Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1897-04-01

hundreds every year, there came that
way certain young Kentuckian, who
had been an army sergeant stationed al
the Preside, in San Francisco. He was
Frank Riddle. He had refreshments al
the miserable home of the squaw widow,
Sc Cot, and soon took a fancy 10 heI
daughter, Wi-ne-ma, then 10 years old,
and famous in that region as the best
looking and most agreeable Indian girl
in California Riddle got money in gold
mining in southern Oregon and soon
married the handsome Modoc girl. The
couple took up their abode near the
gold diggings, and the young wife be.
gan to learn her husbands Language.
While she visited her savage brothers
and sisters occasionally and bore them
gifts she became weaned to the life and
thought of white people. But she never
dared, on pain of assassination or poison
ing, to reveal her change of faith or to
show that she really loved white man.
In 1860, when gold was discovered in
large quantities in the Klamath region
and thousands of venturesome Ameri-
cans rushed through northern California
and across the lava beds, the anger of
the Modocs was reused to fullest pitch
by the lawlessness of the invading
whites. In June, 1860, the Modocs lured
II gold miners into narrow canyon,
and there, after unspeakable cruelties,
extending over two days, let the white
men die. The news of the murders by
the Modocs got abroad a month later
and set on fire the whole white popula-
tlon OF northern California and southern
Oregon.
In August band of rs whites left
Yreka, CAL. to punish the Modoc saw
ages for the act. The avengers were led
by Benjamin Wright, an old mountain
eer, who had hunted and fought Indians
with Kit Carson, Jim Beckwith, John
Scott and Jim Bridger. After a long
chase through the rough country, which
was not productive of good results the
chiefs were invited to meet the whites
and make treaty. This they agreed to
do, and the warning parties went into
camp near each other on Lost river, the
Indians outnumbering the white men by
three to one. Early ON the morning of
the conference young Modoc squaw,
breathless, her clothing torn and her
feet bleeding, came into the Wright
camp and asked to see the leader. She
had run and walked some nine miles
across the rugged mountain trail Her
errand was to warn the invaders against
treachery. The night before she learned
at the council fire that her people in
tended to surround the white men dur
ing the conference and put them to
death. Wright and his men met cunning
with cunning. They went into ambush
near the place of conference, and when
the unsuspecting Modocs fell into the
trap but two escaped from the slaughter
that ensued. This affair is known in tie
history of northern California as the
Ben Wright massacre. The squaw who
conveyed the timely warming to her
white friends was Wi-ne-ma, the wife
Of Frank Riddle. This fact was never
found out by her people, else her life
would have been forfeited.
Eleven and half years passed. The
Modocs had been confined by the gov
ernment to defined reservation, and
treaties were made with them, which |
were repeatedly broken. The tribe was |
the prey of post traders, contractors and |
of almost every white man who came |
in contact with it. The only one of the |
hated whites in when the Indians had |
confidence was the late Judge Elijah |
Steele. To this man they went for coun-
sci and advice, but in the lapse of time |
they even contemplated taking his life,
as in the Indian mode of reasoning the |
death Of single white man erases the
wrongs perpetrated by many.
Sullen at first under their injuries, the |
Modocs were awakened to fury and de-
clared vengeance on their oppressors. |
The memory of any detail of the Wright |
affair was never allowed to fade At |
every council Captain Jack or Scar |
Faced Charley called upon the vengeful |
Modocs to remember the August day |
when the palefaces had killed their ia
theirs and brothers. At last, in January,
.3, the whites in northern California |
knew that another Indian war was at |
hand.
Shortly after hostilities began the |
government appointed peace commits
sioner to confer with the rebellious red
skins and endeavor to make peace. In |
the meantime Riddle and other squaw |
men on the reservation used their influ- |
ence toward settlement of the diff |
Guilty, but to no effect. The turbulent
warriors led by Captain Jack were bent |
ON slaughter. When the peace COM
missioner arrived on the ground, the
Indians refused to treat with him. They |
did, however, finally agree to surrender
to Judge Steele and two other men of |
that region and arranged to give up
their arms the following day. When
Steele and his companions went to the
agreed place of the surrender, not an
Indian was in sight and they returned
to the military camp. Steele then agreed
to go alone and interview the war chief
That night Steele went through an ex-
rerience few men have endured While
talking to him in pacific terms in the
Chinook jargon they were discussing in
their own tongue the advisability of
numbering their visitor Steele under.
stood sufficiently their language to COM
iTehend his danger, but did not betray
his knowledge. The chiefs finally decid.
ed to spare his life on condition of his
bringing the commissioners and COM
manding officers of the troops to confer
with them.
But for the efforts of the brave squaw,
Wi-ne-ma, war would have broken out
long before. Many times she took the
weapons from the hands Of warriors
bent on the destruction of settlers in the