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Strange Story From the Soo Regard ing the Identity of a White Child Living Among Indians, Sault Ste. Marie, May 10.—From information recently received in the Soo it is believed that Maud Gillespie, who as a girl thirteen years of age, mysteriously disappeared from her home near Thessalon thirteen years ago this coming summer, has been found living with the Indians at Green Lake. Fourteen years ago Maud Gillespie, at that time a girl thirteen years of age, lived with her parents about three miles out of Thessalon. One morning in the summer she started to go into the little village and has never been seen or heard from since. Thessalon at that time was a little place of perhaps 500 or 600 inhabi tants, who earned their living in a couple of little sawmills established in what was then little more than a wilderness. Late in the evening af ter the parents of the girl had become alarmed at her absence the entire population turned out to search for her, but no trace was found of her that night or the following day. Excitement became intense, and the mills were shut down and all kinds of business ceased while the people hunted for the girl. For two weeks this kept up without avail, and the neighboring towns of the two Soos were searched because of rumors that the girl had been seen in them, but no trace of any sort of description could be found, and at last she was given up for dead and the search abandoned. The years passed and her father died, her mother marrying again a man named Dumphy, and now lives in the Canadian Sea on Gore street. Maud Gillespie had been forgotten by all but her mother, who has never given up hope of seeing her daughter again. A short time ago an old resident of Thessalon named White while travel ling on the Soo branch of the CPR, overheard two prospectors, who had been exploring the almost unknown regions back of Thessalon, telling of a white woman whom they had found living with the Indians there. These Indians live in the most primitive manner, in tents, and few of them can speak a word of English. Mr. White was interested in the story and soon called to mind the strange disappearance of Maud Gillespie four teen years ago. He inquired of the prospectors regarding the woman, and upon his return communicated with Mrs. Dunphy, who has seen the Indian Agent and taken the matter to the Government, asking that steps be taken to recover the girl, which will undoubtedly be done. The story told by the prospectors is an interest ing one. They had been exploring the regions back of Thessalon in the search for mineral wealth, and had seen no human being for weeks. Suddenly they came upon this village of Indians on Green Lake, near the Missisauga River, about 100 miles back of Thessalon. While trying to talk with the Indians they were startled to see a white woman who appeared delighted when she heard them speak in English. They talked with her, and she told them that years ago when she was a small girl she had been stolen by the Indians and had lived with them ever since, never seeing a white man except the French trappers, with whom she was unable to talk. She was anxious to get away from the Indians and im plored the prospectors to aid her. They promised to do so. The girl speaks English in the manner of one who has not had occasion to use it for years, and is as uncouth as most of the Indians themselves. The pro spectors found it necessary to use the simplest sort of language in order to make themselves understood, and said that they are in doubt whether or not the sight of the girl will be welcome to her mother, if, indeed, she is the one whom Mr. White and others now believe she is.
Newspaper Details
Durham Chronical and Grey County Advertiser
Durham, Ontario, CA
Thu, May 21, 1903
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
05 Aug 2026
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