The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1889-11-07


ping an old brass Hudson Bay Company's
revolver about two feet long right at me,
but the weapon failed TO 90 of. By this
time my cayuse had dislodged me, and
our dusky foe went whizzing by, followed
by my saddle animal and Cut-mouth
John close behind. Our guide was riding
a good horse and soon overlook the fee
ing savage. Placing the muzzle Of his
gun directly between the shoulders Of the
Indian our John pulled the trigger and
blew hole in that redskin that u cat
could crawl through. Twenty-seven
years after the events recorded, l met
Cut-mouth John in Pendleton, Oregon,
and we had q great wah-wah about our
campaign in the Yakima valley. Catch
ing my own and the Indians horse, and
allowing Cut-mouth John to denude the
dead Indian Of his scalp, we returned to
the command.
Our next stop was within two miles Of
the Catholic Mission. Several Of our men,
myself among the number, went up TO
the old mission, and arriving there We
found that some one had preceded US. A
lot Of devilment had been done, by whom
it was never ascertained, and the place
was deserted. Candles, cruci6xes, beads
and other Romish emblems were scattered
in ruthless chaos all around, and vandal
hands had worked irfeparable injury to
beautiful paintings and other bric-a-brac.
A serious effort was made by our officers
to discover the authors Of these impious
outrages, and It would have Jared badly
with the offenders had they been discov-
cred. We found about q ton Of -four and
a lot Of dried camas and berries cashed
away, and as we were then on half ra-
tons, these came in very gratefully to
the Webfoot boys, who had learned TO
eat that sort Of grub before leaving home.
On November l2, while still camped on
the Ahtanum, sixteen inches Of snow fell,
and on the following day quite band Of
Indian horses were rounded up. The Of
ficers ordered these animals killed. and
the mandate was obeyed.
Having run the Indians to their noun
tain fastnesses, beyond our reach, We
were ordered to return TO The Dalles, and
on the 10th started across the Simcoe
mountains. My horse gave out, and l
sent word along the line to Adiutant W.
H. Farrer, who rode back to me and or
dered the men to kill my horse and put
my saddle and blankets on the pack
horses, at the same time telling me to get
on bis horse and ride to the top Of the
mountain, where was to tie the animal
to q tree and go on afoot, and saying that
he would see that my things got through
all right. think such men as Gen. Far
rer should never die. l followed his in
structions, and tying his horse at the top
Of the mountain, set out on foot. On the
night Of the 18th sat my boots close to
the camp fire and went to sleep, and on
the following morning found them burned
to a crisp. The snow was about four
feet deep on the summit, and / think it
was the coolest weather l ever exper-
fenced. Nothing was left for me to do
but to wrap my feet in pieces Of blanket,
and had to trudge along through the
snow, in that biting cold until IL O'Clock
that night, alone, for the command out
travelled me considerably and reached the
Klickitat valley several hours ahead Of
me. On the 18th Of November, 1855, we
started from the remainder Of old fort
Klickitat en- route to The Dalles, and on
the evening Of the 10th Col. Nesmeth and
all the officers left US and went into The
Dalles leaving me commander-in-chief un-
til orders were returned. These we re-
ceived on Nov. 21st, instructing US to
come to The Dalles, and in few days
some Of the boys, myself among the num-
Der, were granted a discharge. The dis
charge was granted me Nov. 26th. 1856,
as the following copy Of . receipt l now
have in my possession from my captain,
Samuel B. Stafford, will show:
Dalles, Nov. 20, 1856.
Received Of Millburn @. Wills, one ny
saddle, one ~ gun, one ~ powder flask.
SAMUEL B. STAFFORD,
Capt. Co. c, LIST Regt. o. M. v.
On receipt Of this, I started for home
on board q steamer running between The
Dalles and Portland, arriving there in q
few days and gong to work on the farm.
not expecting ever 10 be called back TO
the field Of war again. But my next pa
per will show that l was fooled.
CT course there were number Of in
teresting and exciting incidents during
my first campaign not chronicled herein,
but the few have mentioned will give
some idea Of the condition Of the Yakima
valley atthe time Of which I write, when
there was not white settler within q ra-
dius Of two hundred miles, extending
from the Columbia river on the east TO
the Cascade range on the west.
NJ. @. Wills.
North Yakima, W. T., Nov. LIST, 1889.
NOt That Kind Of Hose.