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A Fate Worse Than Death

by | May 1, 2007 | Western Books

fateworsethan
The title of this book is a bit misleading, but the subtitle, “Indian captivities in the West, 1830-1885,” clears up the subject matter. The phrase a “fate worse than death” was a Victorian euphemism for rape. Women on the frontier dreaded capture by Indians because they feared the ultimate humiliation of sexual abuse, including serial rape, in addition to physical torture and a slow, painful death. But this book discusses all kinds of Indian captivities. Not all captives were beaten


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