Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1857-03-28
The INDIAN MASSACRE IN PIrT RIVER

/ 4 VA
VALLEY, Gall Destruction Of the Set.
Element. The Shasta, Cal, Republican
has an account of The massacre Of The in
habilanls al Pit river Valley by the Hat
Creek Savages. The settlement was
totally destroyed. 1t says;
Messrs. Whitman and Fowler left
Shasta ON lie 25lh jan, and arrived in
PIT Valley on Sunday, when the awful,
horrible fact presented itself 10 them that
no, only the whole property OF the valley
had been destroyed by Me Indians, but,
sill more horrible and awful that every
soul in The valley had almost beyond the
possibility OF doubt, been murdered oy
indians. II. A. l.nckhart, A. BoIes, X.
Rogers father of the young men who
have been running Expresses IN The
northern portion of tins state Tor several
vearsl a Young man named Daniel bryant
and a German who attended TO me Ferry
boa,--being five in number--are known
to be among the missing, and prooaoly'
were all that were in the valley al Tue
lime. The largest number OF The lnhaoi'
lants had left with the intention OF return
ing in the Spring. Samuel LockhaIs, Mr..
Holds and others had gone down TO hed
Bluff, at the last accounts, land others came
TO this place and vicinity about Christmas.
Mr.. Whitman says that when Mr..
Fowler and he got TO the nearest Terry IN
Pit River Valley, on their way from tins
place t,ey discovered that houses were
burned and the ferry boat gone;lhat think
mo that it might have been burned by &C
cident, they they built raft, crossed the
river. thew discovered eight Indians com
mo towards them. Two of The Indians
turned back and destroyed the raft as they
afterwards discovered, while six followed
after Them at distance of five or six
hundred yards until they arrived at the
houses, which bad baen situated beyond
the river. had all been burnt, that large
number of cattle and horses bad been
slaughtered by the Indians. The sad and
terrible fact lhat the inhabitants had all
been butchered by the Indians burst fully
upon them. Being well armed. they kept
the Indians at bay. and called young In
dian boy on the opposila bank OF The NV
er, and asked him where Paches IAN Ore.
gon Indian who had been living at Lock-
hart's) was. He could give them no sat-
isfacuon as to the fate of the whites.
Seeing Indians running in different d.
reclons--as they supposed TO procure re-
Inducements TO attack them-ihey turned
back, and keeping the Indians at dis
lance by presenting their guns at them,
they arrived at the nearest ferry, where
they turned down the river 10 try and
wade it at wide shoally 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 moi think they could wade the
deep, swift stream withou. drowning, SO
they kept on down the river 10 the forks,
a, the Great Falls. Here they found an
old Indian, and askad him TO bring them
across the river in an old canoe He con-
sened, with an alacrity that made them
suspect that lie would turn them over
board with the canoe, as it is reported
they did Fresner and his party. They
got into The canoe, and as the old Indian
got in, Whitman took the paddle from
hin, at the same time presenting his re-
vover al his breast, told him to sit STILL
and while in this position, Fowler pad
died the canoe across the stream.
The fifteen Indians, still lodging after
them, crossed over also. They stopped
AT the place where Rogers and Boles'
house had been burned on he bank Of
the river, and keeping the Indians at bay.
built fire, as it was late in the evening.
About dusk they discovered all the Indi-
ans going in the dIret ton of an Indian
some distance of, They STIR
red the fire mud then slipped down the
bank o! the river and crawled along up
the margin Uf the stream, escaped Tie
Of the Indians, and travelling all
night neither saw Dor heard ANYTHING
more OF Them. During seven days, incu-
ding part of The time going down, they
had nothing 10 rat but dog. which :hey
killed and devoured.
They left Shasta Valley. in going
down, with enough provisions, as they
supposed, 10 DO them lh-ough; but il took
them two or three times as long as they
expected 10 pet through, and their supply
having been exhausted several days be-
lore they were forced TO kill and eat a
part OF the dog they had with them. And
this was all they had to ca, for the seven
days, unIil they reached Chapman's
where hey got some hour.-haying been
three days al one tine without eating.
The Yreka Onion urges immediate
bat Capt. Judah--who is
en- route for Beuiria, TO lay the matter be-.