, 1856-01-04
From the Portland Standard.
The Northern War.


honor of addressing to you, stated that
in my next would prove to you, that SO
far from father Pandosy being leagued- with
the Indians against the whites, he has been
one among the first to give information to
the proper authorities, whenever any indi-
cation of hostilities were visible among the
Indians where he resided. l now proceed
to redeem that promise.
As early as April 1858, father Pandosy
Informed Major ,Alvord, the commanding
officer at the Dales, of a general league.
which was then being formed among the
Indian tribes, for the purpose of extermin-
ating the settlers in the Indian country
Acting upon this information, Major Al
word took measures which checked the hos
tility of the Indians, for the time being.
e Again, in May last, Gov. Stevens was
informed of the premeditated hostilities Of
the Indians, through the agency OF father
Pandosy, and for which he received the
thanks of the governor.
In June or July last, shortly after the
Walla Walla treaties were concluded, faith
er Pandosy went in person to Gov. Mason,
and informed him of the dissatisfaction
which existed among the Indians, and Of
the probabilities of the present war; and
again, in September last, he, accompanied
by friendly Indian, once more went to
Gov. Mason, and gave him information rel
ative to the late outbreak. Gov. Mason,
in letter addressed to another gentleman,
acknowledges to have secured important
information from father Pandosy, and also
says, "1 will farther state, that all the
American citizens who have Travelled that
country, and have ever stopped at the At
hanem Mission, have, from all that can
learn, been treated Hospitality and kindly"
There, sir, think you not that the evil
dence which have here addGced, is all
sufficient proof of the false position !"
which you have taken, relative to the con-
duct of father Pandosy. And, mayhap at
the very moment when you were concocting
your false charges against him, his life had
paid the penalty of his zeal in the cause,
which you say he opposed.
Now, Mr. Adams, to prove to you that
father Pandosy does not stand alone in his
efforts for preserving peace amoHg the In
dians in the upper country, | will give you
an extract from letter recently received
from father Chironze, the resident mission
ary in the Caynse country, showing you the
state Of affairs in that region. The letter
was dated Nov. 18th, 1855, and says:-
" The whole country is on fre-slaughter,
murder, and war is all that is heard Of
The Walla Walla Indians have plundered
and destroyed everything inside Of Fort
Walla Walla. A great number Of
the. Cayuses are in favor of the war, but
thank Providence, oil the Christian or bap-
tzed Indians are for peace, and are deter
mined to leave with me for the Nez Perces
country, where all is peaceful and quiet =
Tomorrow, please God, we will depart to-
gether, l. E., ourselves, the Canadians, and
the baptized Indians, to 60 and spend the
winter with the Nez Perces. The hostile
Indians call us the children Of the Ameri-
cans, the slaves Of the soldiers, and seek to
exterminate us.
Inform the government officers Of our
position, if you can, so that they may not
be prejudiced against us when they come
to this country. l write whilst running
away as a fugitive. l hope to see you
again, il not on earth, at least in heaven"
Does such noble conduct as this, Mr.
Adams, look like leagung with the lndi-
ans, for the purpose Of exterminating the
whites Does such conduct merit, in the
smallest degree, the false structures which
you have dared publicly to pass upon them3
Let the public Judge. Nay, had almost
said, let your own conscience judge, were
It not that l have my scruples as to the
fact Of your being burthened with that
troublesome monitor.
But fearing that even such indisputable
proof as the foregoing would not bring
conviction to your SOUL" l will give you
another extract from letter received from
a gentleman who was in the Indian coun-
try, during the time the treaties were being
made by Gov: Stevens, and who is in no
way attached to the Mission therein
Speaking Of the Indians, he says" The
Indians, in general, are for peace, but many
amongst them would go with the crowd !;
the only thing, l am convinced, that keeps
them within bounds, is the presence of the
priests, who are doing oil they can do, to
beget spirit Of peace, and to show them
the folly Of resistance. On this account,
some Of the young giddy-heads are greatly
affected towards the priests, whom they say
are friendly to the whites, and consequent
ly not the friends of the Indians" From
this you may learn the situation in which q
Missionary in the Indian country is placed,
and the prudence which he must exercise
when giving Information, for on one side he
risks his life, and on the other, that which
is dearer to him-his character. II, then,
you think that l have not brought forward
proof indisputable, Of the falsity Of your
charges against Catholic priests in general,
and father Pandosy in particular, | can re-
fer you to any of the attaches to Gov. Ste
vens, during his official visit to the Indian
codntry, or to the governor himself, for ful-
ther testimony as to the conduct oi the
Catholic Missionaries in the Indian coun-
try. believing that those gentlemen will