fled their wagons and valubles were either taken or destr0yed they were now pr1soners to the Lakota leaving the corpses and wreckage Fanny
and the other pr1soners were forced on the backs of horses they were made to ride along with the Lakota Fanny and Mary were on one horse and Mrs laramore and her son were on another within a few hours though the two families were separated Fanny maintained some of her possessions a nice pair of shoes a few sets of clothes and over $100 in paper money that was in her pockets as well as a couple books and letters unlike Mrs laramore Fanny still had fa in her husband certain that he would follow their Trail and get them help Benny
discreetly r.i.pped out the pages of her books leaving them behind like breadcrumbs the Lakota continued North Into the Night a common practice following a raid war parties didn’t stick around to enjoy their work when they knew that odds could shift quickly a well executed raid hit hard and fast without any casualties of their own despite the heat of the day the night was dark and cool Fanny noticed glittering Stars overhead in a dark forest all around them but it wasn’t quiet the W4rriors chanted war songs as
the party moved across creeks and d4ngerous Gorges although the Indians rode near the darkness often hid mother and child Fanny knew that they would quickly see if she dismounted but perhaps they wouldn’t notice a small child Whispering Fanny said Mary we are only a few miles from our camp I have dropped letters on the way these papers will guide you back again again drop gently down and lie on the ground for a little while to avoid being seen then retrace your steps if I can I will follow you with that she threw her Shaw
around the child to help her in the chilly night Mary’s face clearly showed fear and reluctance to leave Fanny brushed her hands through Mary’s Fair hair her Trembling Lips mouthing a prayer when the Lota Riders drifted a little further away Fanny dropped her seven year old adopted daughter to the ground who quickly hid in the brush the W4rriors didn’t seem to notice and they kept moving down the trail Mary was free but Fanny’s own Escape wasn’t as successful over the course of the next hour she searched in desperation for her
own chance to drop from the horse she felt that the further that they rode the more diminished her chances would be for rescue in the darkness she made a clumsy attempt at dismounting the Lakota were not fooled and they were immediately upon her but then they also noticed that Mary was gone they beat Fanny and they demanded to know where the child was she lied she tried to explain that she wasn’t trying to escape she said that Mary had fallen asleep and slipped off the horse and that she had only jumped down in an attempt to find her clearly
not believing her the beatings continued they told her that any further attempts to escape would only be met with harsher punishment but that they would try to find Mary in the morning after a few more hours the war party stopped to camp for the night finally far enough away that they felt safe all night long Fanny was closely guarded by W4rriors holding tomahawks in the morning as they had said the Indians were sent out to find Mary but Fanny never got word that they did she prayed that she would have been
able to follow the book pages and find help but it k1lled her not knowing what happened to her at least she was reunited with Sarah laramore and her son as the journey continued now on foot Chief Ottawa approached them and clearly preferring her to Sarah he asked Fanny to carry his belongings they included a bow and g.un as well as a 3 ft stick that Fanny couldn’t identify the items were heavy but Fanny dared not to stop as they traveled she constantly searched the trees with her eyes the wind sounded to her like Mary was calling out to her
it’s something that she couldn’t get out of her head the thought of her daughter distracted her and she dropped ottawa’s stick it broke into to Fanny quickly looked around but none of the Lakota had noticed rather than stop she kicked it off the side of the trail and continued to move with her captors that day they halted in a valley close to Deer Creek Station in Wyoming they stopped there for the rest of the day and the Indians used heavy straps to tie Fanny down Fanny immediately fought at the straps when the Lakota weren’t looking but
Sarah was terrified to be alone begging Fanny not to leave her if she did get free determined Fanny wouldn’t make that promise the only thing she could think of was Finding Mary and her husband but exhausted she finally fell asleep in the morning she woke Sarah and her son were gone in the middle of the night an Indian had helped them to escape but left Fanny tied down she was now all alone Fanny continued to act as a porter for ottawa’s possessions as the Lota journeyed further away from White civilization the W4rriors dug for water
