Murder In America - EP. 141: TEXAS - Kidnapped By Comanches: The UNBELIEVABLE Story Of Cynthia Ann Parker

Episode Date: January 26, 2024

In today's story, we head back in time to tell the tale of a woman whose family was murdered... and whose second family was murdered years later. This, is the unbelievable, sad, true story of Cynthia Ann Parker. - Stay Connected: Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701 If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel - (c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Life is a journey. I know this. I think we all know this. Some days feel good and other days feel absolutely overwhelming. Whatever's keeping you up at night, it's easy sometimes to feel like you have to figure it all out on your own. But the truth is, nobody has all the answers.

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Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children. This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned. For today's story, we are going to change it up a little bit and bring you all the way back to the 18. Not everyone likes older cases, but this one is very interesting, and it has to do with the Parker family. In 1833, the Parkers were living in Crawford County, Illinois. But they were wanting a fresh start. You see, Silas Parker, the patriarch, had always dreamed of life on the frontier, and word around town was that there was a ton of land in Texas. So that year, he, his wife,

their four children, and 31 other families loaded up their ox carts and started their journey down to Texas. It wouldn't be an easy journey. Some people would die along the way, but on the forefront of everyone's mind was the American dream. The only issue was that the land that these families were wanting already belonged to people. In fact, along the Navasota River where everyone settled was too. 250,000 square miles of a vast Comanche empire. And in 1833, the indigenous people watched as settlers took over their territory that they had inhabited for over 150 years.

Tensions were extremely high between the two groups. And in 1836, hundreds of Native Americans would show up at the Parker's new home ready for bloodshed. Because it was a surprise attack, many of the settlers would die. But the indigenous people didn't kill everyone. In fact, after murdering their families, they would kidnap five women and children, including the Parker's oldest daughter, Cynthia Ann Parker. The story we have for you today is about her life. Because after she was kidnapped, nine-year-old Cynthia had no other choice,

but to fully integrate herself into the Comanche tribe. She eventually even got married to one of the chiefs, Anne would have his children who would go on to lead their tribe. But this story is heartbreaking all around. Because after 25 years, Cynthia's Comanche family would be slaughtered by Texas Rangers. And from there, she was brought back to her white family, back to a life that she didn't even know anymore.

So this is the wild story of Cynthia Ann Parker. I'm Courtney Browne. And I'm Colin Brown. And you're listening to Murder in America. Silas M. Parker was born in Northeast Georgia around the year 1802. And when he was around 17 years old, his family would relocate to the Illinois territory in 1815. And it was there where Silas would meet and marry a woman named R. Lucinda Dutty, who often went by the name Lucy.

Together, the couple would go on to have four children, two daughters named Cynthia Anne and Dorlina, and two sons named John and Silas Jr. Now, like many white men around this time, Silas fought in wars against Native Americans, including the Black Hawk War in 1832. During that war, the Native Americans were led by a South warrior named Blackhawk, who sought to reclaim the Illinois and Michigan land that had been surrendered in 1804. But the Native Americans would lose the war. war, and there was a lot of bloodshed. And soon afterwards, Silas started to make plans to move

his family out of Illinois. Over the years, Silas's brother, James Parker, had made several exploratory trips to Texas, and while he was there, he found a ton of land around the Brazos River. So James came back to Illinois and started talking with everyone about this new opportunity to settle down in Texas. James even told Stephen F. Austin that he planned on moving 50 families to the new colony. It seemed like a great idea. And in 1833, Silas, his brother James, and their entire congregation of their Baptist church packed up their things, loaded them up on 30 ox carts, and started the journey down to Texas. Now back then, the journey from Illinois to Texas would have taken them months, especially considering there were 31 other families traveling with them.

And some people would even lose their lives along the way. One member of their congregation was killed when his wagon lost a wheel and a piece of splintered wood pierced through his chest. Of course, the Parker clan knew that the journey wouldn't be easy, but finally after months of traveling, they would arrive to present-day Grossbeck, Texas. And when they finally saw the land, it almost seemed too good to be true. Not only was there an abundance of fertile prairie land, surrounded by beautiful oak, walled, but there were also several creeks and the large Navasota River that was full of fish in game. Now each of the families were given 4,600 acres of land to establish their roots, and the Parker family bought even more acreage. In total, they would own roughly 18,000 acres of land

that was all to themselves, or so they thought. Soon after they arrived, the settlers' learn that their new paradise was located just outside of a Native American frontier. In fact, 250,000 square miles of that area belonged to a Comanchee Empire, who had lived there for over 150 years. And as you can imagine, the Comanches were not happy about these settlers coming in. Now, the Parker clan had a long history of war with the Native Americans. Many of the men in that group had killed Native Americans in Illinois, and they were prepared to do the same thing here. So there was rising tensions growing among them.

But the settlers didn't care. In their minds, this land was theirs. So in the spring of 1835, Silas and his brothers immediately went to work, building a one-acre fort on their new property. There were six log cabins, four blockhouses, and a 15-foot bulletproof front gate that was built from cedar. Silas, Lucy, and their four children occupied one of the six log cabins inside the fort

that eventually became known as Fort Parker. And from there, the family spent their days farming on the land, completely unaware that bloodshed was on the horizon. In 1835, Texas's population was less than 40, 30,000, and the Parker's land was settled in a secluded area, completely surrounded by Native American tribes. But they were determined to take over the area and make it a place where other families could eventually come and settle.

But they were well aware that the natives were unhappy with their presence. In fact, the Comanche tribe had recently attacked a family near the Guadalupe River, where they killed two men and kidnapped a woman and her two children. Miraculously, the woman had escaped and stumbled upon a group of rangers in the middle of the night, but she had been beaten, bloodied, and raped. Fortunately, the Rangers had found the children alive at a nearby Comanchee camp, but this incident caused a lot of fear. So wanting to protect their families from an attack, the group established the Committee of Safety and Correspondence for Viesca on May 17, 1835. Silas Parker led the group of 25 Rangers, who were tasked to guard

the region from the Comanches and protect the area between the Trinity and Brazos rivers. However, this only intensified the tension between the rangers and the Native Americans. The rangers were the number one threat to the indigenous people, and they were not pleased with their existence near their land or their people. And understandably so. For the past couple hundred years before this, indigenous people living in America were fearful of their lives. Before the settlers came to America, this was their land.

And then when they arrived, they can't. completely exterminated them. In fact, within 200 years, the population of indigenous people in America went from 145 million to less than 15 million, meaning 130 million Native Americans were slaughtered since the settlers had come and stolen what was theirs. The genocide of indigenous people could be an entire story in and of itself.

And what these tribes went through to protect their land and their families is heartbreaking. So clearly, when members of this Comanchee tribe saw that white people were coming in and taking over their land, they were angry. They saw the destruction that these settlers had caused to their people, and they were determined to fight back. As a little history of the Comanchee, they referred to themselves as Numenu, which meant people. In the late 1600s, the Comanchee separated themselves from. their relatives, the Shoshone, and migrated south from their occupied lands in Montana and Wyoming and entered the Great Plains region. Originally, the Comanche people hunted on foot. But around 1705, they acquired horses from the neighboring Ute tribe, who had received the animals from the

Spanish people in Mexico. After their introduction to horses, the Comanchee became skilled in hunting buffalo on horseback, and their men, women, and children were exceptional horseback riders. But due to the tension between other tribes and the Spanish, the Comanche Society focused solely on training their young boys for warfare. From a young age, around four or five years old, actually, the boys were taught how to ride horses at a full gallop and shoot arrows at their enemies. The training was so intense that it's often been compared to that of ancient Sparta. When they would fight wars, the Comanche men rode into battle with two black lines across their face, one on their forehead and the other across the middle section of their face. and they were extremely skilled.

