The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-04-25

The eldest boy was but Is years of age,
and little Kate"-now Mrs. Pringle-was
lO She wildly remembers the kindness
of the caravan to the orphan family the
arrival at Walla Walla, and the prolonged
discussion between Captain Shaw and
the Whitmans as to their right to bur
den the mission with seven white children.
Ii was decided at last, to keep them
temporarily; but, one days journey be-
yond Walla Wala the captain saw DR..
Whitman riding in pursuit with the well
come information that mo more uneas-
mess need be felt about the Sager chill
dren; we have decided to adopt them
all"
THE MISSION DESCRIBED.
Mrs Prlngle draws for the visitor
plan of the large adobe house in which
the mission was then housed, locating
every article of furniture in the six
ground floor rooms and the chamber and
school room above.
owe had nice. fall-leaf tables. and
other furniture. made by Mr.. Pambrun
with the doctors turning lathe" she says;
mice hand-sawed floors and stairs, paint
ed with ochre. Mother (Mrs. Whitman
was an elegant lady and highly accom-
plished, and she taught all Of us girls to
do everything by rule, our sewing, sweep
ing. etc. had to be perfect" Mrs. Prin-
gle's house and handiwork attest this
statement today
At the time of the massacre these chill
dren had called DR.. Whitman and wife
their parents for three years. 1t is Mrs.
Pringle's belief that the first intention
was to kill every man, woman and child
about the mission, who had a drop of
American blood, as the half-breed chill
dren of other parentage were immediate
ly taken to a place of safety
After the first slaughter had taken
place, the children, white and half-breed,
were brought down from the school room
and stood up in a row, like a spelling
class to be shot. The little girls put their
aprons over their heads. when Eliza
Spaulding-who understood all Indian
speech-heard the leader check the 9TH
ers and say Poor little things! See how
they tremble; let us not kill them" and
the girls were spared Mrs. Pringle's two
brothers were both killed.
That night six little girls, three of them
very sick, huddled in an upper room of
the mission house all night, in the dark;
cold. hungry and afraid to cry. with the
broken doors and windows and the butch
cred dead below, and only a badly wound
ed man for company. The sick ones beg
ged so much for water that finally Mr..
Kimball-the wounded man-made an at
tempt to go for some. He said. Tear
up sheet Katie, and bandage my arm
before l 60"
ooh, mother won't like it if tear up
a sheet" said the dazed child.
"Why, don't you remember that your
mother is dead?" said he. and she obeyed.
He went for the water, but did not get
back.
1.-THE Indian women came next day and
wept over the father and mother, and
over us children. They were kind to us,
and fed us and gave us lots of things,
says Mrs. Pringle. THE Indians threat
ened us with their guns and few days
after the first murders l saw them h-n
Mr.. Kimball and Mr.. Bewly, as they both
lay sick in their beds.
1--WE children were all taken over to the
other building, where the widows and chill
dren of the murdered men We're and Mr.
| Ogden. an American but chief factor of
the Hudson Bay Company at Vancouver
/ came up the river with three large boats
bought us all-nearly 40 of us-from the
Indians at his own expense. and took lis
to Governor Abernethy at Oregon City
a DAY OF LAMENTATION.
For years the Indian women met at DR.
Whitmans grave on the anniversary o
his death and kept the day with louC
lamentation, and the Indians themselves
admitted that in him and his wife they
had slain their own best friends.
This is the simple story of an intelligen
witness of that dreadful time.
Mrs Pringle exhibits a large tin tei
chest, which historical societies hav'
sought in vain to buy. the coffee box o
Mrs. Narcissa Whitman. I'VE Away
had coffee tea and sugar in the house,
she says, but only used them on grea
occasions. as it took two years to ge
things from New York"
She has also the credentials of March,
Whitman from the American board o
commissioners of foreign missions an
other interesting relics.
OF course she is a warm partisan of he
adopted father in all the attacks tina
have been made upon his motives, an
a reference to Bancrofts History, or tn
| accounts of Mrs. Victor or Mr.. ]. RIOS
Brown is enough to bring a flash to he
eye and a sarcastic inflexion TO her elc
quent tongue. She has studied her sid
of the question thoroughly has prepare
and delivered lectures on the subject, an
we leave to others the ungrateful tas
of controverting her arguments. He
own life and character and her filial dc
votion are the best evidence of the mora
worth OF those who were her foster PAL
ents.