The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-01
nHOW DR.. MARCUS WHITMAN SAVED OREGON "
Mrs Frances Fuller Victor
BY DR.. O. W. NIXON OF CHICAGO.

To the Editor of the Cdtt-SIR: Some
weeks ago Mrs. Victor made a criticism in
THE CALL upon my book on Whitman, and
you kindly offer me space to reply. Among
the most persistent and continuous de-
famers of DR.. Marcus Whitman and the
pioneer missionaries of Oregon is Frances
Fuller Victor She sailed into Oregon after
the travelling was good, and soon after
found she had a mission, viz: to teach ig-
norant Oregonians pioneer history. More
yapid. more untruthful and unreliable his
tory has never been more snappily told.
Her pretended historic facts have been dis
proved and utterly annihilated again and
again, and yet she dresses up her dolls
stuffed with sawdust, and tries to palm
them off as creatures of life. in my volume
that she assails, "How Marcus Whit
man Saved Oregon" there is not a
position that she assumes that is not dis
proved by facts of history that she utterly
ignores. In this communication / do not
propose to convert Mrs. Victor. That
would be well-nigh hopeless. 1t would be
a good deal like the job that an old
Pennsylvania preacher had with the
Beaver family" The family was made
up of 1.-THE old man Beaver and three stall
wart sons, and known as "a hard set y
The venerable preacher had done his best,
but they continued in their sins. He was
finally summoned in great haste to the
Beaver home and found that "a rattlesnake
had bit Bill The good man got down on
his knees and prayed: go Lord, we-thank
thee for rattlesnakes. We thank thee that
one has bit Bill. Send one to bite Bob, and
one to bite Jim, and big one to bite the
old man, for nothing but rattlesnakes will
ever convert the Beaver family" Mrs.
I'LL iO,er boI
sion, and that is to dance upon the grave
of DR.. Marcus Whitman and his noble
wife, and make faces, and say unkind
things of every one who dares to speak a
word in their defense. AS boy and young
man it so happened that many years ago
was in Oregon. From the old pioneers and
their sons and daughters received such kind
never stood silently by while The tongue of
SANDER was wagged. have no hope of con-
verting Mrs. Victor. I doubt whether a dia-
mond- back with twenty rattles and button
could accomplish that. The whole subject is
TOO large to discuss in a newspaper article, and
Twill content myself with a brief review OF
some of the Iacts. 1t will be remembered that
Mrs. Victor is the author of the quirks and
fables called history in Bancroft's Oregon.
which have dishonored his history through
out the land. /, however, give Mr.. Bancroft
credit for having Changed Some things" Mrs.
Victor wrote, and as she AYERS, "printed false
hoods" in their stead. In Mr.. Bancroft'S lucid
moments when lett to his own instincts, he
compliments DR.. Whitman. Mrs. Victor could
not forgive crime of that kind. 1t, for in
stance, would be impossible for Mrs. Victor
TO say, as Mr.. Bancroft does on page
5S4, vol. 1, Chronicle of the Builders:
"The missionaries and pioneers of Oregon did
much TO assure the country TO the United
States. Had there been no movement of the
kind England would have extended her claim
over the whole Territory, with fair prospect
OF making it her own" Again Mr. Bancroft
says: 1.-The missionary, DR.. Whitman, was no
ordinary man. 1 do not know which to admire
most in him, his GOODNESS or his courage. His
nerves were as steel, his patience was excelled
only by his fearlessness. In the mighty calm
ness of his nature he was Caesar for Christ"
Mrs. Victor accuses Mr.. Bancroft in his history
OF changing her sentiments and telling false
hoods" 1t would have been well for the credit
of Mr.. Bancroft's great work if he had done
more changing and Kept his history consistent
For instance, he allows Mrs. Victor TO say on
page $40, vol. l, in speaking OF the mission
work in Oregon: But missionary work did
not pay, however, either with the white men
or the red whereupon the apostles of this re-
hgion began to attend more to their own
affairs than 70 save savage souls. They broke
up their establishments in 1874 and thence
forth became political clique, whose chief
aim to acquire other mems property"
That is Victor sentiment. II it is truth
Christianity to-day, as then, stands disgraced.
If tit was and is q falsehood what should we
call the woman author? Just turn the leaves
of the same volume and read Mr.. BancroftS
account of the great massacre at Waii-fatpuii,
persisted and forty-seven women and children
were carried away captives. Mrs. Victor says,
''In 1914 they broke up their establish
ments and became political clique"
etc. Now, mind you, the Whitman mas
sacre did not occur until November %, 1S47.
The challenge to Mrs. Victor's truthfulness is
squarely made and needs no comment. The
Whitman mission was never at any time more
prosperous than between 1914 and 1S47. In
an article OF this kind l can but barely men
ton the facts. l went to Oregon in 1850. /
ri n 10 mo- md
women that made it-before it was a written
history. had it through multiplied sources
when every fact and incident was fresh in the
minds of the people. taught three sessions of
school with boys and girls of the old pioneers
as pupils. was guest in their homes. Later
on was purser upon the first steamer built
upon Columbia River waters, and there met
still another class of the makers of pioneer
history. do not stop to handy words or argne
with this astute person, but only to state my
sources of information and allow your readers
to Judge for themselves. In my volume, pages
205 to 212 inclusive, have sized her up con-
cisely and have given reasons therefor. Mrs.
Victor's charge that DR.. Whitman made his
long winter ride to Washington wholly for
selfish reasons is almost too senseless to need a
reply. She says: He foresaW wealth and i'm
portance and that his place must become a
stopping place. q supply station to the annual
emigration" Proceeding, Mrs. Victor says
t'The missionaries all believed that the United
States would finally secure a title to at least
that portion south of the Columbia River, out
of whose rich lands they would be given large
tracts OF land by the Government, and that was
reason enough for the loyalty exhibited
Proceeding with her calumny Mrs. Victor
says: ttlI. Whitman got well-to-do by selling
-four ana gain and vegetables to immigrsnts
at high prices" Right here / want TO quote
what DR.. H. H. spalding says in answer to Mrs
Victor. Immigrants by hundreds and thou
sands reached the mission, wayworn hungry
sick and destitute, but he cared for all. Seven
orphan children of one family were left upon
the hands of DR.. and Mrs. Whitman, one babe
four months old, but they cared for them all,
giving them clothing, medicine and food with
out pay. Frequently the doctor would give
way his entire food supply and have to send
to me for grain to get through the winter"
Let any honest reader take in Mrs. Victor's as
sertions ana then read DR.. Spaldings and
will abide by the verdict. Mrs. Whitman, in
letter to her sister, dated October 8, 1910 and
published by the Oregon Pioneer Association,
volume 1898, page 1877, says 1--WE are
thfonged with company. As we are situated
our Gouse is missionary's tavern. We are in
peculiar and somewhat trying circumstances
We cannot sell because we are missionaries
and not traders, but we can give and report to
the board" Now, compare this statement of
Mrs. Whitman, as grand a specimen of a truth
tul American woman as ever lived, with the
assertion OF Mrs. Victor that DR.. Whitman
got weli-to-do by selling -four and grain and
vegetables to immigrants at high prices" Mrs.
Victor seems to be specially enraged over any
claim that DR.. Whitman aided in any sense
the immigration of 1843. She even de-
MED that he went to Washington
at all, or had interviews with the President
Secretaries of State and 0f War until tba