Over time, they had become so skilled on horseback that it said that they could hang by their horse's neck and shoot arrows at their enemies. And believe it or not, even after they were introduced to firearms, it said that the Comanchee warriors still chose to use bow and arrows and 14-foot lances that were hung with feathers to signify bravery.

It was also noted that the Comanche could fire 20 or more arrows in the time it took someone to shoot and reload their musket. The Comanchee were also skilled in raiding as they were known to assemble hundreds or thousands of people in a short amount of time and cover vast distances at high speeds. And during their raids, they were ruthless. They were known to kill off their enemies in surprise attacks. And in order to control their territory,

the Comanchee warriors would often kill all of the adult males. Women were raped, kidnapped, and then sold for ransom, or kept on location as slaves, and children were kidnapped and sold, or sometimes kept in and raised as one of their own. After a raid, the Comanches would bring their captives back to their land for a large celebration and reenact their capture for other members to witness. During these celebrations, they would wear the loot they scored during the raid

and brutally beat their bound captors for all to see. Now, in the early 1800s, France sold a large portion of land to the United States in what would become known as the Louisiana Purchase. The only problem was the land was already inhabited by indigenous people. So after the United States purchased it, many of these tribes were forced to relocate west of the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, the tribes were now forced to live in Comanche territory, and there was competition for the share of buffalo herds.

Then, in 1821, Mexico gained control of present-day Texas from Spain, and more people encroached on Comanche land. By this time, the Comanche people were furious at the intrusion on their territory, and in retaliation, they fought with settlers and other native tribes. And there was so much war going on that in 1835, the United States government had a meeting with the Comanche people to discuss eastern tribes assembling and departs of their territory. The Comanchee people obviously didn't want this,

but they didn't really have a choice. So they ultimately signed the Treaty of Camp Holmes. This treaty was an agreement that the Comanchee people would live in peace with the new tribes that had been relocated in their territory, and it also stated that they would live in peace with the United States. But the Comanchee were brilliant when it came to dealing with the government. Author S. C. Gwynn stated, they made treaties of convenience when it suited them

and always looked to guarantee themselves trade advantages, particularly in that most tradable of all commodities on the plains, horse flesh, of which they owned more than anyone. However, things shifted on March 2, 1836, after Texas declared its independence from Mexico. And the Comanche, who had ruled their territory for 150 years, soon found a large number of white settlers taking over their land. So as you can see, by the time the Parker Clems,

had moved to Texas, there had been a long history of tension from people trying to come in and take what was theirs, and they were understandably angry. So the Comanche started planning a surprise attack. On May 19, 1836, it was a beautiful sunny spring morning, and it started out like any other. About 10 men from the Parker clan left Fort Parker to work in the nearby cornfields. However, as they walked out of the gates, they made one crucial mistake. They failed to close the doors behind them, leaving eight women and nine children inside the fort without any protection.

To this day, it's unknown why the men left the front gates open, as they were fully aware of the Comanche raids that had been happening in the area. But at around 10 a.m., hundreds of Native Americans approached the fort on horseback, carrying a white flag and one of the men who had stayed behind that morning was 48-year-old Benjamin Parker when he noticed the large group outside of the fort he walked outside of the gate to meet them and as he approached the Comanches explained that they needed one of their cows they said they also needed directions to the closest waterhole for their horses but Benjamin knew deep down that this was not going to end well. The tribe said they wanted water for their horses, but Benjamin saw

that the horses were already dripping wet, meaning they had just been near water. So hoping to keep the peace, Benjamin told them that he couldn't give them one of their cows, but he would give them some of the other food they had. Now Benjamin told the men to wait there and he would return shortly, but as he was walking inside, he ran into his brother Silas, who had also stayed behind that morning. And when Silas heard about the Comanche's request for food, he knows that they're in danger. By now, other members of the Parker clan had noticed the Comanches outside,

and they are terrified. Silas's brother John and his brother-in-law, G.E. Dwight, even grabbed their families and tried to sneak out the back. exit, but Silas stopped them, and he told the men, We are not going to run. We need to stand and fight like men, even if that means we die. Silas was not willing to run and hide. He had worked hard for Fort Parker, so he was going to fight back.

Even if that meant members of his family would die. But his brother Benjamin was still trying to keep it peaceful. He even went back outside to talk to the Comanchees. Over by one of the cabins, Silas's niece Rachel Plummer and her 14-month-old son, James, had just come outside to see what was going on. And before she knew it, she watched as the command she surrounded her uncle Benjamin. Seconds later, one of them grabbed a 14-foot-pointed wooden shaft and pierced it through his body. From there, Benjamin fell to the ground, and the group began clubbing him.

and shooting his body with arrows at close range. Then as he laid bloodied on the ground, barely clinging to life, they finished him off by grabbing him by the top of his hair and scalping him. After they were finished with Benjamin, the command chief focused their attention on the inside of the fort and galloped at full speed towards the Parker family members who had yet to make their escape. One of those people was Rachel Plummer and her young son James, who she held tightly in her arms.

She tried to run away, but unfortunately, she was not fast enough, and the command she's quickly knocked her to the ground. According to her own account, she said, quote, A large sulky Indian picked up a hoe and knocked me down. Rachel was hit with such force that she dropped her baby James in full. fainted. And when she woke up, she was being dragged by her hair to the outside of the fort, where a large number of Native Americans stood near the mutilated body of her uncle Benjamin. Rachel attempted to kick and fight her attackers, but to no avail. Her head was bleeding profusely. And as she lay on the ground, she looked up and saw her son James in the arms of a

Comanche on his horse. Rachel screamed, and pleaded for them to give her son back. But two Comanche women then came up and started whipping her. Rachel would later say, quote, I suppose that it was to make me quit crying." End quote. Inside the fort, the warriors continued their attack on Silas and two other members of the Parker clan named Robert and Samuel.

The three men were brutally murdered and scalped while the remaining settlers continued to scream and run away. John Parker, his wife Sally, and her daughter Elizabeth, managed to get away, but it was only a matter of time before the Native Americans came galloping up behind them at full speed, and soon enough they found themselves surrounded. The Comanches then made them strip naked, and from there, they started attacking John with tomahawks. His wife Sally screamed and tried to look away while they murdered her husband. But the command she's held her head and forced her to watch as they bludgeoned, stabbed, castrated, and scalped him.

Next, the group focused their attention on Sally. She was naked, and they pinned her up against a tree, where she was then brutally raped right in front of her daughter. And once the men had their way with her, a large knife was driven into her breast. miraculously, Sally would survive, but their daughter Elizabeth watched in horror as her parents were attacked right in front of her eyes, and she feared that she would be next. But surprisingly, instead of killing her, they threw her onto the back of a horse. She wasn't going to die that day. Instead, she would become one of their hostages. Back at the front of the fort, Lucy and her forge were. children attempted to run away in the nearby cornfields. However, they weren't successful.

The men grabbed two children, nine-year-old Cynthia Ann and her seven-year-old brother, John Richard. Lucy and her two other children, Silas Jr. and Orlina were then dragged back to the fort alongside another man named L.D. Nixon. And it's around this time when the 10 men who had left for work that morning realized that their family was in trouble. They quickly ran up to the fort with their guns, but it was too late. In less than 30 minutes, five men were dead, and two women, Elizabeth Kellogg and Rachel Parker Plummer, and three children, Cynthia Ann, John Richard, and 14-month-old James, had been kidnapped. Before the tribes left Fort Parker, they looted the cabins, slaughtered multiple cows and set a few of the structures inside of the fort on fire.