in a creek bed but when little was found Fanny was forced to go without she was so thirsty but she marched along as best she could struggling to keep up over the barin terrain as night fell after yet another day of travel the Lakota made a big fire and began to dance around it this was different than the other camps the whooping and chanting made Fanny fear what they had brought her here to do suddenly Ottawa stopped the dancing turned to Fanny and yelled choa Chapa everyone just stared at her but Fanny didn’t know what he meant he said it
again this time more aggress1vely Chapa chanapa an Indian boy named wiell approached her making a puffing motion with his lips she then understood Ottawa wanted his pipe Fanny considered what she had been carrying but couldn’t recall a pipe her eyes widened it must have been that 3 ft stick that she had dropped and broke when Ottawa realized that Fanny had lost his pipe he became Furious and declared that Fanny should d1e for such a sin he ordered her to be tied to a horse and to be dr4gged past W4rriors for target practice Fanny sh00k
as she watched The W4rriors knocked their bows and a horse was brought forward they placed fire brands in hot coals anticipating the encouragement needed to make the horse run one Indian was sent to retrieve a fast mount Fanny kneeled and again prayed thinking of Mary and her husband as Ottawa approached rope in hand her hands frantically searched for something to make up for what she had done her small books were useless maybe her shoes but then she remembered the money in her pockets in a frenzy she pulled out the
banknotes and essentially threw them upon Ottawa and the other nearby Indians she fanned out the remaining bills pa.ssing out $120 in total insisting upon their high value either impressed by the money or her frantic pleas this amused Ottawa and he had the W4rriors Place their w3apons on the ground Fanny wrote that in her relief she literally fainted when she awoke she was guarded but the w3apons horse and Gauntlet had been removed she had escaped de4th again but now they approached the village and there she would find new
dangers despite her life being spared Fanny still feared de4th daily Ottawa would frequently remind her that she only lived as long as he willed it it was obvious that she was always in some danger when The Party neared The Powder River ottawa’s brother in law took pity on her State and gave her fresh stockings this moment of kindness was received as an insult to Ottawa and soon a disagreement broke out between the warriors with Ottawa even firing upon his brother in law’s horse ottawa’s brother in law unable to respond in kind
to the chief turned his animosity toward Fanny he withdrew his bow and pointed it at her chest immediately a young strong W4rrior appeared and grabbed the bow before it could be fired he tossed to the ground the young W4rrior jumping bear was the voice of reason and lowered the hostilities he himself wasn’t an agala he was a Blackfoot another band of the Lakota jumping bear also translated as charging bear had actually been baptized as a toddler by a Jesuit priest this experience could have contributed to his empathy toward Fanny in that
moment from that point on in the journey jumping bear looked out for Fanny even riding with her since male W4rriors rarely rode with women it was clear that he liked her the warrior treated her with kindness and it became obvious to Fanny that his interests were romantic after two weeks of travel Fanny jumping bear and the war party finally approached the Lakota Village they stopped short in order to prepare for the festivities after their long awaited arrival successful war parties often performed a kind of theater upon the
return they would stop out of sight of the village and make themselves presentable they would Adorn themselves and horses with the proper war paint and decorate themselves in both their tribal fashion and the resources they had taken from the raid Fanny noted that the W4rriors wore clothes of the people in her Wagon Train one W4rrior even wore one of their hats and a pair of Fanny’s silk gloves the only other thing he wore was a breach clout a comical mismatch Chief Ottawa led the party into a ma.ssive Village Fanny said the village
went on for miles and the people danced and screamed as they made their way through the village into the chief’s Lodge here to her dismay she was separated from jumping bear she was alone as the war party approached the lodge of the chief there ano’s wives waited outside the tent to receive them there were six wives in total now apart from jumping bear Fanny hoped that the women would be more sympathetic to her and maybe help her Escape she was wrong they met the young petite white woman with suspicious looks and crossed arms
Fanny wrote I had so hoped to find sympathy and pity among these women of the forest but instead I sat cow and trembling scarcely daring to breathe Ottawa entered the tent displaying the treasures that he had taken for them the wives immediately fought over the materials and clothes the the eldest wife pulled a knife and declared that she would decide who received what and thre4tened to k1ll anyone who disagreed Ottawa watched amused but soon Left For A Feast Fanny distanced herself from the other women standing apart Fanny soon
