, 1856-09-12
Letter Of Judge Hays on Affairs in Washington
Territory.
WASHINGTON, July 2, 1856.

w ASHlNGroN, July z, 1000.
SIR: Your letter of this date, making
inquiry relative to the Indian war now eX
isting in Washington Territory, is befor,
me. You say, will you have the kind
ness to inform me as to the causes Of the
war " In reply to this inquiry must say
it is hard to tell Some ascribe the wal
to one cause, some another. The Indal
statement is, that the war has grown out
Of the treaties made with them for theil
possessory right of the land. They say
that they made bad bargains in the sales
made, and they know of no way to get out
of those bargains but to fight out. LcSchi
the principal chief on the west of the Gas,
cade range, and Owhi, on the east, as well
as, believe, all the subordinate chiefs,
assign the same reason. They say they
have no dislike for the Bostons, (the
whites); that they have been proftcd by
our presence among them that they have
purchased blankets for less money, and re-
ceivcd better priccss for their labor and for
such things as they have to sell, since we
settled in their country. Their hatred and
dislike is for those who made the treaties
with them, such as agents, interpreters,
&c; and to get at them they have had to
wage an indiscriminate war against all
Americans. 1t is not pretended by any Of
the tribes engaged in the war that they
have been abused or misnsed by our people
they only assign, as a reason for going to
war, their dissatisfaction with the sales
they have made of portions of their land
and their reservations Of the others. A
few days previous to the breaking out Of
the war | was east Of the mountains, and
saw most of the tribes who have since en-
gagged in the war, as well as some of the
tribes who have. remained friendly to the
whites. / learned from those who were
friendly then, and who have continued so,
that some half dozen tribes we're trying to
unite for the purpose Of waging o general
war of determination against the white set
Elements that deputations had been sent
from the Walla-wallas, KnSes, Yackmaws,
Isle dc Pierre, Palaces, with an offer Of
five hundred horses and two hundred and
fifty head Of cattle, to induce them, the
Spocans, to join in the war, and that q
large number had been offered the Nez
Perces, which offer they declined They
told us, when inquired Of, the reasons those
hostile tribes gave for wanting war with
the whites was, that they had become dis
satisfied with the sales they had made Of
their lands, and by q union Of all the tribes
they could expel the Bostons from their
country, recover all their lands, aud enjoy
the property that the whites possessed.
Capt. Mcdonald, one of the chief factors
of the II. b. Company, who is in charge Of
Fort Colville, and who understands the In
dian character as well as any man on the
Pacific, told us that the Indians were dis
satisfied with the sales they had made Of
their lands, and that they were particularly
hostile to Gov. Stevens and Gen. Palmer,
who had made the treaties. Such was the
state Of mind existing amongst those tribes
at the time | was in their country, which
was in the month of August. The Yaka-
maws had determined to attack the small
party that composed our company, and
were only prevented from doing so by the
influence of Capt. Mcdonald. On our re-
turn trip from the Coiville country, we
passed through Walla-walla valley, where
we met the celebrated chief Peu.pee-mox-
mox, with whom We held an interview at
our request that interview was held at
Fort Walla-walla in the presence of Capt.
St. Clair, q most worthy and intelligent
gentleman, who had been born aud raised
in the Ii. b. service, and who has since
been murdered by the Indians. In the in.
tervew we held with Peu-pee-mox-mox, we
found him in bad humor he, too, was
dissatisfied with the sales he had made OF
his lands pretended as if he had not fully
understood the bargains which he had
made, and manifesting strong dislike for
Gov. Stevens. He told us that both him
self and people had been always well treat
ed by the Bostons ; but that he had heard
that the whites, in travelling through the
Deshutes tribe Of Indians, had given them
poisoned -four, which caused the death oi
quito q number Of them. When asked il
he believed the statement, he remarked
that he could hardly credit it; at the same
time adding that it might be true, that
there were good and bad men amongst oil
colors. We found the old chief man oI
decided shrewdness aud apparent fairness
but Captain St. Clair told us that Peu-pee.
mox-mox was bad Indian that his nau'
ence among all the tribes east of the noun
taius was unbounded, and that he had not
the least doubt but that the Indians were
preparing for a general outbreak on the
settlements, and that he (Peu-pee-mox-mox)
was at the head of the conspiracy. Capt
St. Clair's surmiscs proved too true. II
will be seen from the statements of facts
Switch make that the immediate cause oI
war grew out of the treaties which had
been made with the Indians for theiT
lands for it is worthy Of note that there
was not a tribe engaged in the war with
whom treaties had not been made. Capt
st. Clair thought a remote cause OF the
war grew out of feeling Of envy. The
Indians had seen the rapid increase IL
numbers of the white man on the Pacific
coast from California to the Straits Of Juan