Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-02-03
dron were spared. A Mr.. Hall, Mr..


the confusion, and reached Fort
Walla Walla in safety. Two families
AIessrs. Smith and Young were at
the saw mill up Mill Greek, from
whence they were brought to the
station next dav. OF these ther.
were four msu, Mr.. 5 NTH, VI.
Young and two grown-up-sons. BY
the interposition of two Nez Perez,
chief, the lives Of these IN II were
spared. aud they swelle'l the num-
Der of the captives to tif one.
Upon Mr.. Hall, commune ting
the sad tidings to Chief Trader Nc
Bean, that officer at once dispatched
an Interpreter and man to Wailatpu,
to rescue any survivors. The party
met Flnlay aud the half-breed boys
coming to the fort, and returned
with them. On the Both November
Mclean forwarded letters to the
Board of Management at Fort Van
couver, in which he states: Fever
and ague have been raging here and
in this vicinity, in consequence of
which great number of indians
have been swept away, but more
especially at the DJc:o,'s whit.
man 81 place, where he attended upon
the Indians. About thirty of the
Cayuse tribe died, one after another.
The survivors eventually believed
tho Doctor had poisoned them, in
which opinion they We're unfortu.
nately confirmed by one of the Doc
tors party (Joe Lewis). AS far as
have been able to learn, this has
been tho sole cause of the dreadful
butchery. In order to satisfy any
doubt As to their suspicion that the
Doctor was poisoning them, it is
reported that they requested the
Doctor to administer medicine to
three of their friends, two Of whom
were really sick, but the third only
feignins illness. All of these were
corpse the next morning."
Tho ring-leaders in this horrible
butchery were Telo-kiakt and his
son Turn- Sucky, Esticus aud Ta-ma-
hos. The Walla Walla Indians had
no hand in the business. The MUIR
derers were the Doctors own Indi-
ans, the Cayuses. Gov. James
Douglass, communicating with Gov.
George Abernethy, of the provision
al government of Oregon, and the
Board of Missions, thus commented
" The Cayuses are tho most treach-
erous and intractable of all the In
dian tribes in this country, and ha.,
on many former occasions alarmed
tie inmates of the mission by I'll. ii
tumultuous proceedings and Zero
cious threats. but unfortunately
these evidences of IL brutal DISPOSE.
ton were disreSar,ied by their ad-
mirable pastor aud served to arm
him with tirmer resolution to do
them good. He hoped that time
and instruction would produce a
change of mind, better state OF
feeling towards the mission, and he
might have lived to see his hopes
realized had not the measles and
dysentery, following in the train of
immigrants from the United States,
made trishtful ravag this year in
the upper country, many Indians
having been carried of through the
violence of the disease and others
through their own imprudence.
The .Cayuse Indians. of Waiilatpu,
being sufferers in this general CO.
lanlity, were incensed against DIR.
Whitman for not exerting his sup
posed supernatural! powers in saw
ing their lives. They carried this
absurdity beyond that point of folly.
Their superstitious minds became
possessed with the horrible suspicion
that he was giving poison to the sick
instead of wholesome medicines,
with the view of working the de-
struction OF tire tribe, their former
cruelty probably adding strength to
this suspicion. Still some of the
more rejecting had confidence in
DIR. Whitman's integrity and it was
agreed to test the effects OF tho med
icine he had furnished on three of
their. people, one of whom was said
to be ia perfect, health. They all
unfortunately died. From that mo.
ment, it WAS resolved to destroy the
mission. 1t was immediately after
burying tho remains of these three
persons that. they repaired to tho
mission and murdered every man
found there"
Upon the receipt of the, intelli.
genee at Fort Vancouver, Gov. Peter
Skeen Ogden, Associate Chief Fac
tor, set out on the 7th December,
for Fort Walla Walla, with sixteen
men, servants of the Hudsoa's Bay
Company, to prevent further blood
shed, and to rescue the American
captives. On arriving at Fort Walla
Walla, on the 10Th, December, cou-
rlers were dispatched to the chiefs
and head men of the Cayuse nation.
On the 23d, council was held,
which continued until late at night,
the Indians agreeing to deliver up
the captives within six DAYS upon
the payment of the ransom agreed
upon. At that council Gov. Ogden
addressed the Cayuses present:
&c | regret to observe that all the
chiefs whom 1 asked for are not
present. Two being absent, ex-
poet the words i am about to ad-
dress to you to be repeated to them
md your young men on your return
TO your camps. 1t is now thirty
years since we havs been among you.
During this long period, we have
never had any instance of blood be-
ing split until that inhuman massa.
ere which has so recently taken place.
We are traders, and a different ma
lion from the Americans. But re-
collect we supply you with ammuni-
ion not to kill the Americans.
They are the same color as ourselves.
peak the same language, children