The
Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine Page
Newly Discovered Facts About the Indian
Princess Whose Blood Flows in
the Veins of President
Wilson's Bride-Elect
T
fHE announcement that Mrs.
Norman Gait, who ia to be
come the wife of President
Wilson, la a descendant of Poca
hontas lends peculiar interest at
this time to newly discovered facts
concerning that unhappy Indian
princess,
Every native American treasures
memories of school days bright
ened by the Fourth Reader ro
mance of brave Captain John
Smith and tha lovely and heroic
daughter of Chief Powhatan. How
the gallant Knglish officer of a Vir
ginia regiment was praised and
honored for his soldierly qualities
by tho great chief, yet was tried
and condemned to death at a coun
cil of braves for the good of the
confederated tribes; how he calmly
bowed his head to receive the blow
from the savage executioner's club
that was to dash out his brains,
and how the tender and loving
Pocahontas rushed from her fath
er's side and laid her own head
upon that of the condemned officer
barely In time to stay the fatal
stroke and save Captain Smith's
life this, in history and in legend,
is one of our country's proudest
Historical possessions.
In spite of doubt expressed by some historians that Poca
hontas actually saved the life of Captain Smith In the man
ner described in the legend, there is no doubt at all that she
was the loveliest, tenderest, most Intelligent and greatest of
all native American Indian princesses. Her father, the great
Powhatan, lives In the history of Colonial times as the ablest
and most noble of all the celebrated rulers of confederated
Indian tribes. His personal demeanor, his customs and his
court were, in fact, little short of regal. All these attributes
his favorite daughter, Pocahontas, inherited and adorned with
her beauty and ber fine personality.
Until she met, and loved, Captain John Smith, her pros
pects were those of a princess royal, beloved by a whole
nation barbarous, but still a great and powerful nation. In
her own natural right no royal princess ever bad better
prospects of a useful and happy life.
But the mingling of the white and the colored races has
always proved disastrous to the latter. The very superiority
of Pocahontas caused her aspirations in that direction to
bring the greater and swifter misfortune upon her. The
brave and gallant soldier whom she loved and saved did
not love her. He treated her with the utmost consideration;
but went away to England and forgot her.
Then came the second misfortune of this unhappy prin
cess. Another gallant English officer in that same Virginia
regiment fell deeply ia love with her. She could not love
him as she had loved the other. But the spell of the domi
nating white race had seized upon her fine mind and heart. In
April, 1614, she formally espoused the Christian faith and
was married to the English officer, John Rolfe.
following are the known essential facts about Pocahontas
and her descendants:
The Princess Pocahontas was daughter of Powhatan,
Werowance (chief mystery man) and ruler of all the Indian
tribes of the Potomac region.
Pocahontas (born about 1595) is supposed to have been
nineten years old when, in 1614, she married John Rolfe,
first secretary of the Colony of Virginia. She died in Eng
land in 1617, leaving one child, a son named Thomas.
Thomas Rolfe married Jane Poythress, the issue being
one child, a daughter named Jane.
Jane Rolfe married, in 1676, Robert Boiling, the first of
his name in Virginia, who had come to the Colony as a boy
of fourteen. He was twenty-nine years old at the time of
his marriage. He was a son of John and Mary Boiling, of
Tower street, London.
Jane (Rolfe) Boiling died within a year after her mar
riage, leaving one child, a son named John.
John Boiling lived and died at Cobbs, on the Appomatox,
below Petersburg. He left one son and five daughters.
This son's great grandson, Archibald Boiling, was the
father of William Holcomb Boiling.
. Mrs. Gait, the President's fiancee, is a daughter of Wil
liam Holcomh Boiling.
The new discoveries about Pocahontas above referred to
will be seen to bear out in quite a marvellous manner the
existing records of her death and burial in England the com
pletion of the tragedy of her life which has all the inevit
ableneBS of the tragic plays of the old Greek dramatists.
Two years after her marriage to John Rolfe Pocahontas
went to England with her husband. Her beauty, her intelli
gence and her great personal charm gave her instant social
success In aristocratic English circles. She was presented
at the Court of St. James by Lord and Lady Delaware, and
the Bishop of London gave a great reception in her honor.
Not only was she a distinguished princess, but she was the
first native American Indian to be baptised a Christian and
brought into the fold of the English Church. She became the
idol of English aristocratic social life, in fact was treated in
every way like a princess royal.
Captain John Smith was a distinguished hero of the Eng
lish colony of Virginia. He was also basking In .the favors
of aristocratic English society which undoubtedly was some
what disappointed that he had not proved equal to the de
mands of established romance and married the heroine who
had saved his life.
