The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-10-05


and elevated region of the Klamath lakes. romantic
erest attaches TO this region from the grandeur Of its fea-
tures Its lofty mountains and snow-clad peaks and from
the formidable character Of it's warke inhabitants In the
first week Of May he the north end of the great
Klamath lake. and in Oregon the lake being passed near
its south end by the parallel of forywo degrees On the
9th day of that month strange sight presented se-two
riding up and penetrating region which few ever APP
preached without pay toll Of life and blood They proved
to be of Mr. Femons old poyayss and quickly told
their story They part of guard of six conduct
ing United States officer who was on his tran with de-
spatchcs from Washington, and whom they had left two
days back while they to give notice OF hs approach
and to ask that assistance might be him. They them
selves had only escaped the Indians by the swness OF their
horses. 1t in which no time was to be lost or
mistake be made Mr.. Fremont determined to go him.
SELF and taking picked men, four of them Delaware In
dams he took down the western shore of the lake on the
morning of the 9lh (he direction the officer was to Gomez
and made ride of sixty miles without halt But to meet
men, and not to miss them, the difficult point in that
tracess region. not the of high road where
all travellers must meet in passing each others at intervals
there placesdelcs camping groundswhere both
parties pass and watching for these he to one
in the afternoon and decided in his mind that if the
party killed, it must be there that night lie halted
and encamped and, the sun was going down, had the
nexpressibe satisfaction to the four men approaching
The officer proved to be Lieutenant Gillespie, of the Uni
ted States marnes who had been despatched from WASH
ngton the November previous to make his by Vera
Cruz Mexico and Mozatlan, to Monterey IN Upper Cali
fornia deliver dispatches to the United States consul
there and then find Mr. Fremont wherever he should be-
His dispatches for Mr.. Fremont were only letter Of
introduction from the Secretary of State (Mr Buchanan)
and some letters slips of papers from Senator Benton
and his family and some verbal ion s from the
ttee show the of these verbal communications
which wcre substance that he should watch and coun-
the good will of the inhabitants towards the United States
Upon this intimation of the governments Wishes Mr.
Fremont turned back from Oregon, in the edge of which
he then was, and returned to California.
This is the letter of introduction and think it right to
show and read it, lest any should suppose to be
of more importance than 1t ls:
"WAsHINGroN, November 3, 1916.
"MY DEAR SIR The bearer hereof. Mr. Archibald H
Gillespie is about TO visit the northwest coast OF America
business, and has requested give him letter of
introduction you This do with pleasure. because he
your regard. do deem it probable that he will fall
in with you, but if he should, allow bepeak for him
information OF the health of Mrs Fremont and Of Col
Benton and his family.
FRO" your FRIEND very ' Slshs BUCHANAN
81 G. Fremont, ESQ.,, Oregon"
This is the letter. of itself sgnifcd nothing but it
accredited the bearer and gave the stamp of authority to
what he communicated, and upon this Mr. Fremont acted
for it be supposed that Lieutenant Gillespie had
been sent so far and through SO many dangers merely to
deliver him that letter the shores of the Klamath lake.
Mr. Gillespie in his testimony has explained all the
of the mystery of this letter. and of the verbal commu
nicatons, and shown that they precautions to avoid
detection in his perous journey through Mexico in the
fall of l645'
This the time or the occasion, Mr.. President, to
show amidst what dangers and hardshps scientific dscove
ry pursued by Mr. Fremont in these remote and unex
plored regions. The time may for telling these things
But the of week the shores Of the great Klamath
lake. sketched with the bevy which the occasion requires
may give glimpse of these hardshps and dangers and of
the courage and fidelity with which he was supported by
his men.
The night he met Mr. Gillespie presented of these
to which he often exposed and which
thing but the highest degree of vigilance and courage could
prevent from being fatal The was on the
western side of the lake. the horses pcketcd with long hal
its shore feed the grass and the fourteen
in number sleeping by threes at different fires for, though
May, the elevation of the place and the proximity of
snowclad mountains made the night intensely cold. His
feelings joyully excited by hearing from home, the first
word intelligence he had received since leaving the United
States, year before Mr. Fremont sat up by large re,
reading his letters and papers, and watching over the safety
Of his camp while the men slept Towards midnight he
heard movement among the horses indicative Of alarm
and some danger. Horses, and especially mules be-
come extremely sensitive danger under long travelling
and camping in the wilderness, and manifest their alarm at
the approach of anything strange Taking six barrel
pistol his hand, and without waking the camp he went
down among them. The shone brighdy-he could
nothing Encouraged by his presence the horses be-
quepoor dumb creatures that could not tell what
they had seeand he returned to the camp, supposng it
only beast of the Forest wolf or bear prow
ing for food that had disturbed Them He returned to the
cnmpfre Lieutenant Gillespie woke up talked with him
awhile, and then laid down again Finally, nature hadher
with Mr.. Fremont himself Excited spirits gave
way exhausted strength The days ride and the nights
excitement demanded the reparaion Of repose He laid
down TO Sleep and without waking up man to watch, re-
lying upon the loneliness of the place and the long ride Of
the day security against the proximity of danger 1t
the second twenty thousand miles OF wilderness
explorations his camp had slept without guard the
first in his second expedition, and an island IN the
Great Salt Lake. and when the surrounding waters of the
lake itself constituted guard The whole camp was then
asleep. cry from Carson reused it, In his sleep nc
heard groan-it the groan of man receiving the
tomahawk in his brains. All sprang to their feet. The
savages in tho camp the Ratchet and the winged
at work. Basil Laeunesse brave and faith
full young Frenchman the follower Of Fremont in all his
expeditions, dead an Iowa dead q brave Della.
ware Indian of those who had accompanied Mr.. Ere
mont from Missouri, dying-it was his groan which
awoke Carson Another of the Delawarcs target
for arrows from which no rifle could him-coud only
avenge him. The savages had waited till the was in
the trees, casting long shadows over the camp then ap
preaching from the dark side with their objects between
themselves and the light they used only the Ratchet and the
formidable bow, whose arrow went TO Its mark without a
fash sound show whence it came. All advantages
the side Of the savages but the camp was saved
the wounded protected from and the dead from
tlaton, In the morning, Lieutenant Gillespie recognised
in the person of of the slain assaants the Klamath chief
Of friendship and who had followed him all day to kill and
rob HIS party at night-a design in which they would
certainly have been successful had not been for the
promptude and precision of Mr.. FTcmonts movement.
Mr. Fremont himself would have been killed when he went
the horses had been that they counted upon the de-
sructon Of the whole camp, and feared to alarm by kill
ing before the general
It the 9th Of Maya day mmortazed by Ameri-
Resaca de Ia Palmaihat this fierce and bloody
work took place.
The morning Of the 10th Of May, one Of gloom in
the camp The evening of the 9th had upon full
life and joy at happy meeting the same sun upon
il in the morning stained with blood CHASTITY with the dead
and wounded and mounu duties the survivors
The wounded be carried the dead to be buried and