Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-02-03
American Settlement of Oregon.
establishment of the Oregon Mission,
under the Auspices OF the American
Board OF Commissioners of For.ton
Missions
CONTINrFDI.

CoNTINrFDI.
DIR. Whitman had returned to
Walllatpu in the Fall of 1913. He
was outspoken in his desire that the
country should be occupied by Amer
leans. Upon the arrival of each i'm.
migrant train, he endeavored to
secure reinforcements to his mis-
sionary aid. The Indians abou,
Waiilatpu, for the next few years,
conducted themselves with entire
satisfaction. They committed no
outrage nor acts of violence, were
not guilty of any indignities. They
gave evidence of improvement in
Industrial pursuits; a number at
tached themselves to church and
! professed religion. At Lapwai, the
Spuldings had met with like success
La the meantime, the number of
CItho!lc-professing Indians had in
creased. In 1917, it was growing
manifest that the Indians were dis
affected towards the Protestant mis-
slonaries. Archibald McKinlay, the
firm friend of DR.. Whitman, had
lett Fort Walla Walla, and VIM.
Mclean waS in charge DIR. Whit
man did not wish to abandon Wall
lutpu, and yet at times he was dis
couraged and resolved to submit the
question to u vote of tho Indians
The real obstacle was his oblec-
ton to abandoning the missionary
field to the Catholics. He was well
aware of the dninlu> of the Indians
which though seemingly friendly,
was liable at any time to NANTES,
itself i'll hostility. Despite this Ia
tent causes of encouragement, the
Doctor and his wife remained at
their posts, they did no injustice to
the Indians, they treated them as
brothers, they confined zealously to
labor for their advancement.
The station at Waiilatpn beng on
the line of travel from tho Hscky
mountainS to the Columbia river,
had become the asylum, the resting
place, for the weary immigrant, worn
out aud broken down by the severe
journey across the plains; the hos
pital for the disease stricken, regard
less of caste or condition; the
church and the altar, for spiritual
culture and consolation, the school
to disseminate knowledge, the farm
to supply the necessaries of life, and
the industrial school, to impart to
the Indians lessons of labor, how to
earn subsistence. Saw and grist
mills, shops and Gianaries, had
also been erected. The Superin
tcndont's residence was furnished
with good library, and valur bic
cabinet of specimens had been col
lected illustrating the natural history
and mineral wealth of the country.
The Indian room, including kitchen
school and lecture room, over which
upon the second floor, were lodging
departments, were attached to the
north end of the Superintendencv.
Another large building. close at
hand, afforded accommodations to
travellers. At the distance of eight
miles, up Mill creek, was the saw
J mill and q dwelling house.
The Catholic Bishop at Walla
Walla Very Rev. A. NJ. A. .Blan-
cheD Rev. j. b. A. BrouiIlet, V. G. ,
and SIX other pr ests arrived at Fort
Walla Walla, Sept. 5th, 1S47, from
Canada, and were sojourning at the
camp of To-wa-to, on the Umatilla
river, twenty-five miles from Waiilat-
pu station. Seventy-two persons
were at the time residing ut and
connected with DR.. Whitman's sta
ton. Twenty-Five occupied the Su-
perintendent's dwelling house. The
constituents of Dr. Whitman
household illustrate the character
of the missionary and his wife. 1t
consisted of DR.. Whitman and wife.
Mr. Rodgers, missionary, ten adopt
ed children (seven of whom were the
Saser orphans, whose parents had
died crossing the plains in 1874, and
three hulfbreed giils). two half
breed boys he had raised, Joseph
Staniield, aCanadian, and Joe Lewis,
who had come with the immigrants
of 1917 from Fort Hall. DR.. Whit
man, scant of accommodations, had
objected to LOWS stopping, but gave
him employment Lewis loitered
about the house great deal and
detailed to the Indians conversations
he represented he had overheard
between the Doctor and other mem
bers of the family. His falsehoods
were readily believed by the Indians,
because he was Of the family. To
his diabolical lying must be at
tributed that excitement of feeling
which made the events which so soon
afterward followed possibility.
Sojourning at Waiilatpu, were
Miss Bewley and her brother, Mr..
Hoffman, Mr.. Sales, Eliza Spalding,
ten years of age, daughter of Rev.
II. II. Spalding. Of these, Messrs.
Bewley and Sales were sick patients
! of DR.. Whitman, confined to their
beds. The remaining fifty were
Americans, principally of the over
land immigration of that year, en-
route to Wallamet valley, who had re.
manned to Winter. Eighteen were
adults, eight of whom were women.
In the number were ten sick patients
under DIR. Whilman's treatment.
Early in the afternoon of the Goth
of November, 1917, school having
just been called, all OK which had
been shot and was being dressed,
engaged the attention of several of
the men at q distance from the house.
The Indians came, rs was their wont
when q carcase was being cut up.
There unusual number attracted
the Doctors attention, but he at
tributed the circumstance to the
killing of the animal. When all
the conspirators had assembled with
al l. I A.