The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-11-12
RAVAGES OF A PESTILENCE.
How the Indians Were Destroyed In
California In 1888,

How the Indians Were Destroyed In
California In 1888.
The following appears as communi-
cation from Mr.. J. j. Warren, in the
Los Angeles (Cal.) Star:
l have read of the horrors of the
London plague, and Of the more than
defamation by pestilence of the inhab-
itants of various parts of the world, in
different ages, and of the destruction
of mankind by the angels of the Lord
and by destroying angels but have
never read or heard of such general
destruction of people by any angel,
good or bad, or by plague or pestilence,
as that which swept the valley of the
Sacramento and San joaquin in the
summer OF 1888.
In the autumn of 1882, a party, of
which the writer was member, trav-
eled from the mountain down along the
banks of the San Joaquin river, and up
those of the Sacramento to some distance
above the confluence of the latter with
Feather river. The number of Indians
living along and in the vicinity of the
banks of the rivers was so much greater
than / had ever seen living upon the
same area of country, that it presented
constant source of surprise. The con-
clusion was then reached by me that
there was no other place on the conti-
nent, north of the tropic, the natural
productions of which could supppot so
large population as was then living in
the section of country to which have
referred.
In the latter part of the summer of
1888 we entered the northern extremity
of the Sacramento valley from the Kla-
math.lake and Pitt-river countries, We
found the northern part of the valley
strewn with the skeletons and fragments
Of skeletons of Indians under the shad-
ing trees, around springs and the con-
venient watering places, upon the banks
of the river and over the plain, where
wolves and coyotes, waddling from tree
to tree or over the plain, their hides
distended with unnatural fatncss, had
dragged and denuded them. From
the head of the valley to the American
river but one living Indian was seen,
and he was the most perfect personitica-
ton of solitude that was ever presented
to my view: his wasted muscles, his
eyes deeply sunk in their sockets, as if
there were no brains within the crani-
nm, emitted dull vacant gaze, as if
to behold II living being,
when he believed that all, all were dead,
and he alone left, telling most emphati-
cally of his utter loneliness, of how he
had soen the destroying angel engaged
i'll his work of death on every hand, and
wherever his eyes were turned, until he
himself was prostrated, not killed, but
left to rise upon his feet, and wander
about among the bones and fostering
bodies of his folk. The dwellings, of
the Indians in the numerous villages d.
Gated upon and along the banks of the
river and it's tributaries
were void, and no foottracks but those
Cd fowls and wild beasts were to be
seen in the lonely villages.
As we travelled southerly the skeletons
were of fresher appearance, and be-
fore reaching the buttes, and from
thence southcrly, the entire or partially
deVoured nooies OF the lhulahH, III an
stages Oh decay, were SO ihVarlaply
louhd IN ana aDou1 an 'ho convenlei. YEN II
ana desirable caihPlng pi"ctS 'lin' IL
became nrcessnty, III : otuet ,'.'",;..' y" o",po
tie stehch ol ucooll l,oSInB n..l'"aiIy, l.., .i'
10 seek our hiBhI ehc"ni l'ili"nV upon 'iio
open plain.
Aiter crossing rcaCher tiVor, Vlosc
villages along inc 'oacrlliiolIo whlcl! III
the winter previous, were oacll ih,aD,.eo ,
by hundreds OF IhdiahS' were we aeSol"Io
and the abode OF rum: me same APP
palling proofs oil the uire Calamity were
presented TO us as we traV-
eled up the San Joaquin. Neither
nor profano history mas por-
trayed such mournlnl results OF the
march OF destroying angel as were
presented to our senses as we fepasSed
through, along ny ana around thOse
silent and vacated villages, which sone
ten months before we had seen swarm
ing with Indian life, and resonnding
with voices from hundreds OF human
throats.
Around the naked villages, graves,
and the ashes OF funeral pyres, the skel.
etons and swollen bodies told tale OF
death, such rs no written record has
ever revealed. From the head OF the
Sacramento valley until we reached the