noticed that many of The Other Women and Children of the tribe came to the chief’s tent she felt that they were there to gawk at her captives were clearly a novelty in the village what struck Fanny was that many of the children were fair skinned recognizing Fanny’s confusion one wife who knew some English explained to Fanny that the children were offspring of what she called Fort marriages many of the Indian women would hang around places like fort laramy in order to receive rations and other goods from the sold1ers in
exchange for companionship such unions resulted in pale children who were teased and hara.ssed by the full bl00ded Indians sold1ers would often take these Fort wives until their legal white wife arrived at the fort at which point native women would be abandoned judging from the amount of children and toddlers who appeared half white it was an unnerving commonality amongst the village as the days pa.ssed these wives and much of the village became more accustomed to Fanny they were often kind they would bring her food others even
dressed her wounds eventually Ottawa presented her with an Indian child named Yellowbird she was told that Yellowbird was now her daughter it was difficult to understand otwa he didn’t speak but a few words of English but he told Fanny that yellow bird was given to her to replace the one that she had lost she was only a stark reminder of Mary and thoughts of the child prohibited the little sleep she was already getting Fanny desperately wanted to be reunited with her and prayed constantly that she was safe she replayed the final moments
of her in her mind when she placed the shaw around her and brushed her hands through her Fair hair before lowering her from that horse and into the darkness still Yellowbird approached Fanny with trust and Fanny did her best to act the role of a caring mother for the little girl recognizing Fanny’s efforts the Elder wife kindly shared tea with Fanny to help her sleep despite her temper she had become protective of Fanny Fanny and Yellowbird curled up in the tent and she said that she got her first good night’s sleep since she had
been taken she would need the rest her time at peace with Lakota was coming to the end they were about to go to war with the United States in Late July Fanny attended a feast she was placed at an elevated position the W4rriors watched her and she noticed scalps often hung on the W4rriors belts but here they were hung on poles around her as she listened to speeches that she couldn’t understand but as Lakota chanted and danced into the night it became clear the the tribe was about to go to war the following morning Fanny awoke to a village already
on the Move W4rriors prepared for b4ttle against General Alfred soy who had been pursuing the Lakota the elderly women and children prepared The Village to move before leaving for a safe location tent poles were lowered and the skins used for covers and bedding were rolled up materials were loaded on the horses and attitude trys to be dr4gged by dogs Fanny joined the other women and children on Horseback 3 days later the men returned in celebration displaying many scalps she didn’t know what had happened but it was clear that Lakota
got the better of the f1ghting perhaps mockingly Fanny was painted and made to hold the staff carrying their trophies according to Fanny the W4rriors jumped around in a circle brandishing their w3apons and whooping and yelling the war cry in the most frightful manner all jumped upon both feet at the same time with simultaneous stamping and motions with their w3apons keeping exact time their gestures impressed me as if they were actually cutting and carving each other to Pieces as they uttered their fearful sharp yells Fanny said that they
seemed to her demonic but she understood better than she had before she learned why the Lakota h@ted the whites the women and Fort wives had their own reasons their pale children were hara.ssed and teased by the full bl00ded Indians but the rest had reason as well the whites had changed their territory and made demands from them wagons like the ones Fanny rote out in created countless Trails through their country with no honest permission the whites cut the forests and k1lled the Buffalo they were hostile to the Lakota and demanded
to be governed by white laws the Lakota wanted to live free on their land as their fathers before them but felt increasing pressure from American western migration many took annuities and rations when they could however they were often punished by the acts of tribes outside of their own band in retribution they would k1ll and hara.ss who they could Fanny was beginning to see why they were so defensive of their land it was full of herds of Buffalo and Elk the land provided all that was needed and was vast and beautiful still
