 | Cousin Maude ; and, Rosamond |  |
Truth is Stranger than Fiction.
LIFE OF MARY JEMISON,
THE
WHITE INDIAN WOMAN OF THE GENESEE,
BY JAMES E. SEAVER, ESQ.
One Volume, 312 pp. 12mo., Illustrated. Price $1 00.
The subject of this remarkable Narrative was taken captive by a
band of Shawnees at the early age of 13 years. She subsequently became the wife of an
Indian chief, and the mother of a large family of Indian children. She lost her civilized
habits, and resided with her adopted nation for 78 years, always, however, retaining and
manifesting a constant friendship for the whites. She was granted a reservation of
19,000 acres of the richest land in the world, lying in the western part of the State of
New York. Yet this did not tempt her to abandon her adopted race or habits, to which
she pertinaciously adhered. The narrative was taken by the author from her own lips,
and is at once authentic, interesting, and instructive.
The work is filled with startling incidents from first to last, and cannot fail to instruct
and interest the general reader. To the lovers of Indian adventure, and particularly to
ths young, it will prove of great interest, as it conveys a perfect knowledge of the hardships
and trials of the Pioneer Settlers, and should find its way into the libraries of all
our citizens.
THE WORK IS AUTHENTIC.
E. S. Parker, an educated Seneca Chief, under date of March 24, writes as follows:
“I perused Seaver's book with great interest, and have had a good opportunity of testing
its reliability, by comparing it with the traditional history preserved among the Indians
with whom she lived and died; all of which more than corroborates every incident
related in the narrative. I have, therefore, every reason to believe it to be entirely true.”
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
A very interesting book—one that contains sufficient incidents for a romance, and
which, at the same time, may be regarded as a veritable history. The heroine was taken
captive by a band of Shawnees in 1753, at the age of thirteen. She became the wife of
three Indians in succession, and raised a large family of Indian children. Her life was
chequered and eventful in a high degree; she continued to live with the Iroquois
through all vicissitudes until she died, in 1833, aged ninety-one years. Though sincerely
attached to the Indians she was always the friend of the white pioneer and early settler.
In a word, her history, as biographically and agreeably related in this volume, will
amply repay perusal.
—Phil. Daily News.
Her dress was made and worn after the usual Indian fashion. She had a brown, undressed
flannel short-gown, with long sleeves, the skirt reaching to the hips, being tied
before in two places with deer-skin strings; below the skirt of the gown was to be seen
three or four inches of the lower extremity of a cotton shirt, which was without collar
or sleeves, and open before. Her petticoat, or the Indian substitute for that garment,
was composed of about a yard and a quarter of blue broadcloth, with the lists on, and
sewed together at the ends. This was tied around her waist, or rather above her hips,
under her shirt, with a string, in such a manner as to leave one-fourth of a yard or more
of the top of the cloth to be turned over the string, and display the top list, and four or
five inches of the cloth below the bottom of the shirt—the main body of the garment and
the other list reaching down to the calves of her legs; below which was to be seen her
leggings, consisting of pieces of blue broadcloth, wrapped around her legs, and tied or
pinned on, reaching from her knees to just within the tops of her buckskin moccasins.
She wore no footings or socks on her feet at any season, unless some rags wrapped
around her toes could be considered such. Over her shoulders was wrapped a common
Indian or Dutch blanket, and on her head she wore an old, brown woolen cloth somewhat
in the shape of a sun-bonnet.
—Daily Enquirer.
Sold by all Booksellers. Mailed, post-paid, to any address, upon receipt of price.
C. M. SAXTON, BARKER & CO., Publishers,
25 Park Row, New York.
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