Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-07-17


|IABRnbbeson II 0synpia ssa1dardl
oxxxrxA. W. r, June ae--Ia
Iooking over mr. dairy as kept ia
/ 1855, dnd the following account Of
"Trip from Capsain Hays camp On
Naahex river % SfeilAcoom. na e.
coft 70 Express Messengers Azior
Wm. Tidd aud Joha BFadiey. Be
Ilieging that Is may be Of interesf 70
your readers, / send you = copy:
On October 30th, Col A B. Moses.
IDF. n 2. Burns. George Bright,
joseph Miles and myself. in company
with the express meeseneerss leit
camp a. the fiss crossing u the
Nachex River and Travelled unmo-
Tested Until We arrived 81 Cornell
Prairie. In The White river valley. 81
3 O'Clock Wednesday evening. Here
we met with 3 party VI kiickitat and
Nisqnally Indians. numbering about
$50 warri0fs. Having there discnv-
cred that Mr.. ConGeii's k01se had re-
Gently been burned, We inquired Of
the Indians lthey Al thai time show
ing 20 signs Of moleststion) who had
burned the house, or II they knew
how il came 70 be burned They
denied all knowledge of the cause.
and declared themSelvs entirely
| peaceAbie, saying that their tumIums
we're bvas close copa Boston. J. e /,
that their hearts were right towards
the Americans. We talked With
them a long time, asking many ques-
li0Hs, why they were there. and en-
ceaVoFed, rs much as words would
do, 10 draw them out and make them
show their true position, they all the
while making declarations Of friead.
ship. We then went 70 the place
where We supposed they intes ded %
camp and endeavored to purchase
some moccasins from their sQuaws,
and while there We saw and con
versed with their main chief, Leshi
Ia the meantime all the first Indians
gere gradually dispensing. but We
did not know at that time where.
We then mounted our horses again
and proceeded on our route, about a
aalf mile. TO Il deep muddy swamp.
There we received
A MURDRRous FIRE
From these very same Indians. who
had secFeted themselves 10 ambush
behind as. Colonel A. Benton Noses
received = ball, entering the left side
Of The back and passed Immediately
under the heart and came out through
the right breast, going through the
center Of g letter in the breast pocket
Of bis 0vercOat Joseph Miles of
Olympia, received 3 wound in the
neck, which uahorsed him. he fell
in the deep mud and was unable 70
TO regain his horse or get out without
assistance. We directed him to take
bold of his stirrup-leather, while we
gathered mis- horses bride, and then
putting spurs to our horses we sue
eeeded 10 dragging him out Of the
mud. We found that he had be-
come 90 faint that is was impossible
for him 70 mount his horse. He then
told Us to leave him and make our
escape, II possible, Is there was no
hope for him. All this time the To-
dians were pouring into Us q con-
tinuous IRE, not more than thirty
yards distant, in which Major Tidd
received taree slugs on the head,
which did not penetrate the skull.
We were compelled to leave Miles,
so We put spurs TO our horses and
rode about 3 mile and a half, when
Colonel Moses became so exhausted
in consequence of his wounds that be
could not remain on horseback any
longer. We dismounted and carried
him some two hundred yards and hid
him in the brush. We remounted
aud rode at full speed to the first
crossing Of Finnell's creek. Here
We discovered another ambuscade,
whereupon we dismounted and made
a charge into the brush. three OF us
upon one side Of the road and two
on the other, each OF us discharging
the full contents of our revolvers
and then usingour sabres, completely
ROUTING THE INDIANS,
They not firing a gun. We must
have killed quite q number of them
as none of US had to shoot more
than ten feet, and several times we
placed our revolvers against their
bodies. Returning to Colonel Moses
for the purpose Of making him more
secure and comfortable, we took our
coats and wrapped them around him
and left him, having rendered him
all the assistance in our power that
we were able under the circum
stances. On leaving him, his last
words were; Boys, il you escape.
remember me" We returned TO the
edge of the BLUFF, going down to
Finnel's creek, and discovered q
large body If Indians on the other
side of the prairie, that lay close by,
but our number being 50 few we did
not think II advisable to risk another
attack. All Of US, with the excep-
ton Of DR.. III. p. Burns, took 10 the
brush, but be kept straight on, de
clsring that ''he would fight until be
died." We considered il reckless
Ress, but it was utterly impossible TO
persuade him otherwise. We saw
him enter the timber on the opposite
side Of the prairie. and Immediately
heard the report Of three guns and az
Indian yell, aud very naturally sup
posed that that was the last OF him.
We kept in the brush and travelled
until dark, and then stopped and
held quite consultation as TO which
course 10 pursue. Some were for re-
turning 70 Captain Hays camp,
others for making for the settlements,
believing that we could get assistance
10 Colonel Moses sooner. The
weather was very disagFeeable, rainy
and dark 10 the forepart OF the night
and freezing in the afterpart. We
all became so exhausted that we
could not travel but q short distance
~ time. sometimes
Up TO OUR WAISTS IN WATER.
And At other times entangled 10 the
immense thickets Of underbrush and
fallen timber. While we rested. two
of rs would lay down on the ground
and the other two on top of them.
When the two underneath would
get a little warn we VQnnId than