to her the Lota were Savages and murd3rers they were her captors she prayed for freedom and Escape this time the Lakota war party had been successful but she hoped that they wouldn’t always be on August 8th the Lakota took to the war path again but this time they were not the h.unters in retaliation for their last encounter General soy h.unted them the force was overwhelming now and he had artillery The Village retreated from so’s forces as quickly as it could moving until sundown when they reached the Missouri River dehydrated and
sunburn prayed that the sold1ers would catch up and free her she didn’t even know why they were @ttacking but she prayed that they had found Mary and knew she was alive Fanny hoped just to see the sold1ers that were pursuing to know how close they were maybe she could flee to them but she was forbidden to even turn around during the retreat the next day Wounded W4rriors were brought into Camp Fanny was forced to dress their wounds she surprisingly turned out to be quite good at it the tribe continued to flee into the bad Lance a desolate
territory they hoped that General soy wouldn’t follow them there but this route did little to slow soy as he would later say he was determined to give them one of the most severe punishments that the Indians had ever received the tribe moved faster and began abandoning supplies including lodges clothes tools blankets and anything that they could to lighten their load they even beat the exhausted horses to continue they crossed the Yellowstone River to finally Escape The Pursuit when the W4rriors later went to collect their abandoned
supplies they found this soy had burned everything hungry and tired Fanny’s hope at rescue had faded if General so’s men knew she was alive she had no way to know it to make matters worse the tribe had been humiliated and their morale was terrible the W4rriors who had been f1ghting returned from the b4ttle and the whole tribe mourn the de@d in response to the grief Fanny wrote How The W4rriors quote inflicted gashes an inch and lengthen their bod1es and limbs some cut off their hair bl4cken their faces and marched to the Village in
procession wailing and torturing their bod1es end quote their rage and frustration caused many of the tribe to turn to Fanny the Chiefs including Ottawa brought her to council there in the middle of a circle a stake had been placed on the ground and surrounded with sticks and kindling pa.ssing the pipe some of the Chiefs declared that the only Justice that they could inflict would be to k1ll all of the whites for their losses against soy the Lakota were debating whether or not to burn Fanny alive but wasn’t with the other Chiefs
he stood and spoke he said that Vengeance was their right but that Fanny since her capture had been kind to them she was innocent and that their children love her as a sister and she should not be punished for the sins of her people his rhetoric appeased the Chiefs who abandoned the plan to burn Fanny and while she could breathe a sigh of relief while leaving the council things were about to get worse for her for the next few weeks there will was no food they had abandoned it all when so’s forces were chasing them dogs
and horses starved to de4th their skinny malnourished bod1es were eaten but there wasn’t much to go around the tribe constantly moved searching for game but in the bad lands they rarely found any Fanny was hungry all of the time she was often denied what little food was available resorting to eating gra.ss she stru.ggled to complete her required chores famine impacted everyone in the tribe and caused ottawa’s Elder wife who had once been kind to grow impatient and more aggress1ve another Indian woman took pity on Fanny she had lost a lot of
weight the woman pulled Fanny into her tent and shared meat from her husband’s recent deer h.unt the Elder wife witnessed this and rage fueled by jealousy and hunger caused her to draw her knife and vow to k1ll Fanny Fanny ran from the old woman fearing for her life and found Ottawa he tried to intervene but the Elder wife’s rage could not be contained when he placed himself in front of Fanny the Elder wife st4bbed him several times another Indian saw the commotion took out his revolver and fired a group of sh0ts at Fanny
logically he a.ssumed the white woman must have been the cause of the problems the sh0ts missed her but a bull3t was lodged in ottawa’s arm Fanny ran to escape but the W4rriors quickly ran her down she expected persecution but was surprised to be brought to the tent of Ottawa he was bleeding badly and severely injured from the st4bs and g.unsh0t wound she was left to dress his wounds she never saw the other wife again and didn’t ask what happened to her for the next few weeks Fanny’s primary role was to tend to Ottawa the
bl00d loss and bull3t had severely weakened the chief but even in his State he worked to strengthen the Lakota they were not strong enough to f1ght General suly Ottawa hoped to unite with another band he wanted to marry the daughter of a chief the union he hoped would strengthen his tribe against suly having lost nearly all of their lies he looked to Fanny he took her shoes as a gift for his new bride they were accepted it must have been strange for Fanny to watch her former things taken from the raid be exchanged as trophies among her captors
