, 1879-12-08
old played out politician, who holds no
authority from his fellow>cltizens to eis
ther speak or act for them?
The Wniilnty,a Massacre.
THE TRUE STORY OF THE EXECUTION OF
THE WHITMAN MURDERERs.
RosEBuRG, Dr.. Nov. 90, 1877

RosEBuRe, Or, Nov. 90, 1879.
To THE EDITOR OF THE OREGoNIAN:
In the Daily Oregonian of the 10Th inst,
l find an article taken from the Army
and Ndcy Journal in relation to the sur
render, Imprisonment, trial and execu>
ton, as the writer says, of "three Ca
yuse Indians at Oregon City in the year
1850. l have read the article and your
comments upon it and thank you for
noticing the article as it deserved. l
know not nor care not who the author of
the article may be know that he has
not stated facts. In place of making
history he has falsified history and l no.
tice the author no further.
Twill try and give you, for publication,
a true history of the surrender. imprison-
ment. trial and execution of five Cayuse
Indians, leaders and principal actors in
the harbarous, cruel and unprovoked
murder Of DR.. Whitman, his wife and
some twelve others, at his mission at
Waiilatpu, in November, 1S47, and Of
the terrible suffering of the prisoners who
fell into the hands Of the Cayuses, among
them young women who were forced to
become wives of the murderers of their
fathers and mothers, and other cruelties
and barbarities too horrible to patiently
think about. But all this history is well
known to the people of Oregon, conse-
srently. will only write of that which
transpired under my own observation
and the part took in bringing the mur
derers to trial and punishment.
At the time of the massacre was in
Mexico. But on the 9th day OF August,
1S48, was at my home in Indiana,
when Col. Jo. Meek arrived at my house
bearing in his pocket a letter from Presi
dent Polk and my commission as Covers
nor OF Oregon, and under the law ex-of
ficio superintendent of Indian affairs. 1
left home for Oregon the morning of the
Goth. the second day after Meek's arrival
But before We set out he had given us an
account of the atroclous massacre Of DR..
Whitman. his wife and others, at Wail>
latpu, and at many campfire on our
way overland to this coast did Meek re-
late to US the horrors of the massacre Of
Whitman and others at the mission. and
frequently asked whether I would take
steps to punish the Indians. 1t is hardly
necessary tc say had learned 10 keep
my plans to myself, consequently, list
ened to all that was said,a and made known
to but few what l thought was best.
There were no troops in Oregon at that
time, nor could any reach there till in the
fall, when it was known the rifle regi-
ment under Col. Loring would arrive;
consequently, my only chance tor punish
ing the guilty Indians was by trying to
prevail upon the better portion OF the
tribe to- deliver up the most guilty for
trial and punishment. With this view,
l visited Mr.. Douglas and Gov. Ogden,
at Fort Vancouver, and without making
known my plans, got correct information
about the upper Columbia Indians gener-
ally, and especially Of the Cayuses, and
found them ready to furnish any goods,
tobacco and other things proper aud
necessary as presents for Indians. and
that boat and good and experienced
boatmen would at any time he at my
service ia take me up the Columbia to the
Indian country. All this being arranged,
1 returned to Oregon City, consulted
with some of eur good friends at that
place about the chance of getting the
tribe to give up the murderers. (And
here will with pleasure say that nowhere
have met or found better or more
civil or kind good people than in 1S49
lived in and adjacent to Oregon City,
and this can say OF the early pioneers
generally and he who would cast sIur