1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, welcome to the podcast. I'm 3 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:16,639 Speaker 1: Fair Dowdy and I'm Deblina Chok reboarding. And every now 4 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: and then we talked about how we came up with 5 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:22,479 Speaker 1: one of our ideas or what made us feel like 6 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: we wanted to cover a certain subject and a lot, yeah, 7 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: I guess we do do that a lot. Usually it's 8 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: a listeners suggestion, but this one is a little bit different. 9 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: And I'm sure you have these two, Deblina, where you 10 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,240 Speaker 1: read a book, or watch a movie, or even watch 11 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 1: a TV show and you come away with a podcast idea. 12 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: So this is one of those cases. Earlier this summer, 13 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: I was watching the nineteen fifty six John Wayne filmed 14 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:49,159 Speaker 1: The Searchers and um, just to give a little background 15 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:50,879 Speaker 1: on it, it's a movie about a man who has 16 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: returned to his brother's Texas home a few years after 17 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: the Civil War, but soon sees most of his family 18 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: killed in a commanche raid and not gonna give away 19 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: any spoilers even though this movie is almost sixty years old, 20 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: but after the raid, he becomes really obsessed with finding 21 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:11,399 Speaker 1: his kidnap niece, even though it soon becomes clear he'd 22 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,119 Speaker 1: rather see her dead than assimilated with her kidnappers. It's 23 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: a very disturbing premise. I mean, they're they're numerous disturbing 24 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: parts of the movie, but that one in particular is 25 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,639 Speaker 1: is upsetting and um. When I started reading about the film, 26 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:30,039 Speaker 1: I realized that some critics had pointed out similarities to 27 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: to that story and to the book that it was 28 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: based on and the real life eight thirty six kidnapping 29 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: of a nine year old Texas girl named Cynthia Ann Parker. Yeah, 30 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 1: and Cynthia Ann's story is particularly remarkable. It's a double 31 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: tragedy marked by two captures. But we thought it would 32 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 1: be a great way to look at the Planes Indians 33 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: Wars on a more personal level, especially since it opens 34 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,559 Speaker 1: the door to the story of her son, Quanta Parker, 35 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: the last Comanche chief. So just as cynthia AND's life 36 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 1: centered on displacement and not really fitting in, Quantas is 37 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: about excelling in two very different worlds, trying to mediate 38 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 1: between them, and encouraging peace among his people without sacrificing 39 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: all of his culture. So it's kind of why we 40 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:17,359 Speaker 1: had to pack it into two episodes. It is, and 41 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: in this first episode is going to focus more on 42 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 1: Cynthia and in the background and and how these wars 43 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 1: started in the first place. And then the second episode 44 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: is going to focus on their end and on Quanta's life, 45 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 1: um bridging this two worlds. So fortunately that we've spoken 46 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: so much in the past year about frontier life and 47 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:40,399 Speaker 1: settlement in Texas and of course Indian territory and what's 48 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: now Oklahoma favorite place to leave his favorite place to 49 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: define um that I think most listeners probably feel like 50 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: they have a good background on this time already. But 51 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: just to give you just a little bit of information. 52 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: In the eighteen thirties, as Eastern Native American tribes were 53 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: being forcibly resettled in the west on lands that were 54 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: traditionally controlled by planes, Indians and as Anglo settlers pushed west, 55 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 1: the nomadic planes tribes were feeling hemmed in. I mean, 56 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: it still seems like a lot of land, but they 57 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:15,079 Speaker 1: were used to covering huge amounts hunting, and uh, we're 58 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: really feeling the stress and their resources at this point. 