but Indians kept trophies many unfamiliar faces joined ottawa’s band as a result of the new Union one was especially horrible while on the Move in the Badlands a warrior she didn’t know rode up beside her he didn’t say anything but she noticed at the W4rrior’s side there was a little Shaw the one from the day that she was captured the shaw that she had wrapped Mary in before lowering her from the horse next to the shaw was suspended a small scalp with Fair hair Fanny dropped to the ground as if she was de@d she
later wrote my eyes rested on the frightful sight I trembled in my saddle and grasped the air for support a Bl00d Red Cloud seemed to come between me in the outer World Fanny now under understood why yellow bird was given to her and what Ottawa meant when he told her she was to replace the one that she had lost as she lay on the ground the Indians tried to get her to move Fanny begged them to k1ll her they didn’t and left her there Fanny wrote that it was a long time before she felt normal after weeks of Despair an Indian named
porcupine rode into the village he was welld dressed and rode a nice horse Fanny noticed him immediately but he didn’t talk to her right away after a few days he approached her and gave her a letter from a captain Marshall of the 11th Calvary the letter detailed that the military knew she was alive and that they had made several attempts to rescue her they had sent porcupine a friendly Indian to bring her back and that he was rewarded with Provisions for the delivery they included his clothes and horse Additionally the letter said that
porcupine could be trusted since the fort had his three wives as well as other hostages but after porcupine delivered the letter he told her that he wasn’t going to take her back he would join Lakota in their f1ght against the whites Fanny pleaded with him to fulfill his promise she begged and asked about his wives and the hostages he laughed and told her the white sold1ers are cowards they never k1ll women I will deceive them as I have done before porcupine said that he would simply tell them that she had d1ed with
that Fanny had little hope that she would ever leave the Lakota and so she lived on with them starved and in slaved with the same people who murd3red her adopted daughter not knowing what happened to her husband and with no credible chance to escape her only Solace was now knowing that people were looking for her for the next few weeks the Lakota stayed in the Badland Fanny barely escaped a prairie fire and her relationship with ottawa’s newest wife was testy one day after Fanny had been with Lakota for 5 months a band of
Blackfoot Lakota came into to ottawa’s agala Camp they had come to bargain for Fanny the American Military refused local Indians winter supplies because they knew they were holding a white woman they wanted her return to Fort Sully a council between the two groups lasted 2 days Ottawa didn’t want to give Fanny up but the Blackfoot were insistent eventually they came to a compromise one that they both agreed upon an opportunity for Revenge they would use Fanny’s bait the Blackfoot would take her to the Fort as her
Rescuers but once inside they would Slaughter the sold1ers and return Fanny to Ottawa the thought of being used this way horrifier her she wanted nothing more to be reunited with her people but didn’t want more of them to Die the Blackfoot left three horses with Ottawa as generous collateral for her return after they fulfilled their plan among 50 armed in painted W4rriors they traveled 150 mil to the Blackfoot Camp it was exhausting and cold but when Fanny arrived she was met with a celebration the chief’s wife
told her that she would be safe at camp and that any mistreatment against her would be met with harsh punishment which was good because Fanny would have many visitors the Blackfoot were not the only ones incentivized by the US to return their captives other groups hope to pick up rations to help them survive the upcoming winter the Yankton were the first to visit the Blackfoot with desires to purchase Fanny the Blackfoot Chief said no after several other bands made similar offers the Blackfoot began hiding her one night an Indian even cut
into her tent in an attempt to kidnap her she had quickly become a valuable commodity poor weather including snow drifts delayed the Blackfoot Mission but as they waited an old protector jumping bear appeared in the Blackfoot Village he too had heard of their possession of Fanny he had been gone for some time but it was immediately clear that his affection for Fanny had not changed he confessed his love for her she saw an opportunity she thought that this might be the only person truly willing to help her fny asked jumping bear to prove his
