Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-11-17

out under the right shoulder. Gen. Lane was
shot through the right arm, near the shoulder
joint. Thus oil the officers who led the charge
were shot down in the early part of the action,
in consequence of not being supported. For
three or four hours the firing was kept up from
behind the trees, Indian fashion, and finally the
Indians proposed to "wawa," (talk.) Gen.
Lane opposed it, and wished to continue the
fight; but the men urged an armistice--a vote
was taken, and nearly all decided for parley.
The armistice was barely entered into when
Colonel Ross arrived with reinforcement OF
one hundred and twenty men. This reinforce
ment raised the valor of some of the men, and
they wished to renew the fight. The general
consented, but said that he must send Joe and
Sam word, to say that the party was ended. To
this they would not consent, and the general
then said they must abide by the treaty, and so
they did. Twenty minutes after the firing
ceased, whites and Indians were mixed up in
the same camp, in the most admirable confu-
sion. The squaws carried water for the whites,
who were suffering from thirst, and the Indians
offered to carry in the wounded to where they
could be attended. The Indians were to come
in in seven days to enter upon treaty of peace
and the sale Of their land But before the
treaty could be entered into, other circum.
stances occurred that deferred the Indians from
coming IN at the appointed time. IF they did
not come in, the war was to be renewed. Gen.
Lane thought the Indians were eyeusable in
not coming in some of his men THOUGHT other.
wise, and were for renewing the war. The
reader may form his own opinion from the fol.
lowing facts, unprecedented in the history of
American wars:
The emigration Of '46 was the first that ever
passed by the southern route into the William.
cite valley. An account of the origin Of this
route may be found in Thornton's Notes on
Oregon and California. A small party of that
emigration encamped on clear, beautiful
little trout stream, about forty miles from where
Jacksonville now stands, down Rogue river.
Miss Croly, member Of this party-a Young
and interesting girl-had, in spite Of her frailty
and the hardship of emigration, succeeded in
getting. thus far on her way in search of
home IN the far west. But victim to con-
sumption, here, amid the bold hills that are the
almost unerring characteristic Of this noun
famous country she breathed her last and un-
ger the shade OF an oak, not fifty yards from
where Bates and Turgood now keep, they
buried her, and called the creek that flows near
by, Grave Creek. Her remains were dug up
py the Indians as soon as her friends left the
grave; and though passing strangers buried
them again and again, yet they were as often
removed, ana no one has ever passed by and
found the grave closed until the affair I am
going to relate closed it up for ever. Z.
A party of Indians, formerly thirty Or FORTY
In number, but since reduced to ten or eleven.
have owned and claimed this valley from the
time it was first known to the whites and have,
since the naming of the creek, been called the
Grave Creek Indians. They were an outcast
band, made up Of the outlaws of all the other
tribes IN this country. In early times. when
the country was only visited by trappers, they
were great annoyance to the people sent out
IN that capacity by the Hudson Bay Company.
When the emigration took this direction they
were terror to all small parties, killing and
stealing the cattle where they feared to attack
the men; and this constant war SO reduced
their numbers that they had but eleven war
r1ors previous to this. outbreak. Tupru Bill
ana another OF their party were implicated by
the confession Of John Taylor. Bates raised
q party OF whites, and, guided by his pet In
dlan-also Grave Creek-he came upon
them IN the mountains, and succeeded in cap
turing all Of them, except Tupru Bill The
implicated Indian was hung, and the others re.
leased on condition that Tupru Bill should be
given up. His head was brought in soon after.
treaty was then entered into by Bates with
these Indians: he was to protect them, and thew
were to disturb the whites no more. They
came and settled near him, and were quietly
and peaceably disposed, when man by the
name OF Owens infringed upon the treaty by
wantonly shooting one Of them one day as he
was passing, having occasion to discharge his
gun. owens is miner, but has had sufficient
influence among set of his own stamp to
raise company Of thirty men. In the inter.
val between the death Of this Indian and the
outbreak at Jacksonville house on Low Creek
was burnt, and the bodies of its two inhabitants
were found in the smouldering ruins. AS the
Grave Creeks had moved away from Bates,
they were charged with this affair as it oc.
Cured only twelve miles from Bates stand.
Either they were not guilty, or to lull suspi-
clon, perhaps, they returned and encamped
near Bates again. Bates and his party, under
pledges Of friendship and protection, succeeded
IN taking, four of the remaining eight Grave
Creeks prisoners. Owens raised his company
OF thirty men Immediately on the alarm at
Jacksonville, and came down to Grave Creek
on the same day, and soon after Bates had
taken these four prisoners. He Immediately
took the matter into his own hands. He sent
his men up, surrounded the Indian camp and
9Aoo VIC ohiy Ahuihu Ill lt-Inc Otner three were
out hunting. Their return was patiently awaited,
and as they came in with their game upon their
backs, they were fired upon; one was killed,
and the other two ran away, though supposed
to be wounded. They uttered the war CRY as
they escaped, and thus communicated the state
Of affairs to the prisoners in Batess house.
One Of them burst his bonds, and Selling a
shovel, attacked the guard, and severely in.
lured man by the name of Frizzell on the
hand. Frizzell finally shot him through the
body with a revolver. The other three were
shot, tied as they we're, among them Bates's
pet, who had been in. his employ all summer.
The six dead Indians were then thrown into
the open grave where Miss Croly was buried,
and covered up; and as they were undoubtedly
the decorators Of her tomb it is closed forever,
and they have had the satisfaction that is al
lowed to few-of digging their own graves. A
man by the name Of Adams, one Of the par
Iicpators, bought little boy Of ten years, for
650, from one of Owens's men, and has taken
him into Willamette valley. The women made
their escape that night, and they, as we'll as
the two Indians who escaped, have not been
heard of since This 10 tho cfnry or H. n $500