Inside the six cabins, they had ripped open mattresses and threw feathers around, bottles of medicine, food and drinks were smashed and left littered on the floor. According to Rachel Plummer, a few of the warrior looters took a bottle of arsenic and used it to paint their faces. She said, Among my father's medicines was a bottle of pulverized arsenic, which the Indians mistook for a kind of white pain, with which they painted their faces and bodies all over,

dissolving it in their saliva. The bottle was brought to me to tell them what it was. I told them I did not know, though I knew because the bottle was labeled. Interestingly, the Native Americans who had used the arsenic to paint their faces ultimately died. But after their family was massacred and kidnapped, the survivors of the Parker clan left the fort in search of help. The group was terrified that the Native Americans would return and finish what they had started, and they knew they wouldn't be able to defend themselves, since a number of the men of their group were now dead. But the journey for help was long. They went nearly two days without food.

However, over a week later, the group finally arrived at Fort Houston, where they shared the horrible news about the attack. Sadly, the group wouldn't return to Fort Parker for another two months, and it was only then, months later in the Texas summer heat, when they finally buried their dead and decayed relatives. But back on the day of the attack, after the tribes left with their five captors, they traveled north on horseback. According to author S. C. Gwen in his book titled Empire of the Summer Moon, the Comanche most likely traveled 60 miles to present-day Fort Worth and set up camp on the

open prairie. Here, they had a large celebration around a fire where they danced and wore the loot from the attack on their bodies. They also presented five bloody scalps of the men they had killed and continued to beat the naked bodies of Elizabeth Kellogg and 17-year-old Rachel Plummer. Rachel later wrote, quote, They now tied a plated thong around my arms and threw my hands behind me. They then tied a similar thong around my ankles and drew my feet and hands together. They now turned me on my face. When they commenced beating me over the head with their bows,

it was with great difficulty that I could keep from smothering in my own blood. It was extremely difficult for the five captors to watch as these people danced with their husbands, brothers, and uncle scalps, around the fire. And even worse, was that the three children there were forced to watch as Elizabeth and Rachel were beaten and repeatedly raped. On the morning after the raid, the tribe loaded up their hostages and belongings and took off once more. Rachel Plummer would later say that they weren't given any food while they traveled this long journey and were only given small amounts of water. Then every night as the tribe went to sleep, their wrist and ankles were bound together so tight it would make them bleed.

Now it's unknown how the tribe treated the children. Nine-year-old Cynthia Ann was likely fed, but she was extremely traumatized after watching her father get brutally murdered right in front of her. And not to mention, she also witnessed the continued beatings and rapes of her aunt and cousin. After six long, brutal days, the five captors were divided. Elizabeth Kellogg was traded to a North Texas tribe called the Kichai Indians. Both Cynthia Ann and her younger brother, John, stayed with the tribe of Comanche's, and Rachel Plummer and her son James were traded to another Comanche tribe.

According to Rachel's account, she initially thought that the Comanches would allow her to stay with her son. However, that was not the case. She wrote, as soon as they found out I had weaned him, they, in spite of all my efforts, tore him from my embrace. He reached out his hands towards me, which were covered in blood, and cried, Mother, Mother, oh, mother! I looked after him as he was born from me, and I sobbed aloud. This was the last I ever heard of my little pratt. Once her son was taken from her, Rachel was brought further north,

most likely to present-day Colorado, where there were no settlers. Now, although this location was purchased by the U.S. through the Louisiana purchase, it would be another four years until settlers occupied the area, meaning there was a very small likelihood Rachel would ever be found. Sadly, when Rachel was kidnapped from Fort Parker, she was actually four months pregnant. She and her husband had been really excited to have another baby, but now that her family had been taken away from her, this baby was all she had.

It would kept her going throughout her captivity. Rachel would end up giving birth in October of 1836. But sadly, immediately afterwards, the tribe took her baby and killed it. And they did so by tying the infant to a back of a horse and dragging its little body through a field of cactuses. Rachel would later say, quote, My little innocent one was not only dead, but torn to pieces. End quote.

Now, although Rachel's new life with the Comanchee tribe was horrific, it was noted that the child captors weren't treated as harshly, especially the young girls. And that's because the Comanche women typically had low fertility rates. It's suspected that because they aggressively rode horses, all the time, the constant up and down on the back of the horse would cause them to miscarry. So with the child captors that were girls, they were treated better because the Comanche viewed them as potential child bearers, and more children meant more members of their tribe.

For Cynthia Ann, the nine-year-old that was kidnapped, she was treated fairly well, and they immediately went to work adapting her into their lifestyle. which has to be pretty confusing. I mean, at nine years old, you have a pretty good grasp of everything going on around you. And I'm sure at first, Cynthia was terrified of these people

after watching them kill her family. But in the weeks after her kidnapping, they showed her kindness. They fed her, and they started showing her all there is to know about being a Comanche. But as Cynthia was adapting

to this new lifestyle, her surviving family members were still out there trying to locate her. In fact, Cynthia's uncle, James Parker, had petitioned the leader of the Texas Revolution, General Sam Houston, to gather a group of men to help find the Comanches who had taken his family. And not only did they want their family back, they wanted revenge. Now, Sam Houston suggested a treaty for peace, but James knew this wouldn't work. He wanted an attack, and Sam Houston would ultimately refuse to help, as he was already pretty preoccupied with the Mexican army.

But soon enough, members of their family would come back. Believe it or not, on August 20th, 1836, a group of Delaware Native Americans from the Kachai tribe surrendered Elizabeth Kellogg to Sam Houston. In exchange for $150. James and the other surviving members of the Parker clan were thrilled with Elizabeth's return, and she was reunited with her family who now lived in Walker County. It's unknown how Elizabeth lived her life after being returned, to her family, but it can be assumed that due to her repeated beatings and sexual assaults that

she was traumatized. Back in the 19th century, women that had been raped were considered an embarrassment to their families. If Elizabeth Kellogg had been married, chances are her husband would not have wanted her back. According to the book titled Empire of the Summer Moon, James Parker did not often speak about Elizabeth after her return, and it was most likely because she had been repeatedly raped. Despite Elizabeth's return, there was still four family members missing, and James wanted them back. In June of 1837, James wrote General Sam Houston once again and asked for his help in gathering 2,000 men to, quote, act against the Indians. In response to James Parker's request, General Houston requested that he gathered 120 men

to, quote, flog those Indians. However, in July 1837, General Houston changed his mind, and the group never completed the mission. But to everyone's surprise, James' daughter, Rachel Plummer, would also make her way back home. After 13 months in captivity, she was finally sold back to her family in Houston, Texas. But she had many physical and emotional scars. Not only was her baby murdered right in front of her eyes, but she was also never reunited with her son James. And because of that, it was said that she was never fully recovered. Her dad, James Parker, described her being returned in very bad health, and also stated, she presented a most pitiable appearance, her emaciated body, was covered in scars, the evidence of the savage barbarity to which she had been subject

during her captivity. Now, according to S.C. Gwyn's research into Rachel's life, she would end up having another baby after she was returned back to her family. But sadly, shortly after giving birth, Rachel would pass away on March 19, 1839. Then, just days after her death, her infant's son would also pass away, although we couldn't figure out exactly how they died. But with two members of the Parker clan now returned to their families, there was still the question of what happened to the children who were kidnapped. Unbeknownst to the Parker family, Cynthia Ann, her brother John and cousin James Plummer, who is Rachel's son, had all been adopted by a Comanche named Tabinoka. And within just a few years, they had all been fully integrated into their tribe.