59 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: Some bands ended up assimilating, dying out, or entering reservations, 60 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: but others retaliated, carrying out violent raids on settlers to 61 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 1: frighten them back east and and to defend their land. 62 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: So in this struggle, which lasted about forty some odd years, 63 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: the Comanche were considered the best at this. They were 64 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: hard to trace, they were masters on horseback, and they 65 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: were seemingly able to survive on nothing and then just 66 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: kind of disappear into their vast inhospitable lands called the Commancheria, 67 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 1: and they were just a force to be reckoned with. 68 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: They were, Yeah, I mean that that what you just 69 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: mentioned of leaning about them disappearing, that was a big 70 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 1: part of it. Um Even when you have the thes 71 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: military and bubble, you have the cavalry involved, they just 72 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: have a lot of trouble finding them most of the time. 73 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: But our story starts with a command she a Kyowa 74 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: and a cattle raid on Fort Parker, which was a 75 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: family compound and a fort that had been settled in 76 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: eighteen thirty by the extended Parker family. And it was 77 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:22,280 Speaker 1: great land, very prime land, right at the headwaters of 78 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:26,560 Speaker 1: the Navasota River in Texas, but also in a dangerous 79 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: part of the world. It was way way out on 80 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: the frontier, and in May of eighteen thirty six, somebody 81 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,400 Speaker 1: didn't take the proper precautions and left the fort door 82 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:39,160 Speaker 1: open when the men went off to to work on 83 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:43,599 Speaker 1: the with the animals and on the property, and the 84 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: war party easily entered through that open fort door quickly 85 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: killed three Parker family members and two other men, and 86 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:55,640 Speaker 1: UH kidnapped some of the others. Nine year old Cynthia 87 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: Anne was with her mother and her six year old 88 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: brother John, and a group of women and children who 89 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 1: were trying to flee the fourth through a meadow when 90 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:08,599 Speaker 1: they were stopped by a warrior named Peta Nakana and 91 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:12,479 Speaker 1: Uh and taken from there. So, in addition to Cynthia 92 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 1: and her brother, some of the people from their family 93 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 1: who were kidnapped included Rachel Parker Plumber and her son James. 94 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: Rachel Parker Plumber was Cynthia Anne's cousin UH. In addition, 95 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 1: Rachel's aunt Elizabeth was also kidnapped and the family was abused, 96 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: but they were eventually all of them, including John Parker, 97 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,160 Speaker 1: who wasn't returned until the eighteen forties. They were all 98 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 1: eventually ransomed back except for Cynthia Anne. For Cynthia Anne, 99 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 1: and consequently she became something of a legend on the 100 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:44,560 Speaker 1: frontier with her mother and her uncle, and I imagine 101 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:48,359 Speaker 1: her extended family really desperate to find her, with newspapers 102 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:53,559 Speaker 1: romanticizing the idea of her as this beautiful, blonde, blue 103 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 1: eyed captive growing up among the command she really sort 104 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:00,560 Speaker 1: of gets pretty strange, especially as she gets older, the 105 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,000 Speaker 1: things written about her um, and according to Jan Reid 106 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: in Texas Monthly, she even became kind of a warning 107 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:10,280 Speaker 1: tale for kids, you know, don't wander too far from 108 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: home or you might end up like Cynthia Anne. But 109 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: by the mid eighteen forties all this speculative stuff turned 110 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: into actual sightings. There started to finally be real sightings. Ever, 111 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:24,520 Speaker 1: because we're very sure she was alive at this point. 112 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 1: There hadn't been reports of a child who looked like 113 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:32,159 Speaker 1: her um until the mid eighteen forties, and as it 114 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: later turned out, she had just been living a normal 115 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 1: Commanche life. She'd been adopted by Comanche parents and raised 116 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 1: as their daughter. Yeah, not just that. She also went 117 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,920 Speaker 1: on to marry her captor, the war chief Peta Nalcina, 118 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: and had two sons with him, Kwanta, which means fragrant 119 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:53,039 Speaker 1: or odor. I think it's sort of up for debate 120 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 1: and sometimes even stink. It's um yeah, kind of a 121 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: contentious definition. And the second on was Penat, who was 122 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: named after Cynthia Anne's favorite childhood snack, and they later 123 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: