Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-09-28
PETER wALKBR's HONEYMOON


Near that wild rapid of the Columbia
River known us the 'Dallcs," there was,
years ago, n Jesuit mission, established in
a small fort, built, like that at Nez- Perces,
of mud. The lnbors of the holy men
composing the mission, involved no incon-
siderable amount of danger, devoted as
they were to the hopeless task of reform
ing such sinners as the Sioux, the Black
feet the Gros-Vcntres, the Flat-Heads, the
Assmiboincsi the Ncz-Pcrces, and few
other such.
Some of these missionaries had sojourn-
ed for long time with branch of the
Blockfoot tribe, among whom they found
two young white girls, remarkable for
their exact resemblance to each other, and
therefore supposed to be twins. say sup
posed: because of their origin there was no
trace. All that was known about them
was, that they were the sole survivors of a
train of cmigrants, attacked and murder
ed by the NeZ-Perces, who, uctuatcd by
one of those whims characteristic of the
red men, spared the lives of the two chill
dren, and adopted them into the tribe
Subsequently, in skirmiSh with the
Blnckfeet, they fell into the hands of the
latter, among whom they had lived for
some time, when they were rausomed by
the missionaries, at the price of certain
| trading privileges negotiated by the latter
for the tribe.
When adopted by the Jesuits, the chill
dren had lost all remembrance of their
parentage; nor had they any names except
the Indian ones bestowed upon them by
their captors. The good fathers christen-
ed them, however, arranging them alpha
beticolly, by the names of Alike and
Bloyse, and coniding them to the especial
charge of the wife of trader connected
with the station, who had no family OF her
own. They were fair-haired children,
probably of German or Norwegian origin,
and had grown up to be robust young wo-
men of seventeen, when Walker saw them
for the first time, MS he stopped at the Dali
les on his way from Fort Nez-Perces,
| about one hundred aud twenty-five miles
high up the Columbia.
Walker, whose business detained him
for some time at the mission, decided upon
marrying one of the fair-haircd sisters
ne did not much care which, they were so
slngularly alike. Alike happened to be
the one, however, to whom he rendered q
share in his fortunes, which she accepted
in random manner of ono to whom it
was of but little consequence whether she
said l'Yes'' or t'No." Bloyse would have
followed him, and him only, to the end of
all; but he never knew it ut the right
time, though the women of the fort could
have told him.
1t was late one afternoon when he was
married to Alike, in the chapel of the
mission. That was the night of the mas
sacree. Two hours after the wedding, the
Biackfeet, combined with some allied
tribe, came down. like wolves upon the
forte. There was treachery, somewhere,
and they got in. In the thick of the fight,
and when all seemed hopeless, Walker
shot down tall Indian who was dragging
his bride away to where the horses of the
tribe we're picketcd. In a second he had
leaped upon horse, and, holding the
young girl before him, gallopcd away in
the direction of stream running into the
Columbia-a stream of fierce torrentsy
navigabIe only ut one place, and that by
fat-bottomed boats or scows, in which
passengers warped themselves across by n
grass rope stretched from bank to bank.
Once over this river. he could easily reach
friendly camp, where he and his bride
would have been in safety.
The moon had risen when he reached
the ferry. Turning the horse adrift, he
lifted the young woman into the scow, and
began to warp rapidly across by the rope
with ono hand, while he supported his
fainting companion close to him with the
other. Suddenly, sharp click sounded
from the opposite bank; the rope gave
way, and Walker and his companion were
precipitated violently into the water, the
boat shooting far away from beneath their
feet. 1t ran a strong current there, culmi-
mating in furious rapid not two hundred
yards lower down. Retaining his grasp on
the young woman, Walker fought bravely
against the stream, down which he felt
they were sweeping, faster and faster, until
SnIn him for a
moment, ,:of consciousness. When he came
to himself, he was still swimming, but his
companion was gone. The current had
driven them forcibly against a rock, throw
ing her from his. grasp. The wild rapid
I.Kas inst helnVEl itham She was never