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Ainercian son. KoanoaK. isianu ana »not Jamestown would be very properly regarded as the cradle of the MAmerican nation. But Raleigh’s colony vanished entirely from human tview and with it Virginia Dare, who,according to legend, was afterwardsStransformedbvwitchcraft into abeautiful white doe, which roamed for -a time, over the Island as the leader of a herd of deer.tThe history of Virginia Dare isshort, dramatic, mysterious. She movfed for an instant across the page ofhistory and disappeared inro theabysm of time. After two successfuldIattempts at colonization by Raleigh’sadventurers on Roanoak Island, an-1other colony came from England in j1584and landed on the island. Thisbecame the famous lost colony, and cthe name of Virginia Dare is linked I with it forever.Amongwho formed this .colony were seventeen men and nineichildren, who came with the intention of making permanent homes.Among the women was Eleanor Dare,daughter of John White, the governor ofcolony, and the wife of anassistant governor. A few days afterthe landing of the colony a daughterwas born to Eleanor Dare and beingthe first white child in Virginia—asthe whole country was tcalledthis babv received the name of Virginia Dare. She was baptised on tluSunday following her birth. The factsof her birth andism have beenofficially recorded and there is nodoubt whatever that she was the firstw h i tchild born of Engparentsin North America.When Governor White returned toEngland, leaving the colonv on Roanoak Island, it was agreed that .shouldthe colonists migrate they woujdleave word clearly indicating whitherthey had gone. Those who came lat-* er to the Island from England foundMthe word Croatoan carved upon thetrunk of a tree and—nothing more.Tne little hand, with the child Virginia Dare, had disappeared foreverfrom the ken of man.When the facts of history became? I merged into Indian legend, graduallyassuming the form of the tradition...i- of the “White Doe,” which has sur-• •vived for three centuries and bidsfair to outlaststorvTne legend is somewhat complexiiand more difficult to tell Than ar*the cold facts of history. Its theme.4are love and jealousy and sorcery.It tells how the infant Virginia Daregrew into a fair maiden who wasebeloved and sought after by the In-ddian braves, the rest of the lost colony being entirely eliminated fromthe narrative. It tells how the beautiful maiden was, tnrough the rageitof a rejected lover, transformed bysorcery into a white doe, which asfall the world knows, can only be slainbv a silver arrow. Hence for a timeithe white doc* bore a charmed lifen-Thelover, however, finally dis-s* covered magic superior to that of thee-wicked sorcerer and tne maiden wasrestored to human form. True lovealas, triumphed but for a shorttimeand the lovely Virginia Dare whohad been the white doe wasaf-slain by a silver arrow sped front^ the bow of a persistent chieftain whohad long pursued hernWhether Raleigh’s Roanoak Colonyct was lost, slain or absorbed by theIndians, will probably never be knownThe legend of the “White Doe” wouldinlead to the conclusion that belief innthe survival of a part of it was strongly embedded in the Indian mind.*
Newspaper Details
Roswell Daily Record
Roswell, New Mexico, US
Mon, Aug 20, 1906
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
AU 19 Dec 2020
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