The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1860-03-13
HORRIBLE MASSACRE OF INDIANS

The Marysvllle (CalltOrnla) Democrat oil the 4th
ult, has an account of the butchery of camp of
friendly Indians near there, by company of pitt
River Rangers" twenty in number. The Indians
were engaged at the time in cutting hay con-
tract with the United States. 1t says:
The attacking party rushed upon them blowing
out their brains and splitting open their skulls
with tomahawks. Little children in baskets, and
even babes, had their heads smashed to pices or
cut open Mothers and infants shared the COM
mon fate. The screams and cries Of the victims
were frightful to hear but supplicatons could
avail to avert the work of devlish butchery. 1t
will scarcely be credited that this horrible
occurred in Christina California, within few days
travel of the State capital Humanity sckens at
the thought. Many of the fugitives were chased
and shot as they ran. Where whole families had
been butchered was indicated by heaps of bodies
composed OF the mother and her little The
children, scarcely able to rum todded towards the
squaws for protection, crying with fright but were
overtaken, slaughtered like wild animals, and
thrown into piles. From under the haycocks,
where some of them had taken refuge they
dragged out and slain. One woman got into
pond hole where she hid herself under the grass,
with her head above water, and concealed her
pappoose on the bank in basket. She was dis
covered and her head blown to 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 ranches, of
which there were fifty sixty, filled with the
dead bodies. Old, decrepid squaws, young girls
and infants, none were spared. Guns, knives, and
hatchets used but the favori:e method appears
to have been staving in the head with tomahawks.
The blush OF dawn shone upon this fearful specta-
cle 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 measure, intimate with them
and had other claims than the common humanity
which ought to actuate every breast. But even
this relationship did not suffice to save them. One
of the butchers named Lee, had been attended to
while sick almost to death by the Indian women,
who had shown him all the simple kindness in
culcated by their rude ideas of charity and hospi
tality. The wretched beings looked around in their
terror; some of them recognizing the man whose
life they had saved, cried out Lee. Lee" raising
their hands towards him with gestures Of suppl
c'ion but in vain. Lee was among the most in
furate of the party and afterwards boosted of the
number of skulls he had split open, and exhibited
his tomahawk. hacked and broken in the dreadful
work This is no sensation story, but sober re-
cord of facts, as detailed by our informant-facts
so fearful in their nature that shudders in the
act of recording them. Many of the women were
found butchered with their children in their arms
the mothers head blown or cut to pieces, and that
Of the child split III twain by tomahawks. In their
blind and insatate fury they killed one of their
party, (McElroy.) while firing into bevy OF
squaws who had huddled together for protection.
When the slaught was over the shambles were
examined, and more than sixty squaws and chill
dren and ten Indian men were found dead on the
field.