had a daughter named Totsia or prairie flower, and Cynthia 124 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: and even had a new name herself. It was Natua, 125 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 1: meaning she carries herself with grace or someone found yeah. 126 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:20,240 Speaker 1: And we actually talked to Dr Kenneth Day for this episode, 127 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 1: who kindly helped us out with some of the command 128 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: She pronunciations. He heads up the Learned Command She project, 129 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 1: and we were asking about that one because I just 130 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: kept on seeing these wildly different definitions. I mean, clearly 131 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,840 Speaker 1: fragrant and odor kind of on the same level. But 132 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:38,160 Speaker 1: she carries herself with grace and someone found something so different. 133 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:40,600 Speaker 1: And he said that a lot of the translations are 134 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 1: like that. It's especially with these names, they're just all 135 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: over the map. But um, most importantly about these reports 136 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 1: coming back regarding Cynthia Anne. Uh, we're the accounts of 137 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 1: her from about eighteen forty six to eighteen fifty two, 138 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: and that was that her people refused all offers to 139 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 1: ransom her back, and she didn't seem to want to 140 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 1: go anyway, So it was you can't have her, We 141 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 1: want to keep her. She's one of us, and she 142 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: won't go and and she won't go. And as snatches 143 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 1: of of all this information came back to the settlers. 144 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 1: Of course, Lucy Parker, Cynthia Ann's mother, was thrilled to 145 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: know her daughter was just alive and sent out her 146 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 1: teenage son to to search for her. But not everybody 147 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: was very happy with the news that was coming back. 148 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 1: And in fact, to a lot of people, it was 149 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: just incomprehensible news. For one thing, that she would um 150 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 1: marry this notorious raider Petunakana and be happy with him. 151 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:40,719 Speaker 1: I mean, people didn't seem to blame her for what 152 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: was happening, but they were not happy that she was happy. 153 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 1: That she might actually prefer life as a commanche instead 154 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 1: of life as a as a settler. Yeah, so very 155 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 1: controversial choice, very controversial life. And there were other reports 156 00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:59,280 Speaker 1: that kind of hinted at at her life, at Cynthia 157 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 1: Ann's life and life of the Comanche who were still fighting. 158 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: By the early eighteen fifties, some commanche bands were settling 159 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:09,840 Speaker 1: on reservations and others resisted pretty successfully, considering the frontier 160 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:12,400 Speaker 1: was creeping back from where it had been in cynthia 161 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: and childhood, and according to the sighting, Cynthia and Petaokana 162 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:21,079 Speaker 1: and their family were clearly jumping bands, moving away from 163 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:23,920 Speaker 1: the frontier to maintain a free life and to keep 164 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: on fighting. Eventually they joined the Quadis, who were considered 165 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:31,120 Speaker 1: the toughest commanche band out of all of them. But 166 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: from eighteen fifty two no further reports were heard from 167 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 1: her and and that's how it stayed until late eighteen 168 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: sixty when a Quahati war party led by Knockna entered 169 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:47,120 Speaker 1: TECH five and again the purpose of this raid was 170 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 1: to frighten settlers into abandoning the area, and according to 171 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:57,200 Speaker 1: Gregory Minshno in Wild West, this eighteen sixty raid became 172 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 1: a particularly notable one in Tech for three reasons. One, 173 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:04,880 Speaker 1: it was especially brutal. We're going to go over a 174 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:08,559 Speaker 1: few details on that, but but not into the full list. 175 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:11,719 Speaker 1: The next was that Cynthia Anne came along, and then 176 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: the third was that Cynthia Anne was recaptured. I mean, 177 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 1: that's really why, um why this raid in particular gets 178 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 1: discussed so frequently, but the attacks on settlers began November 179 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:28,320 Speaker 1: twenty six at the home of James lanman Um. Mrs 180 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 1: Landman and her six year old son were murdered. One 181 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,960 Speaker 1: teenage girl was dragged from a horse then killed. The 182 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 1: raid continued