Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1858-11-25

"ee"use tnc lhdianS must pass almO
within gunshot of Fort Colville to reae
. Fort Forty-nine.
On the morning Of the 9Th of July, M
jor Owens party, with whom was trave
}. ling, started out, from Fort Colvlle to g
about thirty miles for the purpose of ma
# king our meat for the trip into the Fla,
!, head country. There was very fine ho,s
J, tied by lariat, and an Indian came in, an
: merely saying II want horse,' got on t
: him and rode him ou: of the fort: and
. the influence Of the Americans and tn
= Hndsons Bay people was not sufficient /.
get that horse back again. We got ava,
with the rest of our equipage and wen
. about twelve miles up the valley to a pac
called White Mud, where three other In
diaus rode into the train and took anoth
er very fine horse and rode him off. Gu
own party, as before remarked, consisted
of only seven white men, and we had three
women and five children with US. In tha
valley there were perhaps one hundred
whites and their families, perfectly unpro
tected, scattered about through the whole
valley, aud subjected to the danger of an
attack from the Indians at any time; and
it seems reasonable to suppose that this
was done for the express purpose of get
ting us to draw the first blood. 50 that the =
might have an excuse for massacreing' all
the occupants of the valley. Indeed, we
| heard it SO stated after the thing had oc-
| Cured. We had no more trouble with the
Indians however, until we got to Strangers
Ranch. 25 miles from Fort Colyille. where
our animals were placed in chas;.e of a
friendly Indian, who carried them of into
the hills where he said no white man or In
dian either could ever fin them. We re
mained there three days curing meat for
our trip. On the afternoon of the second
day, Mrs. Nc. Donald, the wife of the old
chief at Fort Colville, came into the house
where Major John Owen and myself were
sitting, and tod kim not TO go outside Of
the door, Hs an Okonagan lndi-
an who h! B kill him that night.
So Major On 1n"ined in his room all
that night, beng guarded by Is friendly
India, anu e,snt or zen snots were "'e''
,,, rnhoay was hurt. On the morning OF
the l4th of July We left Strangers S Ranch
iire. .fEu4hHses Of the Spokane r,'-- ,os
ming of the 18th. and we're received in
lodge where we We're kept in Suspense for
eighteen hours, while the head chiefs ot the
d,ffcren. nations argued the case. pro an!
con, whether they should take our sca'pS
or let MS -sas- and al that time We hardy
mad III " Airur w. should cv=r ret tss.ss
of their hands alive. hei No only tive "h1i.
men in the IN DIST Of about fifteen hnndre4
hostile indians. Thron-h the trlend.np
and influence of three .. their head eh~is
Scalhalt, Polatlin. and the Fools Son-we
| got away from them in safety.
While at Fort Colvile the sword Of poo'
! Lieutenant CASTOR was waved in my taes
hv the Indian who had taken il from hun
at the time of S,ep.oe', defeat. The sal >
die of Captain Tayl lcr was also shown e
mo. covered with his blood. These thing
the Indians displayed with exu|tatIon, say
ing that the white soldiers were women
and could not fight. and the more that
should be sent into that country the bet
ter they should like it, for they would XII
them all They seemed to be very mnet
ela,cd, and were confident that the unl'e'
States troops could not stand before them
They did no, care snap for the "bastons
as they call the regular troops, but did ne
want Ahe volunteers to come During ,h'
time we were at the Spokane council W
hal several talks with the Indian Chlet
through an interpreter. and they said tha
grea, many Of the Srokanes and Coeu
d. Alenes had been syerse TO this fight an
took no part in the attack upon Cot Step
toe; bu, they argued in this way: "lier'
arc our brothers and our friends who wer
in the fight against Colonel step'oe an
are now opposed to the United State
troocs: we cannot hold back, but must g
too"
, The old Chiefs told us they were goin
to fight till they died; they had plenty {
| arms ammunition, provisions and every
1 thing they wanted, and when their ammt
f n,on gave out they would po ison their
, rows and fight with them. The eh'et
, the Spokane Indians, Spokane Garry, IS
we'll educated Indian; he can read ar
4 write we'll, having been edu Gated in tn
t Red Rivr country by the priests. II
A s.vs his heart is undecided, he does ne
0 know which WAY to so; his friends are tigh
. inv the whites, and he does not like to joi
them, but, ifhe does not, they will kill hi
h But his influence with his tribe has con
a pletely gone. During the whole time th'
D We we're in their council, Garry never said
. word, but merely looked on. While v
G were at the Spokane camp they had a sea-
e dance all night long, and some two
g three Indians were sho, in the fight amor
n themselves. The expression Of every In
G ian that saw in my trip from the snai
river up to that time seemed to be in lav'
/. of war to the knife. To show the state
n The country, and the importance OF hay'r
e Colvillc valley occupied by America
d troops, will say that Mr.. Mcdonald, Il
IA old Uud,on's BAY chief at Fort Colviil