Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-04-06
ASHTABULA OHIO FRIDAY, APRIL g. 1877

I
} Hamblin-brother of Jacob Ham
= blin-and Shurtz, we succeeded il
getting the Indians to deSist from
killing any more stock that night.
The emigrants had cOrraled al
their wagons but one for better de
tense. This they did to get away
from the south ravine, and from th,
rocks on the west. The attack wa,
renewed that night by the Indians
in spite of all we could do to pre-
vent it; when the attack commenced
Oscar Hamblin, William Young anG
myself started to 60 to the Indians
a most hideous yell of the Indian,
commenced. The cries and shrieks
of the women and children so over
came me that l forgot my danger
and rushed through the fire to The
Indians and plead with them in tears
to desist. | told them that the Great
Spirit would be angry with them foI
killing women and children. They
told me 10 leave or they would serve
me the same way, and that ! was not
their friend but the friend of their
enemies; that was squaw and did
not have the heart of brave. | owe
my life on that occasion to Oscar
Hamblin, who was a missionary with
the Indians, and had much influence
with the Santa Claras. They were
the ones that wanted to kill me-
Hamblin Shamed them and called
them dogs and wolves for wanting
to shed the blood of their father
mysef-who had fed and clothed
them.
We finally prevailed on them to
return to camp, when we would hold
council; that l would send for the
big captains to come and talk. We
told them they had punished the
emigrants enough, and may be they
had killed nearly all of them. We
told them that Bishop Dame and
President Haight would come, and
maybe they would give them part of
the cattle and let the company go
with the teams; in this way we rec
Onciled them to suspend hostilities
for the present. The two that had
been with Hamblin and myself the
night before, said they had seen two
men on horseback come out of the
emigTant's camp under full speed,
and that they went toward Cedar
City. Wednesday morning | asked
man, l think his name was Ed
wards, to go to Cedar City and say
to President Haight, for GODS sake,
for my sake and for the sake of suf-
fering humanity, to send out men to
rescue that company This day we
all lay still, waiting orders. Occa-
sionally few of the Indians with
drew, taking a few head of animals
with them. About noon l crossed
the valley north of the corral, think
ing to examine their location from
the west range.
The company recognized me as a
white man, and sent out two little
boys about four years old to meet
me. l hid from them, fearing the
Indians, who discovered the chill
dren. | called to the Indians, who
wanted my gun or ammunition to
kill them; l prevailed on them to let
the children go back to the camp,
which they very soon did when they
saw the Indians l crept up behind
some rocks on the west range, where
| had full view of the corral; in 1t
they had dug a rife-pit; the wheels
of their wagons were chained to-
gether and the only show for the
Indians was to- starye them out or
shoot them as they went for water.
l lay there some two hours and con-
templated their situation and wept.
Thursday afternoon the messen-
ger from Cedar City returned. He
said that President Haight had gone
to Parowan to confer with Col.
Dame, and company of men and
orders would be sent on tomorrow
that up to the time he
left the council had come to no def
mite conclusion, | had fattered my
self that the bloodshed was at an
end. After the emigrants saw me
cross the valley they hoisted white
flag in the midst of their corral.
Friday afternoon four wagons
drove up with armed men. When
they saw the white flag in the CEN
tire of the corral they raised one al
so, but drove to the springs where
we were and took refreshments, af-
ter which a council meeting was call
ed, of Presidents Bishops and other
church officers and members of the
High Council, priests, etc. Major
John NJ. Higbee presided as chair
man; several of the dignitaries bow
ed in prayer and invoked the aid of
the Holy Spirit to prepare their
minds and guide them to do the
right and carry out the counsels of |
their leaders. Higbee and President |
J. G. Haight had been to ParOwan
to confer with Col Dame, and said |
that their counsel and orders were |
that this emigrant camp must be |
used up. l replied: "Men, women
and children?" All, said he, except |
such as are too young to tell tales.
and if the Indians cannot do 1t with
out help we must help them. com
menced pleading for the company,
and I said: "Though some of them
have behaved badly, they have been
pretty we'll chastised. My policy |
would be to draw off the Indians;
let them have a portion of the loose
cattle, and withdraw with them un-
der promise that they would not mo-
lest the company any more; that the
company would then have teams
enough left to take them to CallfOr-
mia" told that this course would
not bring them into trouble. Higbee
said: "White men have interposed,
and the emigrants know it, and there
lies the danger in letting them 60"
said, "What white men have inter
fered?" He replied that in the at
tack on Tuesday night two men
broke out of the corral and started
for Cedar City on horseback; that
they were met at Rickey's spring by
Stewart, Joel White and another
y. . fNun mon |