The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-09-29
Or. MARCUS WRITNAN.

DR. MARCUS WHITMAN.
The Orsgoa Legisiaeiss peocesdings
show that bill hes besr introduced in
the House 10 provide n speropeistioe
70 bs used for ssectiag . oonsosot n
the memory Of DR. Marcus Whitman.
the missionary Who vas murdsred b.
Indians on the Walla Wslls river in
ls47. aud ve briefly rscite The facts Of
h:stery snd Of psrsoosl recollsctioos
that relate to his life sud his scss
Eleven ysars before this nAssaers,
Rev Mr. Spauiding and Doctor Whit
man came to Oregon as missionaries OF
the AwssicAn Board. They broaght
their faDiiiss and reached the Colum-
bia river in good SEASON. As Spending
establishing . mission among the Mes
Perces and DIR Whitman on the WalIs
Wsils among the Csyuses sDd Umatil-
las. DR. WhitmAo was not . clergy
man. bat . physician. and tho we'll
known record Of his life and scts
shows that be Vas . man OF unsslfsh
purpose and of great personal oourass
and daring; that be for . time accom-
plishsd much good among the Iadians.
and that be offered iuesiimable benefits
to the smigrsnts vho crossed the plains
during his lifetime.
But the most .int-rssting. heroic and
romantic episode OF Oregon history
knew him - its author, when in 1912.
sterling from here in the fall in conpa
ny With Gen Lovsjoy. he made winter
journey To the 3tstes. crossing moun.
tsins deep with snow. fording rivers
that we're partly frozen. plunGing in
snd swimming over them with his
horse. having his limbs partially frosen
in ths daring sct. He encountered
every obstacle that winter could o6er
in such desert. mountain and uninhAb.
tied country. and showed human energy
aud physical endurance that the world
has seldom seen equAled; ell bscxuse
the tsunts Of officers and men Of the
Hudson Bay Company rung in bic ears
telling him thst the Americans were
sure TO lose Oregon. that Govsfnor
Simpson Of the Hudson Bay Company
was in Washington lsboring for that
end. and that Esgland Vas resdy TO
offer the United States important fish-
ing privileges on the North Atlantic.
and territory on the Northssstern boun-
dary. reaching to the river st Lawrence
% su exchange for Oregon.
He vas on . professional visit to old
Fort Wslla Walls. nov WAllulu, when
this occurred. Believing the matter
sure of success and freshly informed by
the Hudson Bay of3cisls ct Vancouver.
the employees Of the company tauntsd
the doctor with the news, and provo.
kinsly added that winter was ct hand.
that no human power could opp0ss it
sud that they believed the result Was
sure. While they talked thus there
came down the river the Canadian
express. that once year found its way
across from the Selkirk settlements
and informed them that an immigra-
tion OF over forty families of English,
Scotch and Canadian half breeds from
Red river were s.rssdy on the upper
Columbia at Colville. They we're the
advanced guard Of Bsitish iabjects
that were coming on, under the petso.
mage Of the Hsdsoa Bay Company. to
occupy the land and enable Crest Bril-
tain 70 claim the West Coast - . Per.
mansnt possession becAuse Of such 90
cupsncy. Mr. w H Gray was as the
mission when NV Whitman, returned In
haste FROM this istsrviev. and 70 him
he narrated this conversation, and told
Of the exultiDg cry they heard: The
A s,n psr~ us ava ~, Il 70 I. "A 0~nncc ill
b ours
At that time the population Of ell the
region west OF the Rocky Mountains
that claimed American citizenship wss
the few mission families and about 80
other persons who claimed 70 b Amer.
leans. Another emigration Of about
100 persons, among whom was General
Lovejoy. bad just arrived. having left
their wagons at Fort Hall and got
through - best they could. Securing
the company OF Gen Lovejoy to return.
Whitman Was in "A hours on his way
back across the continent. reaching
Bsst's fort on the Arkansas In January
after iatisues. hArdships end sufeTings
thst very few men have sver sncoun.
tered. and We have the united tsrtimo-
ny OF w 81 Gray. and Rsvs Spauldius,
Walker and Rails Of the missiouaries,
snd Of Gen Lovejoy. that his great and
only object in undertaking this terrible
mid winter journey was to make known
to the 0ovssnmsnt st Washington ell
the facts relating to British occupancy
and prstsssious. and TO explain the
great future value Of The Wet Coast
region to the United States.
Contemporary history abounds with
proof that Greet Britain made evsey
sfIort to keep Oregon -ths whole Of il
for Bsitish posssssioa; that Americans
were deferred. BY Organised e6ort and
Misrepresentation, from oomiue to
Or<gon. and when they reached Fort
Hall. we're either tarnsd bact o. diver.
ted ts Calisosnis. - wss the eass With
the Doonsr party that pssisAed missr.
ably By the way. The Hndsoa Bay
Company. and ail 1hs wrote about
Oregoo. represented in England that
their occupation Of this rseioa w.s
earning . title 10 the coil. and it vas
wSll understood BY the ssttlssa that The
advent OF the Red nvsr coioeists vas
the 6rss step in introducing British
citissns. 70 make thae occupation over
vhs!ming and eo0plsts.
Whisuan ves noe . man Who ever
boosted Of his deeds, and What u known
Of his acls asd inteosioos COMES from
his frieads and associates and his own