The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-03-19

hh I"DiAN MAssACRETN PfTT RIVER VALLEY
CAL-Destraesion Of tae Seftiemens-The Shasta
osL, Republican has an account Of the massacre
VI 'ne innaotants At Pitt river Valley by the Ha,
creek oavages. The settlement was totally de-
stroyed 1t says:
q. messrs. Whitman and Fowler left Shasta on the
whar ~ ana arrived in Pitt Valley on Sunday.
.ha we awful horrible fact presented itself to
i ue .ost not only the whole property Of the val.
iey N oeeu destroyed by the Indiaps. but stilI
more horrible and awful, that every soul in the
aansy hso aimost hey ond the Feasibility of q
hoao'' "e n murdered by the Indians. H. A. Lock.
mart, A. Boies, r. Rogers Gather of the vonng o
men VINO nave been running Expresses In the
nortnern portion OF this sta'e for several years)
yIuhs h & man named Daniel Bryant and German
wno sktended to the Ferry boat-beiue Ave in
humoer-are known to re among the missino and
PROBABLY. were all that we're in Ihe valley =. the
time The largest number Of the inhabit.nts y 80 4
ieIt win tne intention of returning in the Spring.
Samuei Lockhart MIR Holds and Others had gora
down to Red Bluff, at the last accounts ,nd othars
came to :. Is place and vicinity about Chrislmas
Mr. Whitman says that when Mr.. Fowler s,5
ne got to the nearest ferry in Pitt River VALLEY on
tne way rom this place, they discovered that the
houses were burned and the ferry boat pone that
thihking that it might have been burned by scci
dent, they butt raft, crossed the river and went
on towards the furthest ferry. That q short time
after they crossed the river they discovered eight
Indians coming towards them. Two of the Indisns
turned back and destroyed the raft as they after.
wards discovered while six foic wed after Them at
distance OF five or six hundred yards until tbav
arrived at the ferry. Here they saw that the
houses, which had been situated beyond the river
had all been burnt, that large number of cattle
and horses had been slaughtered by the Indians
The sad and terrible fact that the inhabitants had
all bsen butcherd by the Indians burst fully upon
them. Being well armed they kept the Iudians at
bay, and called young Indian boy on the oppos
site bauk OF the river. and asked him where Pa,
ehes ian Oregon Indian who had been living at
Lockhart's) WAS. lie could give them no satisfac
ton to the fate OF the whites.
Seeing Indians running In different directions
as they supposed to procure rel, forcemeuts to
attack theIl-they turned back, and keef log the
Indians at a distance, by presenting their guns
ut them, they arrived at the nearest ferry where
they had left the raft, but fuding 1t was gone
they turned down the river to try and wade it at
a wide shoaiiy place. BY this time the number of
Indians had increased TO fifteen. Being weak
already, from hunger and hard walking on snow
Shoes they did not think they could wade the
deep, swift stream without drowriog, SO they kept
ou down the river to the forks at the Great
Falls. Here they found an old tndian, aud asked
him to bring them across the river in an old ca
noe. He CONSENTED with an alacIity that made
lhem suspect that he would turn them over board
with the canoe, as it is reported they did Frea-
ner and bis party They got into the canoe and
as the old Indian got In. Whitman took the paddle
from him, at the same time presenting his revolver
at his breast told bin to sit STILL and hile in this
position Fowler padded the caIoe across tie
stream.
The fifteen Indians, stin lodging after them,
cro5sed over slso. They stopped at the place
where Rogers and Boes' house had been burned
on the bank of the river, and keeping the Indians
at bay, built fire, rs it late in the evening
About dusk they discovered all the Indians going
in the direction Of an InGian ranchefie ssme dis
tance off. They stirred the fire and then slipped
down the bank of the river and crawled along up
the margin of the strean, escaped the vigilance of
the Indians and trave!ingsll night neither saw nor
heard any thing more of them. During seven days
including part os the time going Gowa, they had
nothing to eat but dog, which they killed and de-
voured.
Tney left Shasta Valley, in going down. with
enough provisions, as they supposed, to do them
through; but i: took them two or three times as
long they expected to get through. and their sup
ply having been exhausted several days before,
they were forged to kill and eat part of the dog
they had with them. AND this was all they had to
eat for the seven days, until they rexehed Chaps
mans where they got some hour-haviag been
three days at one time without eating.
The Yreka Uuion urges immediate chastisement,
but Capt Juiah-who is en- route for Benicia to
lay the matter before Gen. Wool-is of opinion
that nothing yet can be done, on account of the
denth of SHOW