love by carrying a letter to her people at the Fort and delivering it personally to General soy she promised that if he did that jumping bear would be rewarded he was reluctant but Fanny a.ssured him that the letter would not ha.rm his people and that he was written about very kindly Fanny told him that the Army would give him a f horse so that he could return and told him to go prove his friendship and come back with his prizes jumping bear finally agreed and took the letter but within a couple days after he left the snow had cleared
enough that the Blackfoot were ready to move the letter warned the general of the surprise @ttack that was planned and it begged the W4rriors to rescue her as the fort Drew near their Ambush imminent she could only hope that before they got there jumping bear had delivered the message the Indians left for Fort soy in early December 1864 the tr.i.p was 200 miles in the freezing cold Fanny malnourished and weak knew that one of two outcomes was possible either the Lakota would Slaughter the sold1ers in the fort or
jumping bear was able to deliver her message and she would be saved after making the long journey they arrived prepared for war on December 11th after all of these months Fanny had grown capable of understanding the Lakota language she recalls the speech the chief gave to his W4rriors from the best of her recollection quote friends and Sons listen to my words you are a great and powerful band of our people the inferior race who have encroached on our rights and territories justly deserve hatred and destruction these Intruders
came among us and we took them by the hand we believed them to be friends and true speakers they have shown us how false and cruel they can be they build forts to live in and shoot from their big g.uns our people fall before them our game is chased from the hills our women are taken from us or won to forsake our lodges and wronged and deceived meet them with equal cunning show them no mercy they are but few we are many wet your knives and string your bows sharpen the tomahawk and load the rifle end quote his W4rriors grunted with approval
and made their W4r preparations the next day eight Chiefs rode in advance leading Fanny’s horse it would have been an imposing sight Fanny was dressed in a white cotton gown and a buffalo robe for warmth was placed across her shoulders as Fanny approached she could see sold1ers Manning their garrisons the snow on the ground absorbed the noise and the entire scene felt silent was she about to be saved or would everyone be k1lled was this about to be over or was it just another disaster the war party held back as the Chiefs proceeded with
Fanny the gate Ed for slly opened just enough to allow one of the captains several officers and an interpreter to exit the captain approached Fanny among the Chiefs am I free indeed free she asked the captain whispered back yes they welcomed Fanny and her accompanying Chiefs into the fort and of course the reward awaiting them and all of their brave warriors at this the rest of the distant war party moved their horses forward to enter the gates but once the chiefs were inside the pleasant trees of the sold1ers faded and they threw off
their masks the same way the Lakota had done at the Wagon Train @ttack several months earlier a loud voice b00med ordering the gates closed and the men demand the high walls of the fort the rest of the bl4ck feed war party was shut out just as they came within range their Chiefs now hostages at that moment Fanny knew that jumping bear had delivered her letter and that after nearly seven months she was finally free shortly after her rescue Fanny was reunited with her husband who had not stopped his search for her unfortunately
Josiah d1ed of chera a few years later but not before they had a son Josiah Jr in 1870 President Grant and Congress awarded Fanny $5,000 as compensation for her losses to the Indians and her a.ssistance and preventing the the raid on the fort Fanny eventually crossed path with Sarah LaMore who too had survived the ordeal the pair of women agreed to co author a book detailing their surv1val among the Lakota but Fanny would come to discover that Sarah planned to steal Fanny’s work and publish it herself this led to a
plagiarism lawsuit between the two women Fanny won the trial and was awarded a small sum of money this story is largely adapted from her own published version my captivity among the Sue Indians which came out a few years after she was saved Fanny lived a long life after her time with Lota she even reconnected with jumping bear in Washington DC a decade or so later he was married and hilariously introduced his wife to Fanny as Cola maawa or my friend like the rest of his tribe he was forced to a.ssimilate but tried to use his position for good
advocating for the rights of his people while embracing his new country Fanny Kelly d1ed in 1904 never forgetting the sacrifice of her Young adopted daughter but she was one of the few to survive being kidnapped by the Lakota thanks for watching the video If you enjoyed it please remember to leave a like comment or to subscribe and take a look at the next one