at a pretty fast clip at the Gauge home, 183 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:42,080 Speaker 1: the Sanders Home, where among others, a baby and a 184 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,199 Speaker 1: sixty five year old woman were murdered. Then it took 185 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:48,400 Speaker 1: kind of a surprising turn, at least direction wise. The 186 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 1: party moved south to Parker County, which is of course 187 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 1: the same Parker that is Cynthia Anne's family, right, And 188 00:10:56,920 --> 00:10:59,280 Speaker 1: we should maybe have put in a little warning here. 189 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 1: It continues to get kind of violent, so if you're 190 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:03,680 Speaker 1: squeamish about this kind of stuff, you may want to 191 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: skip ahead a little bit. But just continuing on with 192 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 1: the raid. Some houses were raided and ransacked, and the 193 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:14,080 Speaker 1: inhabitants spared. Others, though, were targeted, like that of Ezra 194 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:16,839 Speaker 1: and Martha Sherman. While the raiders lent Ezra and the 195 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:21,440 Speaker 1: children go, they raped, scalped, and had their horses trample. 196 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:25,120 Speaker 1: Martha Sherman, who lived four days more to deliver a 197 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 1: stillborn child, Some funded off the attack, like the U 198 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 1: Bank's girls who dressed in boys clothing and took up 199 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,920 Speaker 1: really intimidating looking positions at the pike. Yeah, so just 200 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:38,600 Speaker 1: a mix of things, and it seemed to to be 201 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:41,640 Speaker 1: all over the place what happened to the various families, 202 00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:44,720 Speaker 1: But all told, the war Party left with more than 203 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:49,680 Speaker 1: three hundred horses, having killed seven white settlers and wounding more. 204 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,000 Speaker 1: And just a point on the numbers too. I mean, 205 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: it's it's really more about inspiring horror than killing loads 206 00:11:57,240 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 1: and loads of people. That was the That was what 207 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:02,200 Speaker 1: this type of warfare was about. It was about trying 208 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:07,559 Speaker 1: to completely shock people into leaving and abandoning these lands. 209 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 1: They were trying to to settle um so that the 210 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:15,320 Speaker 1: command she could reclaim their land. Um. We mentioned Simpia 211 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:17,840 Speaker 1: Anne was with the War Party, and while we can't 212 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: know exactly what her position was with it, uh and 213 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 1: whether she even recognized Parker County her her childhood home, 214 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:28,839 Speaker 1: Menschel does describe that or does mention that command she 215 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:33,720 Speaker 1: Society didn't consider raids to be men only affairs. He wrote, 216 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:37,120 Speaker 1: Almost everyone in command Shee Society, including women and children, 217 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:41,120 Speaker 1: participated in a raid either logistically or socially, And that 218 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:45,680 Speaker 1: might just mean women helping manage the camps or load 219 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:49,960 Speaker 1: up all of the stolen items, but sometimes there were 220 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: even female warriors. James Pollard, one of the men who 221 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:56,800 Speaker 1: had stolen horses, quickly started rounding up a posse to 222 00:12:56,960 --> 00:12:59,760 Speaker 1: pursue the raiders. They gave up after two days of 223 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,720 Speaker 1: ace because they found that some settlers were already packing 224 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:05,760 Speaker 1: up to leave. Others of them were quote forwarded up 225 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 1: so and I think the possey just they realized they 226 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:10,480 Speaker 1: weren't going to make it, they weren't going to catch 227 00:13:10,559 --> 00:13:12,679 Speaker 1: up with them. So a couple of weeks later, to 228 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: ranger companies, Ranger Captain Lawrence Ross and twenty one men 229 00:13:16,559 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 1: from the second Cavalry arrived to join in with their pursuit. 230 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:23,280 Speaker 1: All told, they were about one forty men and Tonko 231 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 1: was scouts who sent out to track Pedanacona, and it 232 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:29,720 Speaker 1: was Charles good Night who found the trail that headed 233 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: to the Peace River. And on December nineteenth a recent 234 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 1: camp with the body of one of the stolen children 235 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 1: was found too, and when the rangers in the cavalry 236 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:43,319 Speaker 1: approached the camp, they saw women dismantling it packing up, 237 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:46,560 Speaker 1: and it was mostly women and children at the camp. 238 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,480 Speaker 1: Um At that point, the ranger captain charged and the 239 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:54,040 Speaker 1: cavalry circled around the back of the camp. And according 240 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:56,720 Speaker 1: to a good Night, who was pretty horrified by what 241 00:13:57,040 --> 00:14:01,000 Speaker 1: happened there, he said that the cavalry atten killed every 242 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:04,960 Speaker 1: woman trying to flee, quote, almost in a pile. Um 243 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:08,200 Speaker 1: Ross in particular, took off after Cynthia Anne. He didn't 244 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:11,640 Speaker 1: recognize her as this long lost nine year old captive. 