Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1879-05-30
EARLY SPRING MURDErs
Hugh johnson and Peter Daw sOn
Killed By Indians on =. nth Fork Of
Salmon River

Five days ago the report came to this
city that Hugh johnson and Peter
Dawson had been missing for about
weeks aud Il was feared that they had
been murdered by the Indians. The
former had ranch on the east side Of
south fork Of Salmon river about l3
miles southeast from Warrens, and the
latter had been stopping temporarily a,
the ranch of a. D. Smead on the ives;
side Of the river and about three miles
below. The following letter received
by Gyosten e. Binnard from Warrens
on Monday evening explains the mat
ter:
aWAsHINGroN /. T. May 23d 1879.
MEssRs GRosTEIN 4 BINNARD-
DEAR SIRs: Your letter arrived here
on the 2lst. The weather still contin-
ues stormy l do not expect that trains
can get in here earlier than the 9th r.
| loth Of June
There is great probability of the sol
diers coming in here almost immediate.
| ". About 13 miles from here on ;he
south fork, lived Hugh Johnson, where
he was engaged in ranchin,. You
must know him we'll, his suhriqu"t was
B,b.Tail johnson. Mr.. Peter Dawson
on tie 2Oth Of April. left P,nu Smeads
/ CA. ID. Smead) ranch on visit t.
johnson As he did net rcturn imme
da'ely it was supposed that he was A.
-isting johnson in constructing ditch
tor irri2atiu. purposes at point abou'
/ / miles 'ron the house up the mpun
tain and GU, Of sight from the travelled
route. Mr. jenkins called at the ranch
a few days after, SO did Mr. Geo. Dick
insnn who was out there hunting and
fishing. Mr.. NJ. Storms also came pas,
from his claims abnve, and called while
on his way 10 town. In each case they
found John,on's door fastened n the
inside. but observed nothing peculiar
except 10 the case Of jenkins who re
; ported having seen. moccasin tracks il
the plowed ground. But he was sim
ply smiled at and locked upon as sim
ply Imaginative. Finally neither John
son nor Dawson making their appear
, ance for almost mouth Bill Kelly
jenkins and Sncad went up to iuvcs
,iuate the matter and hey found John
sons house gated, his work horses. :
pack rigs aud riding saddle gone
. The moccasin tracks still plain in tn
plnwed ground They also found
sheet Of paper tied with buck >kiI
string to willow bush and narke
4 with Indian lrks IN black red an
Y blue ink. They ionnd no bodies bu
:. came back TO town aud reported. %
m tins Information party cOnsistiD
J, OF Geo. Reiball, p. Bramer. II Brook.
J. G. Stark. A. D. Sme,d, J. jenkins au
: {. Johnson went up to search for h
g bodies. After short search they dis
covered the bodies aonut 80 yards fro,
). the house. They recognized them b
. tn Air clothes ard their hair. They We,
. in tho last stage Of decomposition. moth
y ing left but clothing, bones aud mas
!, OF seething worms. The party du
- holes near the bodies Gas it was no, 90.
p sible to remove them auy tur,hcr) an
Re carefully inferred the last remains ,
: their old friends so wantonly aud 80 il
: humanity murdered by the red varmin
m Of Salmon river. This massacre b,
10 cast gloom over this entire coumunit
70 The next news may still be worse. j.
: Rains, wife, sister. in law, a girl If
8 Summers. two children aud sick ma
g, "su WI toucu 10 UtItS tIOul UeT
ps Smead and his family. it alive, are Q,
! pected here tomorrow. +. Smit
=, wife and three children and jain D
vine I at Smiths ranch Is miles fro
here. So is also John Skinner a,
John Sinclair. | have written to the
q and they will probably come in, as the
If trail is open. The trail to Rains pla
- is still blocked with deep SHOWS. a
he = law abiding man aud h.ve a ju
"a conception Of my duty to my neighbo
.. and feel inclined to be charitable 10 u
IN fellow man and even merciful TO my e
$50 emies. But sir, when | see two DO
Iso old men ruthlessly murdered witho
~ any provocation whatever, dragg
=