The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-05


measles, ard my mother was also wsak
and miserable from an Illness . few weeks
previous. An Indian came and knocked
at the door. and Mrs Whitman said: Let
him come IN and see that our children are
siek. too. and perhaps then they VIII not
think the doctor is poisoning their chill
dren." The Indian asked for some meia-
cine and went away. Shortly afterward
we heard firing IN the yard. and Mrs.
Whitman. who was standing near TIE
window, exclaimed:
The Indians are shooting. They sre
going 20 murder Us ALI
a few minutes later DR. Whitman was
shot. and Mrs. Whitman came IN the room.
She chung to the wall as though for sup
port, and repeated IN a cazed sort Of
way, I am a widow. I am widow"
When Mrs. whitman left the room snh-
denly thought OF the cellar. and said: 'Fa-
ther. let us go fn the cellar. The Indians
VIII not see us there Ny father uplooe-
ened a board IN the foor-they were but
lightly iaid-ani slipped under and crawl
ed as far forward as / could. My father
and mother then came under with the two
children. I lay with my face IN my hands,
| nosselessly, all through those long hours
J OF the afternoon. i have often been asked
! To tell how | felt during those hours. bu.
I locking back upon that time, l cannot re-
member more than lying there In silent
awe. / do remember noticing that the
cracks In the hoor were very wide, and
wondering if the Indians could see US
through them.
'"The noise and shooting continued for
some time in the room beyond. Ii was
during this time that Mrs Whitman was
shot, and others with her. Daring the
greater part of the afternoon We could hear
the wounded moaning as We lay there. We
could recognize the voice of a young man,
who was living at the mission and who in
tended to be a minister. raised In prayer.
between the means Of pain. Soon we heard
him say tn weak Voice. almost whisper:
Come. Lord Jesus. come quickly and then
there was silence.
when night came on--about 10 o'clock.
think it was--wa crawled out Of the cellar
and went into the other room and slipped
quietly ont Of the house. As We went out
/ remember that the dead body of the
young missionary lay near the door. / can
stlI see his pale face. as It looked In the
dim light that came through the window.
We walked what seemed to us a very long
way. although IN reality only about two
mics from the mission. and at last stopped
10 rest and hide in a elump OF bushes on
the opposite side OF the Walla walla river.
| The river was low az this time. My father
carried across the two little boys, than
| came back and got me. and lastly my moth
er. We remained at this place the two fol-
| lowing days. We took from the mission
as we fed such food as we could hastily
| find. which consisted OF few pieces OF
| bread and plate OF cold porridge. At the
end of the second day my mother was very
| i'll from the sufferinss she had endured.
! The weather was damp and chilly, and We
| had very few wraps. She said to father.
| very family:
at am going TO die. But you must save
| these children. Take one Of them with
| you. Go to Fort walla walia. Get assist
| ance and return for u.s.
my father at first declared that he could
not leave us alone; that he would remain
and we should all die together Fort Walla
Walla was thirty miles distant He had
/ only once made the journey before; and
now. at night, 1t would be by the merest
( chance II he could make his way there.
| Bat my mother insisted that II was death
| TO stay and in going there was a chance
| for life. Then the question was, which
/ child should he take9
/ Have you read that poem, Which Shah
! IL Re?' asked Mrs. Jacobs, tears filing her
| eyes at the painful recollections. II always
/ think of u when I remember that night,
when my little brother and I lay close TO
mother on the cold earth, and G choice was
| TO be made of who should go. They de-
/ cided at last that father would better take
! Johnny. who was not yet well from the
| measles. and needed shelter .more than
t baby or myself. Nv father was gone two
Z uaS% e'D Tie evening OF the second DAY
my mother gave up all hope of rescue.
/ She had given us children the last BIT oil
/ food early IN the day. and the baby was
| crying Of hunger. We heard shots fired
not far in the distance during the after
/ noon and mother said: That was father
coming for us. and the Indians have shot
! him. and we viii lie here until we die of
cold and starvation But said 10 moth
/ er: No. father isn't dead. When / was
sleeping little while ago I dreamed that
| we were living In large white house, and
| brother was sitting on fathers knee. and
! am sure he il coming back 10 get us'
! Not long after this We heard a noise. and
| looking up, saw an Indian coming toward
Ms and behind him. a short distance, IA
| Their.
Has clatawau! hurry aud go" said
the Indian. This Indian was not Cayusc,
| but one or the Waila Wallas. When my
! father reached the fort he was refused
adniistanee: hut was told to go to Una
I iiiia. stranger, an Eastern man whom
! he met at the fort plying him gave
/ father few provisions that he had and
/ with these ana the friendly Indian accom-
panyng him my father returned 10 look
Tor us. They had brought each n pony
/ with them. and We at once started for
! tmatilla. We stopped at French farm
about five miles from where we had been
| hidden. The Ffencnman AT this farm gave
/ MS milk Ia drink. but said he had nothing
/ cooked. He told father to go TO the fort
! ana demand Ambulance as an American
/ citizen; that II he went TO Umattlla. the
Indians would certainly kill him on the
i way, cr when he reached there Father
said he had already been refused admit
t3i1Ce at the fort and there was no use re-
/ turning there. Al this point my mother
slipped of the pony and said she would
! not go TO Usnasilia and soc him murdered
before her eyes. This settled the question
The horses heads were turned and We be-
gan the Journey TO Fort walla WaIla.
+ We }ourneyed on for several hours and
! then turned Into little valley shut tn nv
MSS. Tor the country all about is hlliv ana
rolling. 10 rest ourselves and horses Ne
I Know now that che delay proha biz saved
"nr lives. for the Indians had come In pi,r-
Silit of US and passed on ahead while we
rested When We went on orr wav iafer
We passed not far from their camn flreS
"herv they had camPca for he rigbt
We arrived in safety al FoF; Wan,
N@Ia little later. demanded asimit1ansn
and were not refused. We remained ar m
fort tao months. apa we're then hroue-h,
safely down Ia the valley"
His Excuse Rebels
The Nebraska State Journal tells a gar.
OF A Lincoln man who Is a church r,,n,,har