245 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:14,280 Speaker 1: Of course, she was in her thirties by this point. 246 00:14:14,800 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 1: Um She grabbed Prairie Flower, her young daughter, wrapped herself 247 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:22,520 Speaker 1: up in a buffalo robe, and hopped onto a horse 248 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: riding bare back, you know, full charge ahead and um 249 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:29,320 Speaker 1: but Ross was eventually gaining on her, and before Ross 250 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 1: could shoot, she turned around, exposed prairie Flower and yelled 251 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 1: Americano Americano, and um Ross captured her. He brought her 252 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:43,040 Speaker 1: back to to one of his men and then rode 253 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 1: off to pursue and kill a warrior. And this is 254 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:46,960 Speaker 1: kind of an interesting point. We're going to talk about 255 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: it a little more in a minute. But he later 256 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:53,720 Speaker 1: insisted that this warrior was Peta Nakana Um but like 257 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 1: I said, we're going to talk about that more in 258 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 1: a minute. The raid was just a complete massacre. Five 259 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:02,560 Speaker 1: warriors were killed, nine women and children were killed, three 260 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:06,000 Speaker 1: women and children were captured. But the focus was really 261 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:10,200 Speaker 1: on Cynthia Anne. Once they realized that this particular prisoner 262 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:13,440 Speaker 1: up theirs had blue eyes. You know, they were all wondering, Okay, 263 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:16,440 Speaker 1: who is this lady? Um? If you read their accounts, 264 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:18,560 Speaker 1: they pretty much all claimed they were the first one 265 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:21,960 Speaker 1: to recognize her as as white, for one thing, and 266 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:25,880 Speaker 1: then asked Cynthia Anne, or suggest it, um. But Goodnight 267 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 1: has has a point that's a little more of tragic, 268 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: or certainly as tragic, and maybe has something to do 269 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: with his later friendship with Cynthia Anne's son. But he 270 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:40,600 Speaker 1: seemed to think a little bit about how she was 271 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:44,240 Speaker 1: experiencing this situation at the time. He wrote, we rode 272 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:47,840 Speaker 1: right over her dead companions. I thought then and still think, 273 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:52,960 Speaker 1: how exceedingly cruel it was. Isaac Parker, Cynthia's uncle, who 274 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:56,120 Speaker 1: lived near Fort Worth, was called in to try to 275 00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:59,400 Speaker 1: help identify her. According to a neighbor who saw the meeting, 276 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 1: Cynthia and quote sat for a time immovable, lost in 277 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:07,800 Speaker 1: profound meditation, oblivious to everything by which she was surrounded, 278 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: ever in a non convulsed as if it were by 279 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:16,160 Speaker 1: some powerful emotion which she struggled to suppress. So Parker 280 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 1: tried to ask her questions in English, but she didn't respond. 281 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:23,240 Speaker 1: He finally said, quote, if this is my niece, her 282 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 1: name is Cynthia Anne, at which point she beat her chest, 283 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:32,080 Speaker 1: stood up, pointed to herself and said since Anne. So 284 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:37,160 Speaker 1: she recognized her own name, and unsurprisingly, considering that she 285 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:40,720 Speaker 1: had been gone almost twenty five years from life as 286 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:43,920 Speaker 1: a Texas settler, this was not a happy reunion. You know, 287 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:46,480 Speaker 1: she didn't identify herself and then they all embrace and 288 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:49,600 Speaker 1: live happily ever after. One of the main reasons is 289 00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:52,320 Speaker 1: because she likely thought that her husband and sons were 290 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 1: both dead. And this gets back to what I was 291 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:57,400 Speaker 1: talking about in a minute ago. Ross's claimed that he 292 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:00,920 Speaker 1: killed Nakana at Peace River. It was a claim that 293 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: he touted for years after We're really incorporated into his 294 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:08,600 Speaker 1: own legend um. And when Cynthia Anne and Nakana's son 295 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:13,360 Speaker 1: Kwana grew up and entered into the public eye, Quanta 296 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 1: always insisted that he and his brother had