Cynthia's new adopted name was Ndua, which meant someone found in the Comanche language. And after a few years of living with them, Cynthia met a man named Pita Nakona, who was a Comanche chief known for his big stature. In the Comanche language, his name meant he who travels alone and returns. Pita was the son of a Comanche chief, so naturally he would become one as well. And it was reported in the Texas State Historical Association that PETA actually took part in the raid against the Parker family. He was very skilled in war and highly respected amongst the tribe. And in 1840, when Cynthia was just 13 years old, he chose her to be his wife, which is pretty wild because he took part in killing her family. But despite that, it was reported that the two were.

really loved each other. Now, I do want to say that I'm obviously not condoning this relationship, and I'm not really sure how old Pita was when he married 13-year-old Cynthia, but it was common back then to marry women as soon as they started their menstrual cycle, and that's what happened. It was also common back then for men in the tribes to take multiple wives, but Pita was only interested in Cynthia, and he never married anyone else. But for the next couple of years, there isn't a lot of information about Cynthia, other than the fact that she seemed to be truly happy.

By 1846, she had been with the Comanche for 10 years, which was longer than she was with her real family. And by then, she had fully integrated into the Comanche lifestyle and was living with them at a camp north of present-day Dallas. Now, the dates here are a little unclear, but during the day, 1840s, Cynthia and her husband Pita would go on to have three children, two sons and a daughter. Her daughter was named Tapsana, and her two sons were Quana and Pekos. And after their births, Cynthia definitely wasn't going to leave her tribe.

This was her family, and she loved them dearly. But one day in April of 1846, a white man named Leonard H. Williams' was walking near the Washtia River when he spotted Cynthia among the tribe, and he immediately knew that she had to have been kidnapped. So William approached the leaders of the tribe and attempted to purchase her from them, but they refused.

19-year-old Cynthia was a part of their family now. According to author S. C. Gwynn, Williams offered them, quote, 12 mules and two mule loads of merchandise. But in response, the Comanchez said, quote, they will rather die than give her up. End quote. But when they refused, Williams tried again and offered, quote,

a large amount of goods and $400 to $500 in cash. But again, the Comanchees refused to negotiate. And when Cynthia learned that a white man was trying to take her from her family, she was horrified. She didn't want to leave. In fact, she was so scared of being taken away. She hid and, quote, wept incessantly. The Comanchees then ordered the white man off their land,

and Cynthia got to stay with her family. Now, you might be thinking what happened to Cynthia's brother John and her cousin, James Plummer. Well, interestingly enough, after years of living with the Comanches, they were returned back to their family. It's unclear exactly how they found their way, back, but John, Cynthia's brother, really struggled adapting back into white society. John loved the Comanche's so much. He actually ran away from home and went right back to his tribe. He was so

involved in the Comanche lifestyle. He even participated in raids with his fellow native warriors. During one raid in Mexico, John caught smallpox and became too ill to ride back to their base. Sadly, the tribe was scared that he would spread the disease, so they left him there with a Mexican girl they had kidnapped. But believe it or not, the girl would eventually nurse him back to health, and they would go on to get married. Eventually, they both moved to Texas, and during the Civil War, John fought for the Confederacy.

Then once the war was over, he returned to his ranch in Mexico with his wife, and it was reported that he lived a long, normal and happy life on his ranch until his death in 1915. But back to the 1840s, after John and James were reunited with her family, Cynthia was the only member of the Parker clan still missing, and her uncle, James Parker, was determined to find her. Now, after Leonard H. Williams spotted her that one day by the river,

he went back to Houston and told the local newspaper about the white girl living amongst the Comanchees. The Houston Telegraph in Texas Register stated that, Miss Parker had married an Indian chief and is so wedded to the Indian mode of life that she is unwilling to return to her white kindred. Even if she should be restored to her kindred here, she would probably take advantage of the first opportunity and flee away to the wilds of northern Texas. Now, the Comanches obviously did not read the newspaper, but after Leonard Williams left their camp that day, Cynthia and her husband were scared that they would try and come back for her. So they never stayed in one place for long. Over the next few months, she and the tribe moved to different camps around Texas and then eventually entered the state of Oklahoma.

By then, Cynthia was even more immersed into the Comanchee lifestyle as her children were training to become the leaders of the tribe themselves. But in 1851, she was spotted yet again by a white settler. In any time they came across white people, she was pretty easy to spot, as she was the only white woman amongst the tribe. But on this day, a local trader named Victor Rose approached Cynthia and asked if she wanted to be reunited with her family. However, Cynthia refused. And she told the man, I am happily married, I love my husband who is good and kind. And my little ones who too are his, I cannot forsake them. End quote. Victor would later describe Cynthia's husband Pida as a, quote,

great, greasy, lazy buck. End quote. As you can see, white people were not huge fans of Native Americans. Even more so that a white woman was married to one. But as you can see, Cynthia had now had two opportunities to leave the tribe. And it's clear that she didn't want to. She loved her life and her family. and she didn't want things to change.

In 1852, Cynthia would be spotted again, this time by Captain Randolph Marcy for the United States Army, who reportedly went to the Red River and saw the blue-eyed Anglo woman living amongst the natives. When he returned to his base, he wrote a report that stated, quote, there is, at this time, a white woman among the middle Comanches by the name of Parker, who, with her brother, was captured while they were young children.

This woman has adopted all the habits and peculiarities of the Comanches, has an Indian husband and children, and cannot be persuaded to leave them, end quote. By this time, Cynthia had become somewhat of a Texas legend, and people around the area were constantly talking about what might have happened to her. Because you see, at the time, a lot of white people hated indigenous people. So, as you can imagine, many of them were furious at the fact that a white woman was living amongst the tribe, adapting their culture. One man named John Baylor even wrote a fictional story about Cynthia's life as a Comanche, and that only stirred up more anger amongst the white settlers.

In their minds, Native Americans were nothing more than savages who needed to be exterminated from the earth, and sadly, they were making progress in doing just that. In 1836, Texas had declared its independence from Mexico, but it wouldn't be until 1844 when the U.S. allowed the annexation of Texas, which set off the Mexican-American War. The United States victory over the land meant that 1.2 million square miles of land was gained, including land that had been ruled by Comanches for over 150 years. And with the war now behind them, the U.S. military and the Texas Rangers could once again return their attention to their oldest enemy, the Native Americans.

This meant that their lives and their tribes were more in danger than ever before. In October of 1860, big things were happening here in America. The United States was only a few weeks shy of electing their 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. At that time, Cynthia had been living with the group of 500 Comanche natives at a camp near Peace River. Her oldest son, Kwanah was 12 years old by then, and according to reports, he strongly resembled his father. Quana was big and strong and fully committed to following in his father's footsteps. Cynthia's other son, Pekos, was smaller. His name actually meant peanut, but nonetheless he still had a fiery spirit.

And even though they were about 10 and 12 years old, they were old enough to hunt now. In the morning, Cynthia would send her sons off with their dad to catch their food for the day. While she stayed behind with her daughter Topsana, who was still a toddler. and when the boys went off to hunt, Cynthia would work with the other women of the tribe to prepare food. S. C. Gwen reported, quote, sometimes she was covered head to toe in buffalo fat, blood, marrow, and tissue, so much so that it turned her naturally light hair and light skin, almost black, end quote. But that was a part of the lifestyle, and Cynthia wouldn't have it any other way.

On the other hand, however, another part of the Comanchee lifestyle was raiding white settlements. By then, with the United States having control of the land, Native Americans were being wiped out left and right, and they were fighting back. Cynthia's husband, Pita Nakana, and his group of Comanchee warriors would usually leave their camp late at night to carry out a surprise attack on the white people that threaten them. and oftentimes they would come back with the scalps of their enemies. Texans would usually refer to these brutal attacks as the Comanchee moon. One report stated, people on moonlit nights were in perfect dread. I well remember the time when the beautiful nights of the full moon instead of being a source of pleasure, or on the contrary, to be dreaded as the worst of evils.

