Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-08-15
"REMINISCENCES OF 1s4s.
Thread of The Indian War Stories Con
tinued by Judge Shaw.


and there being no boats running on
the river there was no other way
left but to send our OK teams after
them. So in a few days after we
had returned, the OK teams and
wagons were hitched up and ready
to start, and a sufficient force to
guard them was detached to 90 with
them to The Dalles, with orders to
return as soon as the trip could be
made.
But before they started Col. Gil
liam called the whole force together
and made them a speech-perhaps
the last one he ever made. There
had been a small amount of dissatis-
faction from the time he took com
mand. 1t came mostly from Capt.
II. j. Mason's company and there
was only "a Jew OF them at that, but
they were headed by the captain
hlncelf, who was rather bold in his
declarations against the colonel, and
il was found afterwards that he and
some of his men had already made
complaint to Governor Alternately,
and asked for his removal, and ask
ed the appointment Of Maj. III. A.
G. Lee, TO fill the place. Col. Gill
Fam, by some means. had been APP
prised of this procedure and had
called the men together to talk with
them and see what was The general
feeling of his men. / presume he
Intended to resign his Office if his
men did not desire him to remain as
their commander, for he had already
declare his intentlors of going
with this detachment to The Dalles
a1d then going on down TO the val
ley and see The governor himselfand
consult with him as TO the next step
to be taken, for he had already
driven the Kayrse Indians out of
their country. Col. Gillian made
rather warm speech in which he
recounted all the bardships of the
campaign and the results that bad
followed. Said he, "Wc have met
our foe, on every be stle-field chosen
by them, and on several that we
chose ourselves and in every in
stance have driven them from the
field with loss to them in men and
property, and now, gentlemen, it is
left with you to say whether you de-
sire me to be your commander any
longer. And in order to test this
ma,,er, | will march out to the right
and ali who desire me to Remain as
your commander, will follow me,
and those who do not, but desire me
to resign, will follow Captain Mason,
who will march to the left" At
the word march the whole regiment
IaL after the colonel except Captain
Mason and five or six of his most
hot-headed men. After this vote,
everything was quiet and tho de-
tachmeut moved out and went on
their way to The Dalles Col. Gill
lam and Captain Mason both going
with them.
Everything went well with them
until they arrived at the Well
springs three or four days from the
fore The command had just arriv-
ed and was fixing to camp when II
most fatal and lamentable accident
took place. In the baggage wagon
all the stake ropes had been thrown
IN order TO keep from carryinr them
on the poor iaded animals and
there had been also an old muslet
placed In the wagon unkuowh to
the commanders, and IN the rush to
get them out one of the ropes
caught the hammer of this musket
eld pulled 1t back SO far that when
1t slipped oifthe gun was discharg-
ed and Col. Gillian was shot In the
head and Instantly killed. Thus
ended brave wal rior, u good citi-
zen, u loving husband and father
and n dutiful Christian gentleman
n man whose place was and Is hard
to Ill. AS soon as this accident was
known the detachment moved on
with all possible speed to The Dalles
and irom there sent guard down
the river in IA boat with the body
aud conveyed il 10 Dallas, Polk
county, where II was inferred and
now rests.
While this was going ON the COM
nand stationed at Fort Whitman
was vigilant one night after most
o' the men had gone 10 sleep small
party stole out OF the camp and
moved down the Walla Walla river
toward Fort Walla Walla aud in u
ew hous arrived nj that place aud
We're kindly received and entertained
by the officers of the for,. While here
they learned that the colonel was
killed rs reported above. The oiil-
ce,s of this fort being Hudson BAY