Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1883-04-12
THE PIT RIVER MASSACRE.
fhe Story as Related by Joaquin Miller.
San Francisco Chronicle,I


lSan Francisco Chronicle.I
The English spell the name of Pit river witt
an additional letter. as if after the name Of a
eminent statesman. But think the above
right, as the name is certainly derived from tn
deep and dangerous pits thai once made thi
whole vast region known as Pit river vale,
very dangerous ground for strangers. Thes
pits, dug in trails and passes by squaws, VIII,
carried the dirt away in baskets, were from tel
to twenty feet deep, jug-shaped, and covered
with twigs and reeds and leaves At the bot
tom lay sharpened elk and deer antlers; ane
sometimes they set sharpened flints and spear
pointed up to receive the victim. Even if on.
were not disemboweled on first falling into the
! pit, the ugly shape of it made it not only i'm
possible for man, but even the most savage ano
supple wild beast to climb again to the light
and darkness and lingering death was the in
evitable end. These pits, of course, made the
land terror, and it was not until as late as
1856 that this most lovely valley in all Califor
MIA was fairly possessed by settlers. Once in
possession, the white man of course soon found
out and marked the location of the secret pits
and they gradually filled up as they fell into
disuse. Yet in the Pit river war, which fol
lowed the massacre, know that one man and
several horses were disemDoweled by these
, dreaded pits, for after the Indians again got
possession they attempted to restore this curious
means of defense against invasion.
TERRIBLE TIDINGs.
The buds were beginning to swell and the
birds to sing in the sunniest places about my
Indian camp on the southern slope of Mount
Shasta as the news came of the Pit river mas
sacre. was the only white person left in all
the country around, and I knew at once that
would be accused of having advised and di-
rected the massacre, for all knew that | sympa-
thized with the Indians. | cannot enter into
detail to show how the Indians had been
wronged; how they had been driven to this;
how their men had been shot down for no other
ofense than that of having wives whom the
gold-hunters and gamblers desired; how that
after one year of this bloody work they found
themselves starving and dying and desperate.
Then they rose up and swept every white man
into eternity, and fed their little ones on their
thousand cattle. But ] take the responsibility
Of saying that the Indians were entirely in the
right. Polite it was not. 1t meant their final
annihilation. But they persisted finally, not
without some revenge. Nor will | trouble you
with any sort of denial of completely in the
massacre. If had had any part in it at all |
should certainly not hesitate to frankly say SO.
For after quarter of a century, looking at the
matter with maturer sense and from all sides
and in all lights, do not see how the Indians
could have done anything else or otherwise
and retain bit Of self-respect. And l do
not see how the white man could have ex-
pected anything else in the end The rape of
the Sabnes was as nothing compared to the
ruthless way in which these men had seized
upon the handsomest Indian women of the val
ley and murdered their fathers, brothers, hus-
bands, who dare protest or even ventured to beg
about their doors as the winter went past, while
they housed in comfort in the snowy valley and
fed their fattened herds in half dozen great
corrals made Of ricks of hay.
ARSON AND MURDER.
The hay was fired simultaneously in the half
dozen barracks scattered over the valley, gen.
orally by the hand of captive squaw, and as
the white men fled out over the snow they were
shot down by the Indians. And this is the
story of the massacre as it came to me at my
camp early in the spring of 1857. Two white
men only had escaped. They had not been
pursued; but they were known to be at that time
trying to make their way through the snow to
Yreka, three days travel away to the northwest.
AS | knew their line of retreat would be not
far from my camp, had bonfres set on cliff
of rocks overlooking the country, in hope that
they might be guided to my camp and be fed.
but they made their way through the snow to
Yreka without finding me, and there gave the
world the first news of the destruction of the
settlement. OF course did not know of their
final escape, but thinking to give the first infor
nation of the deplorable event, and desiring to
be quite certain of my report, set out at once
for Pit river valley, sixty miles distant, and far
below my camp on the spurs of Mount Shasta.
Blackboard the chief of The tribe | had cast
my fortunes with, did not say much. He de-
sired me, however, to keep away and out of the
whole affair. But had an image all the time
of those two men struggling through the snow,
with death and terror ringing in their ears, and
wanted to meet and help them. And then
we had been shut up in camp SO long, were SO
full of rest, that restraint was hard to bear. |
resolved, however, to 60 no nearer than the
great bald mountain overlooking the valley,
from which | could see with my glass and be
able 10 say positively whether or not the last
of the hay forts had been burned
TWO COMPANIONS.
My two favorite young Indians were permit
ted to 60 with me. But the chief told me that
he should lead his people still deeper into the
Businesses of Mount Shasta, and try and keep
his young men from taking sides in the coming
war and wait to see what might happen. | do
not think the old chief doubted my devotion to
him or questioned the sincerity Of my cherished
purpose of establishing an Indian republic, or
sort of Indian Territory, with Mount Shasta
for its geographical center and he for its head
chief. But think he gravely doubted my
Judgment, as well he might at that time, and SO
he did not give me his confidence at all. In
fact, so far from trusting me, he deceived me,
for could see busy preparations for battle 60
ing on all about me. The morning | set out
with my two young followers, with the promise
TO 90 no further than the great bald mountain
overhanging the valley, missed several of our
best warriors from the camp. They had, like
Iob's war-horse, snuffed the battle from afar,
and had gone like true gentlemen to champion
their color and their kin and battle for the right
as il was given them to see the right, and die. !
After such a swift days run over the snow as
seems almost incredible, we stood in the sunset
ON the summit of the bald mountain overlook
ing Pit, river valley. No smoke curled any
where against the cold, blue sky that rounded
above the vast valley. The stiffness Of death
ncx,v IL h.