"They raced down the dirt road at high speed, shooting wildly at houses, blowing out windows and front doors with shotgun blasts. Never mind that they were shooting at homes occupied by families of men who had recently returned from fighting for their country overseas. Never mind that there were children, babies, pregnant mothers, and old folks inside.

The year was 1947, and the place was Bridgeton. The perpetrators were the Ku Klux Klan. But the intended victims were not, as one might expect, African American. They were Lenni-Lenape Indians.

Among many witnesses that day was Marion "Strong Medicine" Gould, now 86. Her late husband, Wilbur "Wise Fox" Gould, had returned two years earlier from serving as a forward scout in the U.S. Army. Listed as Missing in Action during the Battle of the Bulge, he had been captured and sent to a German prison camp, escaped, and eventually found his way back to his unit. His brother, Jesse, was a tank commander in Belgium.

The Gould brothers served their country well. Their country treated them poorly in return."

Get the Story:
Amy Hill Hearth: Native Americans in N.J. deserve fair treatment (The Cherry Hill Courier-Post 7/20)