The emotions of Pocahontas upon suddenly meeting Cap
tain Smith can readily be imagined. Being a princess, all the
social distinctions showered upon her had not in the least
turned her bead. Of a barbarous race, her natural emotions
had not been sapped away by the hollow conventionalities
of civilized social life.
Was the shock of again meeting the man whom she had s
perfectly loved the beginning of the tragic end? At anj
rate we know that in 1617, little more than a year after her
arrival In England, Pocahontas's life ended in a most la
mentable manner.
Old accounts agree that she went into a sudden decline,
and so longed for the scenes of her girlhood that her husband
started with her back to Virginia. They got as far as the
sailing port of Oravesend, where Pocahontas was stricken
with that then most dreaded of diseases, smallpox, which
was epidemic at the time. She lived only a few days. A
tablet placed in St George's Church, at Gravesend, per
petuated the leading facts of her life and burial in the
inscription reproduced on this page.
The body of Pocahontas was supposed to have been in
terred in the chancel of the church. But now we have
excellent reasons for believing that the circumstances of ber
actual burial were in keeping with the lamentable tragedy
of her life. The disease of smallpox was then so virulent and
so dreaded that its victim; were put under ground as hastily
as possible and without ceremony. And this custom is borne
out by the recent discovery of what archaeologists believe
to be the actual bones of the ill-fated princess in an uncared-
Tht
Sfonr Commrmorairi
PRINCESS POCAHONTAS or METOAKA
DAUCHTCR Or
The Michty amiricab indiah Chup powhattam.
gentle alto humane, she was the friend of the
earliest struccliiic encuih colonists whom she
nobly rescued, protected, and helped.
on her conversion to christianity in 1613,
she received in baptism the name rebecca,
and shortly afterwards became the wife of
thomas rolfe, a settler in virginia. she visited
enclano with her husband in i6is.was graciously
received by queen anne wife of james i.
inthe twenty second year of her ace
she died at crave send, while preparing to
revisit her native country, and was buried
near this spot on march xiv 1617.
Memorial Tablet to Pocahontas in St. George's
Church, Gravesend, England.
for spot at soma distance from the
church in which the tablet to her
memory was placed.
Pocahontas was the only Indian
woman In England at the time this
graveyard was in use. The bones
were accompanied by many small
relics, such as beads, which might
have belonged to an Indian woman.
The workmen who discovered
the bones were excavating for the
foundation of a new building near
the old White Post Inn. A man
digging a hole came upon what
at lirst be took to be a curious
smooth stone. His pick struck
against it and the second blow
drove a hole in it. Then he picked
the object up and found it was a
human skeleton. The earth was
carefully removed In the Immed
iate vicinity and the entire skele
ton was brought to light. The spot
was a few yards to the west of an
old path which ran through to the
Lennox road, and the body had lain
on its face with the feet to the
northeast, and close to a very old
hedge.
Mr. Hotter, of the firm of Clem
ents & Hotter, who were in charge
of the work, laughed when he was
told of the skeleton and remarked
jocularly, "Why, here is Pocahon
tas." Mr. Tucker, a friend of Mr. Hotter, was a dabbler in
phrenology, and to him Mr. Hotter presented the find. Mr.
Tucker, as soon as he had made a casual examination, de
cided that the skull was that of an Indian, and forthwith he
took it to London and called on a famous archaeologist.
"It is the skull of a woman," said this man, "and she was
undoubtedly an Indian woman."
Without the least hint of where the skull came from the
expert went on to demonstrate the reasons of his belief, and
even went so far as to add a very decided opinion that the
original owner of the skull in question must have been pos
sessed of rather more than the average
share of brain power and character.
Forthwith Mr. Tucker hied him home to
Gravesend and quietly went to making
further excavations at the spot where
the skeleton was unearthed, hoping to
And other things that might give some
definite clue to the identity of the dead
woman. Careful, detailed search within
a radius of several feet brought to light
various articles, including several nails,
some bits of iridescent glass or pearl, a
thin tile backed with Roman cement, a
small piece of gold wire woven Into an
ornamental pattern, to which was at'
tached a strand of straight black hair.
They are such articles as- would prob
ably have been buried with Pocahontas.
All these circumstances point very
strongly to the probability tuat the a ele
ton is that of Pocahontas herself, de
spite the doubt cast on its identity by
those who claim St. George'e chancel as
her place of burial..
Canon Gedge, the rector of St. George's
thinks It probable that the skeleton Is
that of the Indian princess, who holds
Captain John
Smith as
"Admiral of .
New England."
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9ocahontas Saving the Life of Captain John Smith- From the Familiar Old Painting.
