, 1856-10-10
OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON TERRITORY FRIDAY OCTOBER TO- 1856

the retailer Of idle camp-gossip, and tn,
maligncr Of sixty thousand American cti
= zcns The deep humiliation which tn,
r contemplation Of such spectacle inspire
is much aggravated and increased by
pcruSal of his several elaborate indictments
shall only call the attention of the coun
try to few extracts from Gen. WooPI
, newspaper correspondence, for the purpost
Of showing how widely he differs, in hi.
statement of material facts, from every
body else holding official position in the
two Territories. Indeed his own oficia
correspondence might be invoked for the
purpose Of showing his Inconsistencies anC
errors, if better proof were not at hand.
In his letter to the National Iateiiigencer
dated at Benicia, California, April 3, 1856
Gen. Wool, in speaking of the causes which
led to the war, makes use of the following
language
" 1t is said that the Yakimas, having
become dissatisfied with the treaty made
with them the summer before by Governor
Stevens, determined on war. This was
FASTENED, as it would seem, by some miners
iorcibly carrying away and i'll treating
some Yakima squaws"
Now, sir, it so happens that 1 was in
the Yakima country only few days be.
fore hostilities broke out. had an inter.
view with the chiefs of that tribe, and
heard their complaints, but not one word
was said about miners-or any one else
having forciby carried away and ill-treat-
ed their squaws" And | will venture to
assert that not a man, wopan or child, in
either Of the Territories, ever dreamed that
such charge had been made, until the
National Iateiiigenoer Of the I'd of April,
containing Gen. Wool's letter, reached
that coast-some seven months after the
war had broken out. You may search the
vouminous correspondence of Governors,
Indian Agents, aud army officers, which
has been called for by the House, and not
the first intimation Of any thing Of the
kind is to be found in any of them. | wish
it to be borne in mind, Mr. Chairman, that
in August, 1855, the first blood was shed
in Washington Territory. A miner, on
his way from Puget Sound to Fort Colville,
having good deal Of money, provisions,
&c, soon after passing beyond the limits
Of the Eakimas, was pursued by a party
Of Indians, massacred and robbed of every
thing he had with him. Shortly after,
other murders were reported to have been
committed in the Yakima country. In
September, Indian Agent Bolon went into
that country to ascertain something about
these outrages, and he, too, was not per-
mtted to return. He was murdered in the
most cruel manner. When this occurred,
there was no escaping the conviction that
general outbreak had been determined
upon by the Indians. What had hitherto
been eonjectured now gave way to q sense
Of the fearful reality. About this time
commences the official correspondence
which relates to this subject-near three
months before Gen. Wool reached the
country. Hear what Capt. Cain says,
who was at that time acting Superintend-
ent of Indian Affairs for Washington Ter
ritory during Gov. Stevens absence in the
Blackfoot country Let us see how Capt
Gains account agrees with Gen. Wools
charge of forcibly carrying away and i'll
treating of Yakima squaws." In his official
report, dated October 6, 1855, 10 Colonel
Mannypenny, after referring to the partic.
ulars Of Agent Bolon's death, and the
manifest hostility of several tribes, he says
on page 1913 of the Report of the Commits
sioner of Indian Affairs:
81 attribute the cause of the outbreaks
amongst the Yakimas and Klickatats to
the rumors that have been aaoat, and OBJ
tained credence among the Indians, that
Gov. Stevens and his party had been mas,
sacred by the Blackfeet, and Major Haller
and his command had been defeated by
the Snakes, in his recent expedition against
them. Believing that the whites were
about to be overthrow in every direction
and having for some time been disaflected
towards them, they deemed that the proper
moment had arrived to crafty their Ell
nifty"
Gen. Palmer, Superintendent Of Indiar
Affairs for Oregon, who went to the Dalles
soon after the death of Bolon, for the ex
press purpose of collecting reliable informa
ton in relation to the cause and extent o
hostilties, sums up the result of his obser
vations, as to the causes which led to the
outbreak, in the following language, in ar
official communication to the Department
dated October 9, 1855:
"There are several causes from which
may DO drawn reasons inducing the pres
ent state of disafection among the indiana
in Washington Territory, among which
may be named the following: The Yakima
Indians were represented in the Walla
walla council by four of their principa
chiefs, accompanied by number of theil
leading men, all evidently at first oppose,
to entering into any negotiations for thu
sale of their country. After more thar
two weeks had been spent in trying Il
convince them Of the Importance and neces
sity of such course, in open council, they
gave a decided and peremptory answer il
the negative. But during the next week
by interviews with the chiefs separately
10 IL %, fn thl