In one huge advantage that the Comanche's had was their knowledge. of the land. They could easily get around in ways that the white settlers would never see them coming, and their raids were always swift and brutal. Oftentimes, entire families were wiped out. Their bodies left mutilated beyond measure, and with each raid, the hatred towards Native Americans grew stronger. But when the Rangers would try and retaliate, it always seemed like the indigenous people were always one step ahead. In March of 1860, Texas Governor Sam Houston got a group of rangers to go out and find the Comanchees responsible for the raids, and they were specifically looking for Pita Nakana, Cynthia's husband. But during their journey, the rangers started drinking

alcohol and getting rowdy. Eventually, the Comanchees heard the rangers off in the distance, and from there they surprised the group and stole all their horses, which only angered the Texas Rangers and white settlers even more. And Cynthia's husband Pita Nakana was one of their main targets. In late November 1860, Pita Nakana led a group of 55 warriors to present-day Jackson-day Jacksboro, Texas. And while there, they killed every settler they could find, including a rancher named John Brown,

the Comanche stole his horses, drove their 14-foot wooden rods into his body, and cut off his nose. The men then rode to a location called Stag Prairie, where they encountered the Sherman family. The tribe rode their horses onto their property as the family ate dinner, and at first, it appeared as if they came in peace.

They even shook hands with Ezra Shermerey, Sherman, the patriarch. And from there, the tribe sat down at their dinner table. Scared out of their minds, the Sherman family attempted to keep things civil and even gave some of the men their dinner. But after eating, things quickly took a turn for the worse. Ezra's wife, Martha Sherman, was nine months pregnant at the time. And soon after dinner was over, she tried to make a run for it out the back door. but she wasn't fast enough.

The Comanche's eventually caught up with her, and from there they dragged her back to the cabin, where she was then brutally gang-raped, shot with multiple arrows, and scalped, all while she was still alive. S. C. Gwen stated, quote, they scalped her alive by making deep cuts below her ears, and, in effect, peeling the top of her head entirely off.

as she later explained this was difficult for the Indians to do, and it took a long time to accomplish. End quote. Surprisingly, Martha Sherman would ultimately survive the attack, but shortly after, she would experience the heartbreaking loss of a stillborn infant, and at the end of their two-day raid throughout these Texas towns, Pita Nekona and his group of Comanchee warriors had murdered 20, three white settlers, and the people of Texas were angry.

Ironically, the two-day raid had happened in Parker County, Texas, named after the relatives of Cynthia Anne. And after all the bloodshed, settlers, government officials, and the Texas Rangers were furious, especially because Martha Sherman was seen as a good Christian woman. But as horrible and brutal as these attacks were, it's important to remember that the Comanche people did not commit the raids as random attacks. In fact, far more Native Americans were dying at the time at the hands of settlers. And with each passing year, the United States was taking more of their land, which meant they had less resources. And with less resources, their tribes got smaller and smaller. It was a fight that the Comanches had been fighting for nearly 200 years. And now that Texas was a part of the United

States, even more settlers were coming and taking their land, knowing that the Comanches would fight back. So in their minds, these people had been warned. According to the book titled Empire of the Summer Moon, the Sherman attack had been one of the most brutal and bloody attacks on the frontier. The author stated, maybe it was because she had been gang raped and tortured while she was pregnant. Maybe it was because of her dead baby or because the precise horrific details of what happened to her, which she herself related in the few days she lived, spread so quickly and Parker, Jack, and other counties. Whatever the case in the days following the Sherman raid, all hell broke loose. After the attack on the Sherman family, many settlers in the area

decided to pack up and leave, as they were terrified that the Comanchee would come back and kill more people. But one man named Charles Goodnight decided to stay. He was furious about the Comanchee attack, and he wanted to take matters into his own hands. So in early December 1860, Charles rode his horse through the rain and went door to door trying to recruit a group of men to hunt down their enemy. One of the men he recruited was a man named Isaac Len. Isaac had witnessed the Comanchee brutality firsthand. His son and daughter-in-law had actually been two of the 23 people that were murdered.

And of course he was ready for revenge. It was reported that when Charles Goodnight entered Isaac's cabin, he found him, quote, sitting before a large log fire in the old-fashioned fireplace with a long forked dogwood stick on which was an Indian scalp thoroughly salted. The hair was tucked inside. As he turned it carefully over the fire, the grease oozed out of it. He looked back over his shoulder, bade me good morning, and then turned to his work of roasting the scalp. I do not think I ever saw so sad a face."

End quote. Isaac, like many other people on the Texas frontier, was full of hatred towards the Comanche people. That night, Charles had gathered a group of eight men, and they all set out to find Pita Nekona in his group of warriors. And it wouldn't be hard to find them. That night, there had been heavy rainfall, so all they had to do was follow the Comanche horse tracks and the mud.

which led them to a Comanchee camp near Mule Creek. However, once they spotted the group, they decided to turn around. The eight men would be no match against the 50-plus Comanches, but weeks later, they would return. And this time, they had 40 Texas Rangers, 21 United States Army soldiers, and 70 volunteers. For days, the army of men traveled through thunderstorms, heavy frost in the cold winter air, but finally they arrived. The group quietly peaked through the

trees, staring down their enemy, and it's here where the men were given the orders to attack. Suddenly, the group rode at full gallop towards the Comanchee in what would become known as the Battle of Peace Creek. Most of the Comanches at the camp were women, but the leader of the white settlers ordered the men to kill everyone, regardless of their sex. Charles Goodnight recalled, the sergeant and his men from the 2nd Calvary fell in behind on the indigenous, six or eight in number, who never got across the first bend of the creek. They were so heavily loaded with meat, tent poles, and camp equipage that their horses could not run. We suppose they had about a thousand pounds of buffalo meat in various stages of curing.

The sergeant and his men killed every one of them, nearly in a pile. As the men shot and killed every Comanche in their path, two of the leaders saw a group of Native Americans trying to flee on horseback. So they went after them for nearly a mile. On one of the horses, they saw a figure wrapped in buffalo skin. And as they got closer, they noticed it was a mother and her young child. The Rangers were able to capture them.

But luckily, they were not killed. And from there, the other Rangers' continued after the other command sheet. On that horse running in front of them was a man and woman. One of the white leaders, a man named Sol Ross, quickly caught up to them on his horse and pulled out his gun. As the horse ran at full speed, Sol Ross aimed his colt at them and fired.

The bullet ended up hitting the woman who was riding on the back of the horse. And as she fell to the ground, She dragged the man down with her, but the large Comanche man was not wounded, and right after he hit the ground, he grabbed his bow and arrow. Trigger warning, this next part involves the death of a horse. But Sol Ross would later say, My horse, running at full speed, was very nearly up on top of the man when he was struck with an arrow, which caused him to begging, pitching or bucking.

And it was with great difficulty that I kept my saddle, and in the meantime narrowly escaped several arrows coming in quick succession from the chief's bow. He would have killed me but for a random shot from my pistol, which broke his right arm at the elbow, completely disabling him. My horse then became quiet and I shot the chief twice through the body, whereupon he deliberately walked to a small tree, the only one in sight, and leaning against it began to sing a wild, weird song. There, up against that tree, Cynthia's husband, Pita Nakona, would die,

from his gunshot wounds. Now there was a Mexican boy among their group named Anton Martinez. Ironically, Anton had actually been captured by Pena Nekona and forced into slavery, and because of that, the Texas ranger spared his life. Anton was also the one who identified the dead Comanche as Pita Nekona. But after murdering the tribe's chief, Sol Ross returned back to his other men, And remember the mother and child that ran away on horseback wrapped in buffalo skin? Well, one of the Texas Rangers was still with them, with his gun pointed in their direction.

