Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1860-03-13
Indian Hunting in California.

Indian Hunting in California.
Indian hunting is no doubt very rare SPORT
1t requires so much boldness to pick off q ''ba
looking buck" unarmed though he be, excep
with his wicked looks; it is such manly enter
tainment to shoot down squaws and picaninnies
as they fly winged with terror, or huddle an,
crouch with fear in corner of wigwam, tina
really it seems wanton to put any hindrance il
the way OF the valiant Rangers who enjoy tina
sort of thing. ludian- hunting makes brave men
men of exquisite taste, and marvellousy quick
ems the inventive faculty in those who practic,
it. These points we fancy it no difficult matter
to prove from the documentary evidence on The
Indian wars lately transmitted by Governor
Downey to the assembly of our State.
1st. 1t makes brave men. According to the
report of Lieut. Dillon, Thos. Henley went over
to Eel river, one day last March, with some o
his employees and finding there some huts, Sent
In an Indian to order the inhabitants to come
out, with the promise that they should not be
EARNED "FOur bucks came out, but one Of
them professed to be lame and unable to walk
whereupon Mr.. Henley either shot him or had
him shot, Mr.. Henley does not charge these In
dams with having stolen anything from him
but says they were too near him, and be is a.
fraid they will steal" In all the events of the
Peloponesian war, is there brayer record than
this OF Mr. Henley!
Again According to Major Johnsons report
Col. L. }. Henly, late Superintendent of Indian
Affairs, turned out with some of the Round Val.
ley settlers, one day last August, and killed e.
leven lndans-sex mentioned-not because they
had stolen anything, but because Indians, gene
rally, will steal, and why should not these! p
These brave comrades of Henley suffer immense
loss in having neither poet nor historian in at
/ fol fboxvry ~
| fifty of them-into the presence of short dozen
of shivering, starving, naked Diggers, when
their unerfing rifles lay the ''bucks" over at
a pop, and the scared squaws and frightened
children lie still to be Drained without protest
| ing groan. History and poetry lose the thrill
| ling details of such sprit-stirring charges for
this neglect of Henley to take poet or practiced
writer along.
| Brave Jarboe, too, up to August 18th had
killed 5O--including, in one camp, according to
| Lieutenant johnson, four children, four women
and six men; but whether the latter were all
lame or seriously sick, does not appear. Brave
Jarboe!
2nd. Indian-hunting cultivates the TASTE
| Henley shot the lame Indian in Eden Valley,
| because she looked like bad Indian" and he
did not want any such dsagreeable looking
specimens around. Let bad looking Indians
will be permitted about Eden Valley.
3rd. Indian hunting stimulates the inventive
faculty. When the gallant attack has been made
and the victims of Christian vengeance strew the
ground, it is exceedingly desirable to have a
good excuse to make to the world, who igno-
rantly may not share the sentiments of the val
liant volunteers who have turned so many wo-
men and children into Stood for worms" COL
Henley and his worthy sons, after the massacre
at Eel River, produced horses ear and two
tongues found in the raeheria. The quickened
invention OF the Colonel construed these into
evidences enough that his victims had been
horse-stealers in their days.
| But, on the other hand. it cannot be denied
that this manly game of Indian-h hunting is some
what costly. 1t seems that the United States
troops find most Of their employment in defend
ing the inoffensive Indians from being massa-
cred. If they hear of any worthless whites
stealing horse, they must hasten into the
neighborhood where the theft was committed OF
by that token hunt will be raised to kill score
or two Of Diggers. If they hear of any violence
committed on the person OF some pretty lndias
| maid, the infantry must get in motion directly
or the perpetrator of the infamous outrage gets
up hunting party, devises some stock-stealine
Istory, and hastens to shoot down all to WHOM
the pretty maid might tell her wrongs.
True, nobody had lost a horse, nobody haC
complained that his horses tongue had beer
plucked out ; but where did the ear and tongue,
come from if they had not been stolen? 1t was
by the same reasoning that shrewd physician
charged his patient with having eaten oysters
when he found the shells under the bed, and bis
brilliant student discovered that another patient
had been eating a horse, because he found
saddle under his cot. AT any rate it was emi
nently sharp in the Colonel, and worthy pro
fessonal Indian hunter, to discover so excellent
an apology for his mornings work on Eel river
for il the fatal ear and tongues had not turned
up in time, the tender hearted world might have
deemed his entertainment massacre, and him, q
wholesale murderer.
Lieut.. Dillon says, as soon as the river gets
low enough he shall go down into Eden Valley
and try to get the Indians into the camp, 'oI
they will all be killed" Major Johnson was, al
the date of his report, endeavoring to get them
into the Reservation, feeling assured that if he
did not, they would be mercilessly exterminated
The miserable wretches, in their mountain fast
nesses, pinched with perpetual hunger, were
starving and dying at the rate of eight or ten a
day, but if they come down within rifle shot,
they are shot. Gen. Starke is satisfied that the
whites need no protection, and the heavy work
of the army is to protect the Indians from
slaughter
AS we said at the beginning, Indian hunting
is no doubt rare sport, bnt ii the whole story OF
these campaigns were told, we suspect that
Henley and Jarboe, in the judgment of people
who are not tond of sports that make humanity
blush and decency shrink back in disgust from
the haunts of civilized men, wonld be deemed
murde:ers. For such multiplied outrages, tc
hang them would be to profane the gallows
which is retained for crimes that swarm not iI
such gangs.
The boy is now living who will be President
in 1900 He is about ten or twelve years of age