left with 297 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:19,320 Speaker 1: their father on a hunting trip two days before the attack, 298 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:21,920 Speaker 1: so his father had never been there, The boys had 299 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 1: never been there. His father was clearly not killed, and 300 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 1: he said that his father instead died a few years 301 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:33,360 Speaker 1: after um. Some people, though, dispute that story, thinking that 302 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:36,679 Speaker 1: maybe it was one that Quanta put forward specifically to 303 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:40,320 Speaker 1: try to protect his father's memory. Because Peace River was 304 00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:44,080 Speaker 1: clearly seen as a disaster by the Comanche, and Nakana 305 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:48,240 Speaker 1: had been in charge of this this raiding party. It's 306 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 1: often suggested that if Nakana did live on for a 307 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:54,840 Speaker 1: few more years, he kept a remarkably low profile for 308 00:17:54,920 --> 00:18:00,119 Speaker 1: somebody who had been so powerful, so um important for 309 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 1: fit long, and obviously so passionate about continuing his commanche 310 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:09,040 Speaker 1: lifestyle well, and and passionate about his family too. I mean, 311 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:12,240 Speaker 1: we should note since Anne was one of several wives, 312 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:15,879 Speaker 1: but by all accounts I've read, they had a very 313 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 1: loving relationship. Um. But one opinion to consider in all 314 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:21,919 Speaker 1: of this is that of a sequin, the author of 315 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 1: Empire of the Summer Moon, who points that Cynthia Anne's 316 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:31,480 Speaker 1: reaction to the situation might tell us more than Quanta. Potentially, Yeah, 317 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:35,360 Speaker 1: she was utterly distraught. She believed and said that her 318 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 1: sons had been there. She really thought that they were dead, 319 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:41,159 Speaker 1: and that was something that she just continued to believe 320 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:44,160 Speaker 1: throughout her entire life. Yeah, according to her neighbors, they 321 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:48,199 Speaker 1: said she gave no indication ever throughout her life that 322 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:51,679 Speaker 1: she thought her sons were still alive. And as for 323 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:53,920 Speaker 1: the rest of the group that was part of this raid, 324 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:57,520 Speaker 1: Charles Goodnight and about ten scouts managed to track the 325 00:18:57,600 --> 00:18:59,880 Speaker 1: only two writers who had managed to escape the fight. 326 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:02,560 Speaker 1: They attracked them about a hundred miles to a larger 327 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 1: Comanche camp and though that they were only about ten 328 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:08,600 Speaker 1: and twelve years old, respectively, Peanut and Kwana would have 329 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:12,240 Speaker 1: had good basic survival and hunting skills to have made 330 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:14,800 Speaker 1: this sort of track. It was interesting to read a 331 00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:18,320 Speaker 1: little bit about what kind of skills specifically boys that 332 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 1: age would have had and and apparently they would have 333 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:26,160 Speaker 1: had better survival skills than the average Texan boy. Um, 334 00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 1: but they wouldn't have been young warriors either. They might 335 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: have been allowed to have participated in hunts for small game, 336 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:37,879 Speaker 1: but probably not anything large, certainly not a raiding party 337 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,200 Speaker 1: like the one their father had been on. They would 338 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:44,560 Speaker 1: have been expert riders, because as we've already discussed, commanche 339 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:49,320 Speaker 1: were all about horses. UM. So they might have had 340 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 1: enough knowledge to to get by, but clearly they needed 341 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:56,679 Speaker 1: to find a camp of adults quickly too. They they 342 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:59,399 Speaker 1: wouldn't have ever been able to or been allowed to, 343 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,680 Speaker 1: just wander away from camp. Um. But we're going to 344 00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:05,639 Speaker 1: pick up with more on Kwanta and and more in 345 00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:08,960 Speaker 1: Cynthia and next time. Um. Since this is a two 346 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:13,400 Speaker 1: parter episode. It's a pretty sad story with Cynthia and 347 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:17,480 Speaker 1: a mixed bag i'd say with Kwanta, but a pretty 348 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:20,919 Speaker 1: amazing story on his behalf too as a mediator and 349 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:29,360 Speaker 1: somebody who really found a way to excel into cultures. Alright, 350 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:31,960 Speaker 1: So you have some listener mail to share, so yes 351 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:34,920 Speaker 1: we do. And I picked this one because we were 352 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:39,400 Speaker 1: talking about Indian territory again and it reminded me of 353 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:43,159 Speaker 1: an email we got from listener Betsey and her class 354 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,240 Speaker 1: about bas Reeves, maybe the last time we talked about 355 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:49,560 Speaker 1: Indian territory in Oklahoma. But she wrote in to say, 356 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: dear Dablina and Sarah, a few months ago, I asked 357 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:55,120 Speaker 1: you for help with the sources for your bath Reeves podcast, 358 00:20:55,119 --> 00:20:58,280 Speaker 1: and I think Deblina Youth center of a list of 359 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,640 Speaker 1: sources I did. She went on to say, the podcast 360 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:04,119 Speaker 1: and the sources led us to an entire unit on 361 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:08,200 Speaker 1: manliness and race to close out my civil War lessons. 