Story told of Christianna Dolbell Riding

Christianna Dolbell Riding



This story is about Christianna Dolbell Riding, daughter of Christopher Lister Riding and Lisa, when she was 18 months old.  It happened March 25, 1859, in Santa Clair, Utah. 

Little Christianna had been ill and as it was rather hot in the house, her father laid her on a quilt under the boughrey.  The boughrey was a frame porch affair covered with boughs or vines which was cooler than in the house.

Her parents checked her every so often to make sure that she was alright; however, this one time they checked just a little too late and their baby was gone!  Christopher ran outside and looked all around.  In the distance he could see two figures galloping on horseback just going up over a hill.  It appeared that one was carrying something cradled in his arms.  He quickly sounded the alarm and soon a dozen men answered the alarm and gave chase.  They chased the two for about 8 miles before finally catching up with them and baby Christianna.  They were just outside the Indian camp and had they gotten to camp they probably never would have seen the baby again.

The men asked why the Indians had stolen the baby and they answered "To scare white squaw."  The men were so angry that they whipped the two Indian men good and told them to let that be a lesson.  If it ever happened again they would kill them.  The men returned home safely with little Christianna.  When they returned to the house they discovered a new baby brother waiting to greet Christianna and her father Christopher.  Her mother said this was the happiest day of her life.

They later discovered that that same day a little Heap's girl had been stolen and they never found her.  It was a custom for the Indians to steal white baby girls and raise them as Indians.  They would later become wives for the chief's sons.