Sol Ross noticed that the woman was dirty, covered in grease and mud. They likely would have killed her right then and there. But just before they did, they noticed her blue eyes. The woman on the horse was Cynthia Ann Parker, who was still. cradling her daughter, Topsana. Now, the men didn't know who she was, but they did know that she was not Native American. So from here, they bring her back to the camp, where the Texas Rangers were still scalping the heads of her people. Charles Goodnight would later say, quote, we rode right over her dead companions. I thought then, and I still think now, how exceedingly cruel it was. End quote.

As Cynthia Ann came back to her camp, tears filled her eyes. Her entire tribe, her family, was sprawled out amongst the field, dead. And from that moment on, her life would never be the same. Cynthia would later say that before the attack, she was with her two sons. And as soon as she saw the Texas Rangers, she placed them on horseback and told them to flee as fast as they could. She then scooped up her daughter, Topsana, and attempted to escape. Anton, the Mexican boy that was in the group, served as a translator for Cynthia and the Texas Rangers. And according to him, she explained in Comanche language, quote,

After I had gone some distance, I missed both of my boys. I came back in search of them, coming as near the battle as I could. And this way I was caught. I am greatly distressed about my boys. I fear they are killed, end quote. Sadly, Cynthia would never hear from her sons again after the Battle of Peace Creek. Now, all she had left was her daughter. But from here, the Rangers wanted to know everything they could

about the white woman living within the tribe. And again, Anton helped translate. Cynthia told him that when she was a little girl, her family had been attacked and her father had been murdered. And from then on, she lived with the Comanches. She also said that her little brother was taken as well. Now, as the Texas Rangers are hearing the story, they immediately know who she is.

Like we mentioned before, Cynthia Ann Parker, had been a Texas legend. It seemed as if everyone knew who she was. The next morning, the group of men burned the Comanche village down to the ground, and from there they took Cynthia and her daughter to Fort Cooper. Once there, a Texas ranger named A.B. Mason would talk with Cynthia, and he would later recount her story to the Galveston civilian,

a local newspaper. And according to him, this is what Cynthia said about her abduction. I remember when I was a little girl, being a long time at the house with a picket fence all around. One day some Indians came to the house. They had a white rag on a stick. My father went out to talk to them. They surrounded and killed him.

Then many other Indians came and fought at the house. Several whites were killed. My mother and her four children were taken prisoner. In the evening, mother and two of her children were retaken by a white man. My brother died among the Indians of smallpox. I lived with the Indians north of Santa Fe. I have three children. Her story appeared to be pretty accurate,

except it was her uncle Benjamin who confronted the Native Americans, not her father. But given she was only nine when it happened, it's understandable that her memory was off. She was even under the impression that her brother died of smallpox. And the tribe did leave him in Mexico when he was really sick, but little did she know he was still alive. But given this information, the Rangers were now positive

that she was indeed the long-lost Cynthia Ann Parker. Soon after this, Sol Ross informed Cynthia's uncle Isaac that they had found a woman matching Cynthia's description, and from there he came to identify her. However, it had been about 25 years since he had seen Cynthia, so all he could do was ask her questions. But as he did, Cynthia just sat in silence.

A witness at the interview would later say, quote, she sat for a time immovable, lost in profound meditation, oblivious to everything by which she was surrounded. Frustrated, her uncle Isaac continued to ask questions in English, but Cynthia refused to speak. Eventually, Isaac turned to. to a witness in the room and said, quote, If this is my niece, her name is Cynthia Ann.

And according to the white man's publication of events, Cynthia Ann then stood up and shouted, me, Cynthia Ann, as she pounded on her chest. That was confirmation that it was truly her. From here, Cynthia was taken to be reunited with her family. And the story of her return spread quickly throughout the state of Texas. Many headlines of the story read things like

poor young white girl reunited with family after being stolen by savage natives. As people around Texas heard her story, it seemed like a happy ending. But sadly, that wasn't the case. For the second time in her life, Cynthia's family died right in front of her eyes. Her people were taken from her.

but this time around was even more devastating than the first. She had lived with the Comanche's for 24 years. That lifestyle was all she ever knew. And even more heartbreaking was that as far as she knew, her husbands and two sons were dead. This was not a happy ending for Cynthia Ann Parker. After this, Cynthia Ann and her young daughter, Topsana, or Prairie Flower, were taken to Isaac Parker's,

house in Birdville, Texas. And as they stopped through town, everyone in the community came outside to watch. According to Empire of the Summer Moon, her arrival was considered such an important event that the local children were let out of school. They came in groups to gawk at the terrified captives who were on display in front of a general store in downtown Fort Worth. It was sort of like a freak show. Cynthia Ann was bound with rope and set out atop a large box so that everyone could see her.

Cynthia's uncle Isaac seemed to enjoy the attention they were getting from her return. One eyewitness account from that day said, quote, She was not dressed in an Indian costume, but wore a torn calico dress. Her hair was bronzed by the sun. Her face was tanned, and she made a pathetic figure as she stood there,

viewing the crowds that swarmed about her. The tears were streaming down her face, and she was muttering in the way. the Indian language. End quote. It's clear from the witness's description that Cynthia was not happy about this new life. But Texans couldn't seem to get enough of her story. Newspapers ran articles about the beautiful nine-year-old Baptist girl who was kidnapped

and turned into a savage Indian. They also gossiped about how a girl like her could ever bring herself to marry a Comanche chief. And even worse, that she would. bear his children. In their minds, as S. C. Gwen stated, quote, she had forsaken the virtues of Christianity for the immortality of the Indian, end quote. Of course, most of the stories that were told about Cynthia painted her out to be a woman who was beat and raped into submission and that she had no other choice but to do what the Comanchees told her. But that wasn't the case. Cynthia loved

being a Comanchee, and she had multiple opportunities to return back home, but she didn't want to. That was her family. And her life after coming back home was nothing short of miserable. Isaac Parker kept Cynthia Ann and her daughter at his double log cabin in Tarrant County, and on many occasions Cynthia tried to escape. At night, she would sneak out into the woods with her daughter, trying to find a group of Native Americans that could bring her back home. But every time her family would find her and bring her back, sometimes they even had to gather search parties to help locate her. And once they did, her uncle would angrily lock her in her room.

Sadly, Cynthia's daughter wasn't treated well by the community either. In their minds, she was the daughter of a savage Comanche chief. And because of that, they thought she would go to hell if she didn't identify. adopt their Christian values. Cynthia's family tried hard to shove religion down their throats, but Cynthia had been practicing her pagan religion for 25 years, and she wasn't about to stop. In fact, it was known that Cynthia would sometimes practice her religion right in front of her relatives, which obviously didn't go over well.

One account stated, quote, she went out to a smooth place on the ground, cleaned it off very nicely and made a circle and a cross. On the cross, she built a fire, burned some tobacco, and then cut a place on her breast and let the blood drop onto the fire. She then lit her pipe and blowed smoke towards the sun and assumed an attitude of the most sincere devotion. She afterwards said through an interpreter that this was her prayer to her great spirit to enable her to understand and appreciate that these were her relatives and kindred she was among. end quote. And that part was just so sad to me.

Cynthia's living among strangers. Her entire life had just been turned around, and she was just trying to pray to her God to help her through this difficult time. And of course they're judging her because she's not a practicing Christian. Cynthia was truly doing the best she could, but it was hard.

