Hermann Finds Out About His Family

in #history5 years ago (edited)

Howdy folks, greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!

We're in a series about the Wild West and the incredible story of an 11 year old German boy, Hermann, who was captured by an Apache war party from his family's farm in 1870 in Central Texas.

He's now 18-19 years old at this point in the story and has become a full blown warrior who hates and fears the White man. And in fact, has taken many a scalp. He's been with the Comanche for a few years now.

Yesterday's post

In the last post his Comanche comrades decided to surrender to the army and go onto the reservation and all of them did, except Hermann.

Hermann refused, so Quanah Parker let him stay at his village.

I believe this is Quanah Parker's village which was in the vicinity of Fort Sill. The white man called it Comanche Town:

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Today's story

Hermann worked around Quanah's village tending horses for him and hunting game. He came down with some kind of sickness and it was so bad that he thought he was going to die.

Quanah had a famous medicine man at his village named Yellow Wolf and Yellow Wolf took care of him.

He boiled herbs and made him drink different concoctions and kept him wrapped in poultices. Yellow Wolf carefully nursed him back to health and Hermann credits him for saving his life.

Yellow Wolf died a few years later when he was traveling with Quanah. They were staying at a hotel in Fort Worth and the room had gas lighting and apparently they thought they were oil lights because they blew them out at night which meant the gas kept flowing.

Obviously they didn't know how the new fangled lights worked. In the morning they found Yellow Wolf had died and Quanah was real close to death but recovered.

After Hermann got well Quanah wanted him to go to the fort with him so he agreed. The commanding officer told them that Hermann's family was still living and that Hermann should be sent to them.

This is the 5th Calvary stationed at Fort Sill. Hermann did NOT want to be anywhere near soldiers:

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When Hermann was living with the Apaches they told him that his family had all been killed and brought a few items from their home which Hermann recognized.

So all these years, about nine years now, he believed that his family were dead and gone. But the truth was that his family was alive and well.

The kid was hard headed!

Quanah told him that his mother and father was still alive and asked him if he wanted to go to them. Hermann flat out refused. He said no, that the Comanche were his family and that he would not go with the whites!

Then they took him to a Comanche interpreter who told him that he'd have to go to his people and Hermann told him that he would never consent to go.

When the interpreter said that they would take him anyway Hermann took his bow and fixed an arrow ready to shoot.

At that point Quanah stepped in and said that Hermann could go back to his camp with him and promised that the soldiers wouldn't take him. Hermann turned to shoot the interpreter anyway but he was gone.

lol.. That kid was ready to fight from being taken to the whites, even to his own family!

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So the news to Hermann that his parents were alive didn't phase him at all! He still considered all whites the enemy, even though he was one. His story continues on the next post.

Thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy
Texas

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Ahh..this what I’ve been waiting for, when Hermann meets his family. I can’t believe he has forgotten everything about them.

howdy redheadpei! yes, he not only has forgotten everything but he doesn't care and is thinking of them as the enemy because they're whites. lol.

He had been so indoctrinated into a very different way of life then what he must have remembered from his family. I can see where he would be scared to be uprooted from everything that he knows

Yes, brainwashed is the way I see it but indoctrinated is a nicer way to put it. lol. I have a feeling that it's going to be a very difficult transition for him!

I can't even imagine what it must have been like. I hope he goes into it thoroughly.

It might take awhile! lol. He's about as stubborn as they come.

I thought Hermann would be very happy to know that his parents were still alive and would at least want to see them again. I can understand why he wouldn't want to live with them though.

Howdy Butterfly! how are you doin? Sorry to disappoint you. Or sorry that Herman disappointed you. lol.

I've heard more than one story about white kids being kidnapped, often under BRUTAL circumstances, raised by Indians, then as young adults discovering they still had relatives that wanted them back and flat refusing to leave their captors/adopters. Quanah's mother was one example. I wonder if there are examples of Indians, adopted by whites, who rejected their Indian relatives?

Howdy again sir optout! hold it, I don't know for sure if you are a sir. lol. Okay well you can correct me if I'm wrong. But yes, I've read quite a few stories like that and I'm thinking about doing some posts. I told the story of Quanah's mother, Cynthia Ann Parker a few weeks ago.

But that's a good question about Indians being raised by whites and rejecting their heritage and culture. I'm sure there are but I haven't looked into that. yet. lol. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

What is that at the bottom left of that soldier picture? A smudge, or some little dog?

Oh my gosh I can't believe I didn't see that! good catch. I think it has to be a dog, I think it's facing the soldiers. lol. That is weird not be able to make it out for certain though. I tried to put the photo in Picasa so I could zoom in on it but it wouldn't work in Picasa.

Buenas noches amigo @janton aquí en Venezuela le decimos choza y se ve bien bonita al igual que la historia de ese niño . Feliz noche amigo.

Muchas gracias, Dios te bendiga!

Hi janton, I am not surprised to hear of Hermann's response, he is too much of an Apache/Comanche and a very good one at that. I look forward to reading more because at some point he gets re-united, lol.

Howdy today angiemitchell! You are so right, he doesn't even remember his previous life because he's been so consumed of his Indian lifestyle and culture. I think it might take him awhile to adjust to white culture!

Ya know. Sometimes you just don't get on well with your siblings and it takes an Apache abduction to solve the problem...

hah! yeah that would solve many dysfunctional family problems!

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Wow, I wonder if Hermann's family knew that he was alive all this time and that he didn't want to be reunited with them. From a mother's standpoint that would be devastating.

well, his family knew from Hermann's brother that he was alive at the time his brother escaped but I don't think they knew he was still alive after all those years but they probably hoped and assumed that he was. I don't think they knew that he didn't want to see them. But for this particular series I decided to write it as I read it so I haven't gotten any farther than my post today. lol.

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