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IVfcaf theStarsFore
tell for November
T
Pocahontas From a Portrait Believed to Have Been
Painted in Virginia. Old Prints of It Are Inscribed
"Pocahontas, First Colonia) Dame of America."
such a high place In the history of Virginia.
The pot where the skeleton was found Is right on a line
between St George's and St Mary's churchyards. That she
was lying face downwards was only another link in the chain
of evidence, for those who deposited her body under the sod
would have made great haste, and mizht even hav tnmhi.H
her into the Brave without regard to decorum, anxious only to
get av.ay from danger of contagion from the disease of which
she had diad. The nhallowness of the grave Is explained
by the fact that It Is almost on a line of a path that has been
Pocahontas and Her Little Son, Thomas Rolfe, From the
Portrait Discovered at King'. Lynn, Norfolk, England.
In use from time Immemorial, and that the earth has
probably been washed away during the centuries
which have elapsed since the interment.
That the skeleton should be In such a good state
of preservation Is due to the chalky soil, the gravel
bed above the solid chalk being ouly a few feet
thick, in fact Just exactly the sort of formation In
which the bones of many Roman soldiers have been
found well preserved in a neighboring part of Eng
land. appy Princess Pocahontas! For years after her death
of her father, the great Chief Powhatan, was still
undiminished. Hut for the spell of the white man, she might
nuve fulfilled the career of a princess so beautiful and gifted
Perhaps she might have Influenced a lasting peace between
nor native nation and the white colonics. Her fine qualities
or mind and heart Justify that assumption.
Instead she failed of a woman's greatrst desire, died
miserably when hardly past the period of girlhcod, and suf
fered a form of burial that w virtually an lndini
HQ November lunation forms a triangle with
Jupiter and Saturn, the latter elevated at
the Important angle of the figure, and the
luminaries afflicted by Mars.
Disorder ramifies through various channels of
the body politic, and widespread dissensions per
vado both national and local Issuob, with a re
actionary spirit in eloctlon results. In New York
the new Constitution falls of endorsement in many
of Uh essential features, and the woman suffrage
Question Is very probably fated to rejection.
Mars rises with place of the August eclipse In
the quarterly chart, preceding the election, and
many of the portents there hinted at will be In
evidence in the present period. This will be
especially noted near the 10th, with Mars square
Sun exactly on that point: Frightful accidents
on land and pea, fires and explosions, strikes and
casualties in war munition factories, earthquake
shocks and destruction through tidal waves are
concomitants of this aspect.
An early and sevcro Winter may be expected.
Eastern and coast regions will experience dis
agreeable phenomena between the iith and 10th,
beginning with ciectrlc sharpness and ending with
east winds and a severe cold snap. Northwest
winds and a clear atmosphere will mark the 11th
and- 12th. Tha third week brings a higher tem
perature, a falling baromoter and considerable
rain. Cold follows on the 22d, with blltzardlo con
ditions about the 24th. Rain and eloct may be
expected at the close of the moulh. with earth
quakes In various quarters.
Specific incidents predlted by ths scrs In
clude the following:
November 4 Snort-circuiting rn electric lines;
a serious acriJent on an elevated railway. A
traffic company In difficulties. Serious trouble
for war munitions plants.- The criminal classes
very active.
November 8-0 Aa important diplomatic trans
action effected and the Mexican problem clarified.
A nejv development In the Naval Advisory Board.
jNovemoer iu KartnquaKe shocks In the East
November 1314 Accident to a school or niovtug picture
theatre. Money centres benefited at thl time, alia shloplng
and foreign interests.
November 23-20 Traffic Impeded by weather conditions.
Stock market unsettled. Death ot an ogod financier.
Perseus born between Iho 6 tU and 9th of January, April
and July, or between the Otli and 11th of October of auy year
will have Saturn afflicting their Sun during Novembor. They
will be affected by colds, rheumatism and spicule troubles, as
well as by tedium in business affairs. The same holds true li
born In the Fall of 1S50. Winter of 1851. Summer of 1857, first
nine months of 1864, Winter of 186G, Fall of 1808, first hall
of 18C9, Fall of 1872. Summer of 1879 or 1S6. 1888, or Fall
of 1 892
Those born between the 8th and 12th of March, May of
November of any year are under the favorable auspices ol
Jupiter. New opportunities will open for them and thef
should seek promotion and advancement of Interests. Tb
stars hold out like promise if bora lu Spring of 1848, Sum
mer of 1852, Winters of J856. 1S38 or 1860. Winters of 186$
or 1870. Fall of 1875, Winter or Fall of 1887, Summer of 1891,