362 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:12,199 Speaker 1: My fourth graders absolutely loved discussing the different parts of 363 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:15,960 Speaker 1: Reeves life and deciding if they were manly, unmanly, or 364 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 1: neutral for our final closeout discussion. A few of them 365 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:22,800 Speaker 1: had some real singers and deep thoughts. I wanted to 366 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:25,080 Speaker 1: share them with you. It is easily one of the 367 00:21:25,119 --> 00:21:28,359 Speaker 1: times I was most proud of my little one. So 368 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:32,280 Speaker 1: m she She just sent along a few questions that 369 00:21:32,359 --> 00:21:33,960 Speaker 1: she had asked her students, and then a few of 370 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:35,480 Speaker 1: their answers. So we're going to read a few of 371 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:39,359 Speaker 1: a few of these fourth grade responses. Um to her question, 372 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: do you agree that Bass was quote one of the 373 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:45,520 Speaker 1: bravest men this country has ever known? Her student Jonas 374 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:48,240 Speaker 1: wrote Yes, I agree that he is the manliest man 375 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:51,360 Speaker 1: ever because he tried to build a quote bridge from 376 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,679 Speaker 1: slavery and racism to an equal place to live, equal 377 00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:58,320 Speaker 1: as everybody is treated the same, while her student Andrew 378 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:00,760 Speaker 1: did not think so. He wrote no, because he was 379 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:03,760 Speaker 1: showing off for the people, like how he uses a gun. 380 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 1: We thought that one was kind of funny. And then 381 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:11,840 Speaker 1: Rain was very impressed and wrote, yes, he was epic 382 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,639 Speaker 1: and a master of disguise because he was able to 383 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:18,280 Speaker 1: battle enemy, So there you go. Um. She had another 384 00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:21,399 Speaker 1: question too that was was more about this building a 385 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:23,919 Speaker 1: bridge idea, and she wrote, do you agree that one 386 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:26,199 Speaker 1: of the manliest things a man can do is to 387 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 1: build a bridge and legacy for others to follow, And 388 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:34,320 Speaker 1: her student Travon wrote that, uh, he kind of agreed 389 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:36,960 Speaker 1: and disagreed with it. He said, the country should try 390 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:41,359 Speaker 1: to fix slavery by themselves, but it is the whole 391 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,720 Speaker 1: country's problem, not just bass Reeves. He can take a 392 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:47,679 Speaker 1: break from being a hero, but if they can't, they 393 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:51,800 Speaker 1: could have some help. And then finally Rain again said, no, 394 00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:55,280 Speaker 1: to save someone's life is more manly. So all kinds 395 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:59,680 Speaker 1: of interesting students responses from her students and very fun 396 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:02,359 Speaker 1: too to hear. Phil. Thank you, bet See, thank you 397 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:06,280 Speaker 1: fourth graders, and um, I'm glad you guys enjoyed learning 398 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:09,160 Speaker 1: about bass Reeves so much. Yeah, we love the perspective 399 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:11,760 Speaker 1: that you have to offer, so thanks for that. If 400 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:16,280 Speaker 1: you guys have any thoughts on Bass Reeves, Indian Territory, 401 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,360 Speaker 1: or this podcast any others that we've done, feel free 402 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:21,479 Speaker 1: to write to us. We are at History Podcast at 403 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:23,960 Speaker 1: Discovery dot com. You can also look us up on 404 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:26,880 Speaker 1: Facebook and we're on Twitter at miss in History. And 405 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,040 Speaker 1: of course we have loads of articles and history and 406 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:33,119 Speaker 1: culture all on our website. You can look up those 407 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:37,440 Speaker 1: by visiting the tabs in these areas on our homepage 408 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:44,880 Speaker 1: at www dot how stuff works dot com for more 409 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,239 Speaker 1: on this and thousands of other topics because it how 410 00:23:47,280 --> 00:24:03,840 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot Com. But the book didn't need