The Lost Colony “Mystery”
31 r. Stick li;is «lone considerable research
work in connection with the disappearance
of the colonists, and he presents his find¬
ing's in this interesting' article.
THE riddle of Sir Walter Ra¬
leigh's Lost Colony ( which sup¬
posedly disappeared from the
face of the earth sometime between
1587 and 1590) isn't too much of a
riddle after all if one takes the
time and trouble to piece together
all of the clues that have come
to light in the intervening years.
A number of early writings have
been preserved which provide the
basis for all historical research on
early attempts at colonization.
Only through the study of these
writings can historians determine
the events of the past, and quite
frequently the statements in such
writings cannot be relied on. Esti¬
mates of distances were often
rossly inaccurate, as were figures
ealing with the numbers of hu¬
man beings or animals encountered
by the various adventurers. Fre¬
quently they wrote as fact that
which was only speculation. Not
infrequently such writings were
biased, purposely so. to influence
others back in the home country,
or to exclude certain happenings
which would cast discredit to the
writer. But that’s easily under¬
stood, for the same thing is being
done on occasion to this day under
the guise of factual reporting.
Several Accounts
A knowledge of how these mat¬
ters have been handed down to us.
however, makes it obvious that
only when more than one such ac¬
count — and preferably several —
mention the same thing can we feel
fairly secure in accepting it as fact.
There is at least one first-hand
account of each of the five expedi¬
tions sent out by Raleigh between
1584 and 1587. In many cases there
are several references to the same
thing, especially where geography
and names are concerned. But
these accounts cover only the
period of fhe actual colonization
attempts, and in order to trace the
Lost Colony it becomes necessary
to turn to later writings; by those
who settled Jamestown in 1607
and others who followed them to
America. And a careful study of
such writings reveals a number of
THE STATE. July 2. 1949
By DAVII) STICK
definite references to the Lost
Colonists.
In 1607 Master George Percy, a
member of the original Jamestown
colony, wrote a report of his ob¬
servations in Virginia which was
published in Purchas His Pil-
grhnes. Percy said : At Port Colage
in our voyage up the river, we saw
a savage boy about the age of ten
yeeres , which had a head of haire
of a perfect yellow and a reason¬
able white skinne, which is a
miracle amongst all savages ." One
of the Lost Colonists? Maybe not,
but almost certainly a youth of
white ancestry.
John Smith, leader of the James¬
town colony, in speaking of
Opechancanough, chief of the
Pamunkey Indians who were hold¬
ing him captive, said: “What he
knew of the dominions he spared
not to acquaint me with , as of cer¬
tain men cloathed at a place called
Ocanahonan, cloathed like me.”
Lost Colonists? Again maybe not,
but certainly Europeans.
White Men’s Houses
William Straehey, who arrived
in Virginia in 1610 as Secretary of
the Council, and who prepared a
manuserpit entitled History of
Travail Into Virginia Britannia,
said: At Peccarecamek and Ocana-
hoen by the relations of Machtimps.
the people have houses bxiilt with
stone walls, and one story above
another , so taught them by those
English who escaped the slaughter
at Roanoak Definite reference,
here, and a second mention of the
place which Smith called Ocana¬
honan.
( It is well worth mentioning at
this point that these early writers
were for the most atrocious spel¬
lers, especially where Indian words
were concerned. But even Sir
VValter Raleigh, according to Steb-
bins’ Life of Raleigh, spelled his
own name several different ways,
and in all a total of 74 different
contemporary spellings of Raleigh
or Rawley or Ralegh has been dis¬
covered.)
‘At Ritanoe” Straehey con¬
tinued, “ The Weroance Eyanoco
preserved seven of the English
alive — four men, two boys and
one young maid ( who escaped and
fled up the river Chanoke.)" This
statement by Straehey. substanti¬
ated by Smith, certainly indicates
that at least four of the Lost Colo¬
nists and three children were still
alive in 1610, twenty-three years
after Governor White last saw
them.
Smith made further efforts to
discover what had happened to
these colonists, as shown by the
following quotation from his writ¬
ings: ‘‘We agreed with the king of
Paspahegh to conduct two of our
men to a place called Panawick be¬
yond Roanoak, where he reported
many men to be apparelled. We
landed him at Warraskoyack,
where, playing the villian, and de¬
luding us for rewards, returned
within three or four days after,
without going any further .”
Duplication of Names
In a map of Virginia, which was
sent back to England in June 1608
to be published in conjunction with
Smith’s writings, many of the
above mentioned names are lo¬
cated. Ocanahowan is shown to be
on the south side of a river which
was apparently the Roanoke. At a
spot near Pakrakanick, on the up¬
per waters of what was apparently
the Neuse, is the notation: " Here
remayneth 4 men clothed that
came from Roonock to Ocana¬
howan” The site of Dasamonque-
peuc (once the chief encampment
of the Roanoak Indians and present
location of the town of Manns Har¬
bor) is shown on the map as
Pasaniock, with a notation which
says: “Here the king of Paspahege
reporeed our men to be and wants
to go." And at a point on the James
River the map says: “Here Pas-
pehege and 2 of our men landed to
go to Panaweock."
The authenticity of the above is
attested to by a report sent back
to England by the managers of the
( Continued on page 20)
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