New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-13
Starvation and Death among the overland
EmIgrants TO CaIifornia-Hostile Indians


Of the office at cacraInehtO Oltys ana hinuiJ lOt
usrded 10 me by Mr. A. g. Blakey, and gave me
the latest news nave received hom yO"' S00''o"
Of Missouri.
| have now been upon this horrible road more
than one month, during which time l nave Wit
messed every grade Of human suffering and misery
Too often have l seen families, who from al aP'
pearsnces, had been brought up in the enloymeat
Of every luxury, Teasing upon the carcasses OF
dead oxen. Capt. Duncan, Of Michigan stated to
me few days since, that the best food ne ate lor
sixteen DAYS vas a faithful dog that mad followed
him from home that he saved him as long as he
could but finally killed him to prevent staryaton'
and divided the meat among about twenty men:
have seen hundreds so weak that they reeiea
and staggered as they walked along the road.
Saw one man from st. Louis on Humboldt river,
few DAYS since lying by the side Of the road IN the
last agonies Of death caused by starvation. Have
lust reached this point, alter ten days journey
up Humboldt River where / found many persons
withoutsone pound of provision, although four hun
bred miles from Sacramento City. And what
makes their situation worse, they have suffered
from starvation until they are so weak they can
scarcely walk. These people have been robbed
by the Indians even 10 their blankets, altnougn
the nights are cold and chilly, and it requires two
or three blankets to keep man comfortable, yet
many Of these people have neither blankets or
coats. The hostile Indians are very numerous,
becoming very bold and are killing the emlgrants
daily. They conceal themselves ia the thickets aud
ravines, and fre.upon the emigrsnts as they pass
those on foot being too weak 10 carry their guns,
fall an easy prey TO the savages
The Indians have taken great deal OF s'ocA
from the emigrapts, and are consequently well
mounted and by picking up the firearms thrown
away by the weak and exhausted, they are also
well armed, which makes them far more danger
GUS than they have been at any previous PERIOD
Many believe these Indians are headed and led on
by white men, whose object is to secure the emf
fan "a dIcaDDelreU,
for which no account can be given who nave
either been killed by the Indians when oil the
road or taken prisoners.
l have only mentioned a few OF the thousand
calamities which have belallen the overland emil
grafton of 1850 Such an amount OF suffering
never has been experienced by the American
people since the settlement of the country and
sincerely hope that it may never be my lot durng
life again 10 witness such scenes OF suffering and
misery. The snow is now four inches deep upon
the mountain, and the rivers rising and IN llGeen
days from this time in all probability, the noun
tains will be covered with snow from live to ten
feet deep, and in many places much deeper.
There will not be trader on this side OF the
mountains after the 5th of October. The greater
part of them are now leaving, with their stock,
for fear of being in the snow storms OF the sierra
Nevada From the best information can get,
there is yet between 100 aud 200 families and
probably ?, 900 men in the most perfect state OF
restitution far back OF this place, without stock or
provisions, and many OF them without blankets or
comfortable clothing. fthe winter scts in s~rls.
cannot see any possible chance for these people
to cross the mountains have at my command
3OOOlb of fat beef and 5000 lbs OF -four, besides
80 mules and horses, which will answer for food ;
but the horses and mules are needed 10 trans port
the feeble women and helpless children over the
mountains and across the deserts.
have fitted out an expedition, and will leave
here tonight to relieve the sufferers the Hum.
holl hall boc nd III
to enable 1000 persons to cross the Desert We
have relieved emigrants from every State IN the
Union. Those from the city OF st. Louis have been
the gre attest sufferers. Then comes those from
Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Wisconsin,
Michigan, Iowa and Missouri Probably hity tfom
New ork and Pennsylvania have been relieved,
three families from louisiana and about twenty
men from Georgia, and from every State, more or
less.
have with me Thomas Kinkade, Of Benton
Co. Mo. and Ewing Story and Washington Ponds,
of ST. Clair Co. Mo. who have pledged their word
of honor 70 remain with on the east side OF the
mountains until the last emgrant has passed on,
or has been called to final account
Observing that the traders were becoming
alarmed and leaving for the settlements on ac-
count Of the approach of Winter, and fearing the
effect OF this course on the men with me, deter
mined to know who would remain at any hazard,
aud risk every consequepce. stated 10 them my
resolution was formed and that dld not intend
to cross the mountains as long as there was rea-
son to believe that one emigrant renamed behind
alive that they all knew the circumstances IN
which we were placed; liable to be attacked by
the numerous tribet of hostile Indians east OF the
mountains, and should we be so fortunate as to
escape the Indians, they were aware OF the stu
greater dangers arising from the almost impossl-
biity Of crossing the mountains after the w inter
set in and even when we had crossed the noun
tains we must pass through the Indian tribes on
the west side, by whom 50 many murders were
committed last Winter and Spring. After full
consideration, those have named from your sec
ton of Missouri declared they were willing to
risk the consequences and remain, and declared
they would never attempt to cross the Sierra Ma
vada until crossed with them; so you may rest
assured, if you ever hear of our arrival in Sacra-
mento City, that the last of the overland emigra-
ton Of 1850 are in, out of danger from starva-
ton, as we shall go in with those in the rear. My
company is small but well armed, each man nav
ing rifle, four pistols Ratchet and bowie knife.
have duly considered the risk and reflected upon
the consequences and should never reach Sac
rsmento again, shall at least die with the conso-
lation of having attempted 10 discharge painful
duty to suffering humanity under difficulties too
great 20 he overcome. My respects to friends.
Yours, truly, WILLIAM WALDO
PENNsYrANIA.-The Official Canvass OF the