It was reported that she spent most days locked up in the log cabin with her daughter, crying and speaking Comanche. And on most days, they said she refused to speak English, probably because she hadn't spoken it in 25 years. But after a while, Cynthia's uncle Isaac grew tired of her, and he decided to send her off to live with her younger brother, Silas Jr. However, only a few months later,

Silas Jr. was drafted into the Confederate Army, and Cynthia and her daughter were left with his wife, Anne. And apparently they didn't get along. Anne would scold them for speaking Comanche, and Cynthia didn't like that. So throughout the year, she continued to try and run away. But it would be difficult considering the amount of Native Americans that were getting murdered off.

And if they weren't getting murdered, the government was forcing them to move around after taking their land. but every time Cynthia tried to run away, she was quickly brought back. And then after living with her sister-in-law, she and her daughter were once again shipped off to another family member. This time she was living with her sister or Lena in present-day Tyler, Texas. And luckily, this move seemed to be a little bit better. By then, most of the men in the area had been sent off to fight in the Civil War, and the women were left behind to care for the children and tend to the chores.

So Cynthia spent most of her days with her sister, sewing and spinning. She even relearned English. But throughout the year, she never forgot her Comanche roots. One neighbor stated, quote, she was stout and weighed about 140 pounds, well-made and liked to work. She had a wild expression and would look down when people, people looked at her. She could use an axe equal to a man and disliked a lazy person. She was an

expert in tanning hides with the hair on them, or plating or knitting either ropes or wicks. She thought her two boys were lost on the prairie. This dissatisfied her very much. End quote. Cynthia Ann and Prairie Flower continued to adjust to their new lives, and it was stated that Cynthia Anne often visited her nearby Parker relatives. and had a few close friends. As for Prairie Flower, her young age allowed her to adapt quickly, and soon enough she was excelling in school.

The both of them did the best they could give in their situation, but Cynthia Ann never seemed to get over the loss of her two sons. A neighbor named T.J. Kate said, quote, I well remember Cynthia Ann and her little talcs. She lived at this time about six miles south of the town of Ben Wheeler, with her brother-in-law Ruffo Quinn near Slater's Creek. She thought her two boys were lost on the prairies after she was captured. She would take a knife and hack at her breast until it would bleed and then put the blood on some tobacco and cry for her lost boys.

And as if this story couldn't get any more tragic. In December of 1863, her daughter Prairie Flower fell ill with influenza and pneumonia and passed away in early 1864. She was only around five years old. After the death of her daughter, Cynthia Ann lost all will to live. In 1870, she too would get influenza. She likely could have gotten better as well. But after losing her precious daughter, and the only thing that tied her to her Comanche roots,

Cynthia lost the will to live and completely stopped eating or drinking. In that year, six years after her daughter's death, She passed away at her sister's house and would later be buried at the Fosterville Cemetery in Anderson County. But our story doesn't end there. For years, Cynthia was under the impression that her boys died in the Battle of Peace Creek, the same battle that took her husband. But that wasn't the case.

You see, after the Texas Rangers carried out the surprise attack on their camp that day, Cynthia ordered her boys. 12-year-old Quana and 10-year-old Picos to get on a horse and flee as fast as they could. So they did. They ran and ran until their horse couldn't run anymore. The boys were devastated as they knew that their family was likely killed. And if they wanted to survive, they would need to find another Comanche group that could take the men. So they started searching for one. For days, the boys went without food.

during the cold winter, and they would eventually find a group of Comanche's, but life was never the same. Quana would later say that while his mother and father were alive, he enjoyed a peaceful and even privileged life, as they were the son of a war chief. But after the Battle of Peace Creek, the two boys were orphans, and they were treated very cruelly. Then in 1964, Kwanah's little brother Pekos got smallpox and passed away, which only made things worse. Quana would later say, It then seemed to me that I was left friendless. I often had to beg for my food and clothes,

and could scarcely get anyone to make or mend my clothes. I at last learned that I was more cruelly treated than the other orphans on account of my white blood. So not only was Quana an orphan, but he was also half white, so many Comanches didn't respect him. However, Quana was a natural-born leader, just like his father, and as the years passed, he worked hard to prove that. By the age of 15, Quana had become one of the leaders of the tribe.

He even led raids with his fellow Comanche warriors and quickly became a recognized war chief due to his bravery and leadership. But with each passing year, with the growth of white settlers, the Native American lives were endangered. After the end of the Civil War, white settlers continued to pour into the vast open lands in hope of a better life for their families. And with

their arrival, there was more conflict with the Native Americans who had lived on that land for hundreds of years. In October 1867, the U.S. government met with the Southern Plains Indian tribes for a peace treaty intended to, quote, bring peace to the area. This treaty

made it to where the Native Americans had to leave their land and relocates other places, and they basically did this to keep them away from white settlers. As C. Gwynn stated, the treaty required nothing less than that the great and unrivaled powers of the Middle and Southern Plains move immediately in mass to reservations and take up modest new lives, accepting agencies, schools and farms, government teachers, blacksmiths, carpenters, and agricultural instructors, all of which they had said specifically and repeatedly that they did not want. They were allowed to leave the reservation to hunt south of the Arkansas, but the treaty really meant that they would

have to cease fighting and stop following the Buffalo, which in turn meant that they would have to cease being Plains Indians. It would become known as the Medicine Launch Treaty of 1867, but unfortunately, the peace treaty would be a failure. The United States government made a ton of empty promises to the Native Americans in order for them to leave their land. But when they did leave, the U.S. didn't follow through on their word. Once the N. Native Americans arrived at their new reservations, there was a lack of food, and a lot of the clothes they were given were worn and torn. The indigenous peoples were lacking a ton of essential resources and they weren't happy. There was also the issue of cultural misunderstandings, competition for resources, and ultimately, the Native Americans believed they had been lied to.

The U.S. just told them what they wanted to hear to get them to leave, and they fell for it. Now, Quana, Cynthia's son, was unhappy to hear about these treaties, and he continued. continued to resist United States efforts to control their land. In fact, he and his Comanchee tribe refused to sign the treaty and continued to roam freely on the Texas plains hunting buffalo. And for eight years, Quana would lead his group of Comanches in wars against the white settlers. Then in spring of 1874, a group of white buffalo hunters built a trading post on sacred

Comanche hunting land near the Adobe Wall's ruin. Quana and his people believed that the new settlers were a threat to their food source. So in retaliation, he planned an attack with a prophet named Isatai. Their main objective was the complete destruction of all white settlements, and every single white person who stood in their way was to be killed. They were desperate. By then, most Comanche were moving to these reservations, and their sacred lands were being taken over.

And on these reservations, the U.S. government promised that they would still be able to hunt buffalo. But there weren't very many buffalo for them to hunt. In fact, they barely had any food at all. As they faced starvation, the Native Americans were forced to kill their own animals for food. There was also the rise of white men going on to reservations and cheating the Indians out of money and resources. Whiskey peddlers started going to the reservations and selling them alcohol. And after a while, many of the Comanche people became dependent on drinking to ease their pain.

