Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1884-05-29
BEGINNING OF THE NEE PIERCE
WAR.
Extract from Adjutant Woods Ac.
count in the Century"


count in the Century"
-
On May Sd, the first daylof tho conn
I'll, Joseph spoke Of the importance Of the
eubjects to be discussed, and asked Il,
delay till all could be- present, and for
plenty Of time for deliberation. He was
told that White Bird would be waited
for if he wished it, Here an old tooat
(priest) stood up and said to the interpcr-
ter: "For the sake Of the children and
the children's children Of both whites
and Indians, tell the truth" The orders,
of the Government were interpreted to
the Indians, and they were told that the
department commander and the Indian
agent were there to hear all they had to
say, no matter how long it might take;
but that tho Indians must comprehend at
the outset that the views Of the Govern
mcnt would be enforced.
On the second day White Bird was
present, and the debate became so hot
and 30 hostile that Joseph suddenly asked
for an adjournment. The next day the
council opened more calmly, but finally
Too-hul hul-suit, whose anger had forced
Joseph to seek the adjournment the day
before, said plainly: 'The others may
do as they like. l will not go on the
reservation" For this he was arrested
and confined. Thereafter Joseph and
White Bird managed the council smooth.
ly. They either agreed or seemed 70
agree to everything, and promised to be
on the reservation by June l4th. AT
their request Too hul-hul-suit was releas-
ed. On June IA, 1887, the non treaty
bands began their horrible murders Of
men, women and children. The small
band which began to work swept over the
Camas Prairie and Salmon River coun-
try, falling up the unsuspicious dwellers
in the lonely cabins, firing the houses,
and throwing the living into the flames.
Soon after his capture, while he was a
prisoner in little tent on the bank Of
the Missouri, Joseph said to the writer:
81 intended to 20 on the reservation. !
knew nothing Of these murders. Had !
been at home, they would not have hap
pened; but l was away on the other side
of the Salmon river, killing some beef for
my wife, who was sick, and | was called
back by messengers telling me what the
young men had done. Then l knew
must lead them in fight, for the whites
would not believe my story" Neverthc-
less, the story may be true. About a
year after this talk with Joseph, an Indi-
an in Idaho told me that after the last
council with Gen. Howard, at Lapwai,
the allied bands Of non treaties met in a
rocky canyon near the Salmon river, and
argued peace and war for ten days; that
Joseph urged peace, and the others war,
even taunting him with cowardice; that
on the last day two young men whose
fathers had been killed by the whites
took three companions and committed the
first murders.
News of the outrages was received at
Fo't Lapwai, the nearest military post,
not far from Lewiston, June 18th, aud
by 8 o'clock in the evening the garrison,
consisting of two companies of cavalry,
was on the march. BY dawn of the next
day they entered White Bird canyon, a
basaltic- walled, roush-ridged dedle leading
from the table-land of Camas Prairie to
the Salmon river, six miles distant. Into
this canyon the troops marched, accom-
panied by some citizen volunteers. The
Nez Perce record had been one Of such
unbroken peaccfulness toward white men
that no one knew what sort Of antagonists
they would prove. Our advance was
met four miles from the entrance to the
canyon by nearly the entire hostile force
300 warriors. Leaving their
women and children and non-combatants
in all about 700 souls-in the camp
behind them, they advanced, throwing
out line of mounted skirmishers which
deployed and Unanswered in fine order.
They came on yelling, under cover Of a
herd of horses driven ahead of them and