PAGE 4
THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
POCAHONTAS—FIRST GREAT AMERICAN INDIAN
(Continued from page 1)
soon following her Christian baptism, she was married
to John Rolfe. Opaschisca, her uncle, gave her away
and the ceremony was performed according to the
ways of the English Church. Two years later they
visited England.
Pocahontas was received with much ceremony by
King James I and Queen Anne. She was known as
Lady Rebecca. While there her picture was painted,
and this same picture was later presented to the State
of Virginia by the ruler of Great Britain, and is now
in the State House at Richmond.
A few short months before she had lived in a wig
wam and now she saw gilded palaces. Not long be
fore she had worn deer skin, now she wore a ruff, a
brocaded gown, and a high Jacobean hat! The Bishop
of London held a feast in her honor. While in Eng
land she met Smith, whom she had long thought dead.
She would not marry Rolfe until she was convinced
that Smith was dead by having his false grave pointed
out to her. When she was told that Smith was dead
she grieved exceedingly. Reports of this cruel meet
ing are conflicting. Some say she fainted away and
did not speak for a long time. This would have been
quite natural if she had thought him dead. Others
insist she only wished to call Smith * ‘ Father. ’ ’ What
ever the truth be, Pocahontas began to lose her bloom
ing health and to fade. Finally came the day for de
parture for Virginia. She took a coach from London
to Gravesend, where she could board her ship.
It is not known whether she died of a broken heart
from grief at the prospect of leaving Smith forever, or
whether she was the victim of an epidemic of small
pox that was then ravaging in the vicinity of Graves
end. Here she was buried, but the exact spot is un
known.
Thus ended the life of “the beautiful savage,” the
one who came to Jamestown on a dismal night through
the woods and saved the colonists. Her son later re
turned to Virginia and one of her descendants was
John Randolph of Roanoke.
When Pocahontas and Rolfe went to England Pow
hatan sent one of his men, Tomocomomo, to report
the number of inhabitants and the general state of the
country. Tomocomomo returned and it is too bad
that there is no written record of his report, for it
would no doubt be very interesting.
No doubt Pocahontas was the main factor that
caused “the kindness of the natives who brought the
colonists maize and other provisions.” Without this
aid the first English settlers that came to Virginia
in 1607 would have starved.
Who knows whether Pocahontas fell in love with
the gallant Captain John Smith or merely worshipped
him as a superior and exalted being? Who knows if
he ever took more than a fatherly interest in her?
We do know she had a tender and merciful heart;
that she, an interesting Indian maiden, was feted by
the royalty of England and never blundered; that
America owes a debt of gratitude to this illustrious
woman who did so much to promote her colonization.
St. Georges church at Gravesend bears an entry
which reads, “21 March, 1616, Rebecca Wrolfe, wyffe
of Thomas Wrolfe, gent., a Virginia Lady borne,
was buried in ye Chauncelle.”
LET YOUR DOCTOR DECIDE
Following are some splendid suggestions just issued
by the Oregon State Board of health—pay attention to
them:
Thousands of people have tuberculosis and never
know it. About two people in every hundred break
down with this disease. Even you may have tuber
culosis and not know it!
You may be infected and never develop tubercu
losis. But if you feel any of the following danger
signs of tuberculosis, especially if you have two or
three of them in combination, take no chances. See
your doctor. Let him decide.
Are you tired all the time without any cause that
you can think of? Not laziness, but fatigue—that
loss of ambition and energy that gives you an all-in
feeling? That may be a danger sign of tuberculosis.
Let your doctor decide.
When you begin to lose weight fairly rapidly with
no apparent reason and when such loss of weight
is accompanied by loss of “pep” or a “tired-all-the-
time” feeling, it may be tuberculosis. Let your
doctor decide.
Loss of appetite, or what is commonly called “in
digestion,” is frequently an early sign of tuberculosis.
This is especially so if with it goes a loss of “pep”
and loss of weight. Let your doctor decide whether
your indigestion is or is not a sign of tuberculosis.
A cough that lasts more than two weeks should al
ways be viewed with suspicion. It may be caused by
tuberculosis. Take no chances. Let your doctor de
cide.
Blood-streaked sputum or quantities of blood with
coughed-up matter should put you on your guard.
It may be tuberculosis. Let your doctor decide.
No chronic disease is more easily cured than tuber
culosis, if it is discovered in time. The danger signs
listed above are the earliest signs of tuberculosis that
are most commonly noticed. Proper treatment in a
sanatorium or at home will restore health to most
cases of early tuberculosis. If in doubt have an ex
amination today, with bared chest. Your local or
state tuberculosis or public health association will as
sist you with information or in other ways, if you do
not know what to do. They will serve your doctor
or you for the asking. Take no chances.