Meanwhile, the Comanche camps outside the reservation continued to raid white settlements and were often met by the U.S. military, who were quick to kill as many natives as they could. The Kiowa chief, Lone Wolf, lost one of his sons and a nephew to military men. An author S. C. Gwynne explained, In his grief, Lone Wolf cut off his hair, killed his horses, and burned his wagon, lodge, and buffalo robes, and vowed revenge. Due to the constant resistance in the open plain, many Plains Indians gave up and moved onto the reservations. However, Quana was determined to keep his people off the reservation, and he fought to stay on his

land. So with the help of Isatai, they devised a plan to take out the buffalo hunters at Adobe Walls and then continue their attack on Texan settlers. Isatai claimed he had certain healing powers that no man's bullet could penetrate his skin. He also claimed to have knowledge of making a specific type of medicine that would keep his people immune to bullets. In 1874, Comanche's from all over met up at what was called Sundance, and there Isatai preached revenge and promised his healing medicine would make them immune from death. In the end, half of the Comanche tribe agreed to wage war on the white settlers and what would become known as the Battle of Adobe Walls. In the early morning hours of June 27, 1874, Cynthia's son, Quana, but 700 Native American

warriors in a war against the white settlers at a nearby Buffalo camp. That morning, most of the buffalo hunters had been inside a saloon when the natives arrived, so most were able to seek cover inside. However, two men who had been sleeping outside and their wagon were killed, and the two men were then scalped. But because most of the men were locked indoors, the Native Americans decided to leave and regroup. But while they were away, the buffalo hunters had time to gather their guns and ammunition. And when Quana and his tribe came back, they were ready to attack. In fact, as the group approached the camp, one of the warriors in the tribe was suddenly hit with a bullet and died. And if you remember, Asatai promised the group that his healing medicine would be able to be.

make them immune to death. And it was here where they realized that wasn't true. Now, the Native Americans would stay in the area for a while as they tried to recruit more warriors for the battle. But soon enough, the United States military would get involved in what would be known as the Red River Indian War. In late September 1874, Colonel Ranald McKenzie's fourth United States cavalry hunted down the scattered Native American camps and a surprise attack at the Palo Duro Canyon. And although only three Native Americans lost their lives, the United States had captured and stolen 1,400 of their horses. They also stole their entire food supply that was supposed to last them through the winter. Then at the end of it all, the U.S. military burned down their villages. So from there, the Native

Americans had no other choice but to surrender. In 1875, all of the indigenous people who resisted the United States government were forced onto reservations. And weeks later, Quana and his group of Comanches were also forced to surrender. It was a devastating loss for Quana and his people. He had fought until the very end, but now he had no other choice but to move onto a reservation. He also tried his best to keep his tribe's spirit alive as they adjusted to their new life on the Oklahoma Reservation. But under his leadership, the Comanche people became skilled ranchers, and they even earned a profit by leasing their land to cattle farmers to allow their animals to graze. With his newly earned money, Quana invested his money in real estate. He also adopted his mother's surname so that the

white people would respect him more. So from that moment on, he went by Quana Parker. And over time, Quana gained a lot of respect within his community, not only by the Native Americans, but for the white people as well. Throughout his life, Quana encouraged his people to adopt the white culture's education. He wanted the Native Americans to never forget their roots, but also educate themselves so that they could be equal to their white counterpart. Quana was a very respected man. So much so, government officials began consulting him on indigenous people affairs. It was also noted that he was the wealthiest Native American man during his time.

And although he did adopt parts of white culture, he was very proud of where he came from. In 1910, Quana paid to have his mother's remains move to the post-Oak Mission Cemetery in Oklahoma. He wanted her body on the reservation with her Comanche people. After the Battle of Peace Creek, Quana lost touch with his mother, but he never forgot about her. And now that he was getting older, he wanted her remains on the reservation so they could one day be buried together. And believe it or not, just one year after Cynthia's remains were brought there, in 1911, Kwanah passed away from heart failure, and his five, final wish was granted. Quana Parker was buried alongside his mom. Then about 40 years later in 1957, Cynthia and Quana were moved once again to their final resting place in Fort Sill,

Oklahoma, and they would later be joined by Topsana or Prairie Flower, Cynthia's daughter. Although Cynthia's life was marked by tragedy, there is comfort in knowing that in death she was once again reunited with her family, a family that will never be forgotten. Cynthia's husband, Pita Nakana, has a town in Texas named after him. Cynthia Ann Parker herself will forever be known as one of the true pioneers of the American West, and her life is still celebrated to this day. She was known by her people as Nadua, and by the white people she was known as Cynthia Anne, a woman caught between two different cultures, and her son Quana will forever be remembered

as a symbol of resilience and adaptation. Quana Parker is also known as the last great Comanche chief. This is a tragic story for all, and the tragedy, sadly, is still unfolding to this day. In modern day America, the indigenous peoples continue to struggle, with surveys showing that one in every three indigenous people lives in poverty. And in modern day America, the reservations like the Pine Ridge Reservation, which since in the state I grew up in, South Dakota, continue to be hotbeds for violence, alcohol and drug problems, and crime. And something that I talked about years ago in a documentary that I produced is the alarming fact that we still don't treat the indigenous peoples with the respect that they fully deserve. In the documentary I

produced, I covered the story of the missing indigenous graves around my hometown in South Dakota. When the area was first settled, there were mass graves from the Lakota Sioux people marked and cordoned off all around the city of Sioux Falls. But while filming my documentary, I discovered that some of these graves had been destroyed to build roads, some had been buried underneath golf courses, and others had just been lost to time completely, having been noted in historical records but never pinpointed or protected. And the tragedies keep stacking up. I mean, look at the indigenous boarding schools and how in the last few years researchers had been discovering thousands of hidden graves surrounding them. The graves have battered, confused, and lonely children

who were forced to attend these institutions. And this, this is the true tragedy the government has allowed to continue through our modern day. So I know we can't do much here. We're just a podcast after all. But to end this show, I just want to have a moment of silence, a moment of respect where all the indigenous lives lost over the years in massacres, in boarding schools, lives lost due to disease and violence. And I want us all to give the indigenous peoples of North America the respect that they truly deserve. Growing up, my mom was always the best at handling sticky, stressful situations. I mean, we have so many crazy family memories, so many things.

that stick out to me, so many trips that we took and just funny moments. I mean, I remember specifically one just crazy time when we had jet skis and we took them out. We had rented them for the day and we took them out on this lake. And somehow something got on the engine of the jet ski. Mine stalled. My dad stalled. And my mom and sister had to come rescue us because we floated to shore on the other side of the lake. We've got some hilarious pictures from that day.

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Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of Murder in America. Wow, I mean, this is just a truly tragic, horrific, sad, so interesting story. And I can't believe I'd never heard of it until Courtney brought it up and said she wanted to cover it on the podcast. Now obviously like I talked about at the end of the episode, I'm from South Dakota. And so this is an issue that has always been really important to me. And I've seen it all. I've been to Pine Ridge.

I've traveled throughout a bunch of different reservations and areas. And something just needs to change. But that's a whole issue we can tackle another day. It's just food for thought for everybody out there listening. I want to give a shout out, though, to our new patrons this week. Emily Cook, Elusara, Evan Gom, J. Goycotea, Caleb Ritcher, Jennifer Pinkowski, Amber Girugai, Stacey Burns, Linda Saunders, Kevin Douglas, Carmas of Beep, Billy, Amy Jockett, Olivia Shepard, Amanda Harker, Rasmus Richter, Debbie Higgins, Haley, David Wiley, and Cheyenne Maurer. Oh my God, guys, we have so many patrons that we have to get through. But thank you guys so much for being with us on there. If you love the show, if you want more bonus content, more full-length episodes of Murder in America, just head over to patreon.com. search Murder in America. For $5 a month, you get access to every episode of the show

early and ad-free. For $5 a month, you get that plus two full-length bonus episodes of Murder in America that are not on our main feed, and for $20 a month, you get a bonus episode every single week of the month that's never going to be on our main feed, along with the early and ad-free episodes. So yeah, thank you to everybody who's joined us on there. Also, follow us on on Instagram at Murder in America to see photos from every single case that we cover and join our Facebook group. But anyways, y'all, we will catch you next week. Thank you so much for listening, and I'll see you on the next one. Ryan Reynolds here for MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same

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