Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1878-07-05
Bloody W0rk--A Brave Defender--Wo
men and Children Burned to Death.
[winnemucca Dispatch, 2lst june, I

l"fnnemucca Dispatch, 21st June,
II. W. Wood and G. A. Desaussure,
two volunteers, arrived from the front
last evening. Before they left McDer-
nit, Piute scouts returned who had
been out ten days. Their report was
interpreted by Chief Natchez as follows:
Part Of the hostiles left Stein mountain
with the intention of taking Camp Har-
neg, which they learned from the Nal.
heur reservation Indians, who had join
ed them, has been abandoned by the
troops. On their way north they cap.
tured ninety cavalry horses which were
feeding some distance from camp. They
caught the guard, stripped him naked
and sent him to camp. with instructions
to inform the officers that Chief Egan
had the horses, and if they wanted them
to come and get them In their raid
through the country they surrounded a
house in which several women and chill.
dren had taken refuge, and which was
defended by only one white man. The
Indians ordered the inmates to come
out. They refused. The Indians then
fired the building, The white man shot
Chief Egan through the body, but did
not kill him. He shot second Indian
in the head, killing him instantly, and
severely wounding third. The house
being in flames, its brave defender at.
tempted to escape and was riddlod with
bullets. The women and children we're
all burned to death. A party at Green
Is. Crowley's ranch at Juniper lake, con-
sisting of Crowley, his son, a beef con-
tractor named Scott, from the Malheur
reservation, who followed Egan's band
to persuade them to return, and the
Piute Chief Natchez, was surrounded
by Indians. They asked Scott to make
paper talk what they wanted. They
dictated through an interpreter what he
should write, and related their griev.
ances at the reservation. When Scott
finished writing they took the paper
from him and banded it to Crowley to
read. They discovered that Scott had
not written what they desired him to,
and they became very excited and
angry. The chi,f, Eghn, stepped up to
Scott, and taking hold of his hair, said:
"Me have that in my belt heap soon"
They were informed by Natchez that
the whites would remain at the reserva-
.ion all night, and they concluded to
hold council before killing them.
Natchez then advised the whites to go,
aud he went with them, and they were
pursued for miles by the red devils.
These savages, some 800 in number,
had left the reservation, and their naked
bodies were daubed with blood. Chief
Egan wore head dress decorated with
tho horns of an OK, and nearly all wore
feathers in their soalp-locks. The In
dams told their grievances at the roser.
walton to Scott in the presence of Crow
ley. They said they had been starved,
abused and lied to. They were at times
promised pay for their wofk by Agent
Rinehart, but never got dollar. This
statement is corroboratod by a Piute
known as Charley Thacker, who was in
terpreter at the reservation, but fed to
McDermit when Egan's band went on
the war path. II is noticeable that as
far as is known only the reservation In.
dams, the Bannocks and Snakes from
Fort Hall, and the Lemhi and Piutes.
the Maiheurs and Weisers from the
Malheur reservation, are on the war
path.