Monument to Do-hum-me, "The Indian Princess," ca. 1875.
In 1843, at the age of eighteen, Do-Hum-Me, came east with her father, a chief of the Sac tribe, who was representing his people at treaty negotiations with the United States government. Do-Hum-Me soon met Cow-Hick-Kee and they married. She became the toast of the town in New York City, performing at P.T. Barnum’s museum. It wasn't long, however, before she fell gravely ill and died - just five weeks after her wedding.
Still in its early years, Green-Wood offered a lot for burial of the young woman, hoping to add an attraction to the struggling cemetery. Do-Hum-Me was buried on March 15, 1843, near Sylvan Water, wearing her wedding dress. Her monument was carved by sculptor Robert Launitz and paid for by Barnum. As skilled of an artist as he was, Launitz struggled with English spelling, inscribing the misspelling of "Cheif" to be seen by generations to follow.
The epitaph to Do-Hum-Me reads, "Thou art Happy now for thou hast past; the cold dark journey of the grave; And in the land of light at last; has joined the good, the fair, the brave."
(Lot 236, Sec. 41)