The hydraulic press. (North San Juan, Nev. Co., Cal.) 1858-18??, 1860-03-17
HORRIBLE BUTCHERY.

The first dreadful reports of the massacre
of helpless Indian women and babes, at In
dian Island in Humboldt Bay, are fully con-
firmed by the papers published in that Sec
ton, as we'll as by the testimony of cores
pondents writing from the scene of slaugh-
ter. Not only were the dastardly murders
on Indian Island actually committed. but the
natives at several other points were slain in
the same fiendish manner. The Humboldt
Times says the whole number killed on that
holy Sabbath morning of February 20th by
Christian white men, cannot fall below one
hundred and fifty, including men, women
and children. We have just been reading
in the Northern Californian that ont of some
sixty or seventy killed on the Island, at least
all the men being absent This infamous
massacre, which surpasses the atrocities of
the Sepoy rebels in India, was perpetrated
by only four or fee white men, No resist
ance was made to them, but as the victims
ran or huddled together for protection like
sheep, they were stabbed, struck down with
The recital makes the very marrow chilly in
our bones. If divine wrath is ever specially
visited upon man, it must sooner or later
overtake the bloody wretches who perpe-
trated this dreadful crime. Whatever may
be charged against the miserable Indians of
this coast, and proved against them, this act
of pretended retaliation is utterly without
excuse or pallation. The government should
not rest until those who committed it are
discovered and punished as they deserve
Unless this is done, the infamy will attach
to the whole State, and the very name of
California will stink in the nostrlls of all
civilized mankind. No lily sustained, or
well sustained allegations Of cattle stealing,
or crop burning, or house robbng, or even
a solitary instance of homocide, should be
allowed to come between the guilty and their
punishment This irresponsible and brutal
mode of preventing Indian depredations
mast be stopped. 1t has continued for years
past, and there is too much reason to believe
these recent instances of il are not excep-
tional. The northern portion of the State
has always contained a class of men who
esteemed it mere sport to kill an Indian
of the Clear Creek massacre to that at Hum
boldt Bay, these fellows have had such sport
whenever they desired it. The loss of an
OK or two, or the Staying by the red men of
some brutal white, has been considered am
pie justification for party of fifteen or
twenty 'warriors" to buckle on revolvers
and knives, shoulder rifles, mount horses
and dash to the first rancheria, where they
Ii h.,rp ind; owl al
return laughing over the adventure as over
a pleasant joke. Floods Of testimony to this
effect could be obtained if sought for but
it is not needed. These last damning out
RACES remove the necessity for any other ey-
idence. Will government do its duty in the
premises?
Silver Mines at Our Own Doors!
1t was destined that in this argentferous
era, when so many discoveries are being
made throughout California, Nevada county
should have her own silver excitement and
her share of Importance in the eyes of the
eager multitude who are seeking wealth in
vein. Accordingly Mr.. Mcleod was led to
think that certain ledge of slate at SCOTS
Flat, on the Deer creek ridge seven miles
above Nevada, contained silver ore An in
dustrious Welshman by the name of Will
liams, had been cutting a tunnel through
this ledge, and the rock he threw put, which
is talcose slate veined with quartz, is thickly
charged and specked with iron sulphurets,
resembling the yellow crystals of the famous
|
brought to Nevada and assayed a number Of
| days ago, but the result did not transpire
until last Friday. BY Saturday afternoon it
was generally reported that the rock con
| tanned silver and gold to the value of nearly
$500 10 the ton. We next heard that this
was mistake, and that although there really
was some silver in the lead it would not pay
to work. Later reports assured us that re-
liable assays of the separated sulphurets
proved them to be worth nearly S20O-one
of our contemporaries says S1S3 40-to the
| ton. OF course there was general rush
a Washoe stampede in miniature, and dur
ing the present week hundreds of claims,
embracing several miles of ground, have
been staked off in the supposed direction of
! the ledge What the dimensions and extent
of this ledge are we cannot gather, even ap-
proximately, from the many conflicting re-
ports in circulation. Nor can we learn Of
any later reliable assays. The ore will have
to be much richer than it is yet known to
be. however, before it can be proftably
worked. The cost of separating the precious
metals from the Washoe ore, by the most
economical processes employed at San Fran
cisco, has averaged, if we remember cor
rectly, about $500 a ton that is. the smelt-
ers were paid that much; and it is not prob
able the Nevada ore could be worked more
cheaply.
Another report is a1oat that somebody
had found ore three miles from Nevada which
contains gold and silver to the extent of
$1,000 to the ton 1t is just as easy to
multiply reports of rich discoveries at home
as in Western Utah, apparently We are
told by miner that at Hunts Hill, one
mile from the SCOTS Flat silver lead, scales
t<.v. 1o e. IN