The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-03-03
Rifbmonn Qispatrb.
Horrible Massacre Of imdinns-The Ran.

| SATURDAY MORN1NQ. MARCH 3 lSft
Horrible Massacre Of indinns-The Ran
The Marysville tCalifornia) Democrat O
| the tth ult., has an account Of the u,chery O
| a camp of friendly Indians near there. by ,
company Of Pitt River Rangers twenty ir
| number. The Indians were engaged at tn,
time in emitting hay on 4 contract with III.
| United States. II says
! The attacking party rushed upon them
| blowing out their brains, and splitting omen
| their skulls with tomahawks. Little children
| IN baskets, and even babes. had their heads
| smashed 10 pices or cut open. Mothers and
| infants shared The common fate. The screams
| and cries of the victims were frightfuI to hear
but no suppli,ations could avail to avert the
| work OF deviish bntchery. 1t will scarcely
| be credited that this horrible scene occur
| red in Christian California, within a few
| days travel 0f the State capital Human
| ity sckens at the thought Many Of the
| fngifives were chased and shot AS they
| ran. Where whole families had been butch
| cred was indicated by heaps of bodies
| composed of the mother and her little ones
The children, scarcely able 20 run, toddled to-
wards the squaws for protection. crying with
| fright, but Were overtaken, siaug tered like
; Wild animals, and thrown into piles. From
under the haycocks. where some of them had
taken refuge, they we've dragged out and slain
one woman got into pond hole, where she
hid herself under The grass, with her head
aoove water, and concealed her pappoose on
the bank in q basket. She was discovered and
her head blown 10 pieces, the muzZle OF the
gun being placed against her skull, and the
| child was drowned IN the pond. The ground
| was covered with blood, and brushwood ram
| ches, OF which here We're fifty or sixty. were
| filled with the dead bodies. Old, decrepid
| squaws, yonng girls and infants, none We're
spared. Guns, knives, and hafchets were used
bnl the fayorite method appears TO have been
staying in the head with tomahawks. The
blush of dawn shone upon this fearful specta-
Gle and still the massacre went on.
Some of these Wretched creatures had lived
with the very men who now struck them
down. Thus they had become, in a measure
intimate with them, and had other claims
than the common humanity which ought to
actuate every breast. But even this relation
ship did no: suffice 10 save them. One of the
butchers, named Lee, had been attended to
while sick almost 10 death by the Indian wo-
men, who had shown him all the simple kind
ness inCulcated b, their rude ideas OF charity
aud hospitality. The Wretched beings looked
around in their terror some of them recog.
nIzing the man whose life they had saved,
cried out Lee. Lee ~ raising their hands 10.
wards him with gestures OF supplcation but
i'll vain. Lee was among the most infuriate
OF the party and afterwards boasted Of the
number OF skulls he had split open, and ex-
h ibited his tomahaWk hacked and broken in
the dreadful work. This is no sensation sto.
ry but sober record of facts, as detailed by
our informant-facts fearful in their ma.
iuTe mat one shuGderS In the act of recording
them. Yet this lniquifous deed goes unpun-
shed. Cnpunished, did we say A bill of
nearly seventy thousand dollars is now be- |
Tore ne Legislature awaiting payment, TO be |
IN part. among the crimsoued
nurdereIs Many OF the women We're found |
on ichered with their children IN their arms |
he mothers head blown cut 10 pieces aud |
mat OF the child split in twain by tCmaEaWks |
N their bind and insatiate fury they killed |
one OF their own party, (McEiroy) while |
lfing INTO Il .DeNy OF SquaWS who had hud-
lied toge ther Tor protection.
When the slaughter was over The shambIes
were examined, and more than sixty suuaws
md children and ten Indian men were found |
lead on the field. The IN urderers then returned |
. Rolfs house, and remained there a week |
Sithin few hundred yards of the charnel. |
louse, npon which the corpses were allowed |
o fester and rot in the blaze of the day
After the last s4uaw and child had been
1illed the brushwood ranches or huts were
ct on fire and the bodies burnt The smell of
,urn!ng fiesh the cracking of the flames and
he black smoke soaring mp, was Ike closing |
Gene OF this tragedy, which cannot recall any
parallel Iii our country annals. The Indians |
rept down at night and carried AWAY a few |
Il The rem iants OF the bodies. and continued |
o do SO until they became so offensive and de. |
imposed that they could not be removed
he rest were left;t prey 10 the buZZards and
he bones lie bieachlag there yer unburied for |
most OF this hand were with the group which |
'asseG through this city a few weeks since su |
onte for their final home in the n North whittier !
hey were taken, as our readers will renlem- |
er.