The Mineral argus., 1884-01-17
An INDIAN NIasSacre.

An indian massacre.
The massacre at Blackburn's Ferry
Call, was but one of many scenes o.
blood that marked the intercourse of tn,
two races for several years. The ferry
was established in the spring IF 1851 and
was under the charge Of the man from
whom it derived its name, who was liv.
ing there with his wife and three as
s~istants. The proprietors we're Gwin r.
TompkiEs and Charles McDermit, the
latter of whom afterwards became a col
onel in the army and fell in battle with
Indians in Nevada in 1866. The mana
ger and his wife occupied a small shake
shanty not far from the river bank,
while the three assistants slept in a tent
near by. Between these wss an open
space used for q kitchen and dining
room. Mrs. Blackburn was a noble
woman of that pioneer class who have
been led by love to follow the foot
steps of their idol into the very heart of
the wilderness. She noticed n day
that the stock of bullets was nearly ex-
hausted. and with the usual prOmptness
of such people at once nodded a
large quantity. Some would
call it providential, and so it was-a O
idential ~precaution. The ferry had never
been molested by the Indians and they
felt no unusual alarm, and yet that very
night had been fixed upon for a massa-
ere of them all. AS the evening shad-
ows blended i'll a universal gloom the
Indians gathered in the forest about the
abode OF their intended victims and
waited until their eyes we're closed in
peaceful .slumber and the place was
wrapped in a mantle of silence.
When the night was so far advanced
that they felt free from the interruption
OF belated travellers, the savages crept
stea lily to the tent where the three
men lay sleeping, and commenced the
work OF death. Besides bows and ar
rows these Indisns were armed with
long knives, guns not yet having fallen
into their possession. Two of the men
We're instantly killed. while the third,
badly wounded, sprang to his feet and
rushed toward the cabin, CRYING loudly
for hep. He had taken but a few steps
when he fell under the blows of a dozen
Indians who had remained outside the
tent. Aroused from their slumber by
the cry and sounds of struggle, the in
mates of the cabin hastily barricadel the
thedoorand prepared for defense. Their
al - GOAAolclCu Vi LNO IllC6 anu u TGYOi-
yer, and, thanks TO the woman's care, a
plentiful supply of bullets. The night
was dark and the foe could not be seen,
but their continued yell5 and vollevs of
arrows were ever the more horrible on
that account. Blackburn maintained an
incessant fire in all directions, his wife
reloading the weapons as fast as be dis
charged them. All that long and ter
rible night the defense was made, until
the yells died out about daybreak and
the enemy departed.
Early in the morning A. Raynes, Will
liam You gand William Little appeared
on the opposite side of the river, and
shouted to arouse the ferryman. Back
burn emerged from the house and
walked down to the boat, saying:
I'm glad 10 see you, boys. They are
all killed but myself and wife"
As he ferried them over he related
the details of the attach and how the de-
Tense had been made. Ibid you kill
any of the d~evils?,' asked one.
Il don't know; the night was dark, l
could not see."
well, let us take a shin around and
see what we can find. They always carry
of their dead and wounded, and YOU
never Can tell whether any are killed OF
not"
"Here is one they didn't cart off"
said one, as he noticed a body about 100
yardsfrom the house. NO" he added,
lit is a white man."
They fastened to it, turned up the
face to get a better view, aud Blackburn
exclaimed, Great Godl it is my father"
The old gentleman had not seen his
son for ten years, and had followed him
to California. He started from Trinidad
with a pack train, which camped that
night some ten miles from the ferry.
Too eager to wait, the anxious father
pushed on alone and fell beneath savage
knives in front of his snnIr nnhin