Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-05-10


to go alone and interview the war chief.
That night Steele went through an ex-
perience few men have endured. While
talking to him in pacific terms in the
Chinook jargon they were discussing in
their own tongue the ACCESSIBILITY of
numbering their visitor. Steele under
stood sufficiently their language to COM
prehend his danger, but did not betray
his knowledge The chiefs finally decid.
ed to spare his life Oh 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
region, and it was she who warned the
officers of the army Of the trouble brew
ing. Her influence with her people be-
gan to wane as their rage against the
whites increased. Then, too, the war
riors began to mistrust her husband.
Her food was poisoned by Modocs, and
she was compelled to sleep in secret
places for fear of death from her own
brothers and relatives for her suspected
undue liking for white people.
Colonel A. B. Meacham, who was in
command of the military post, was a
humane man and did all in his power
to right the wrongs of his dusky wards
This man Wi-ne-ma revered, and when
the second peace commissioner was ap-
pointed she did all in her power to pre-
vent him from attending the council
with the chiefs. She grasped his horse
by the bride, begging Meacham and
Candy not to meet Jack and his band.
When she found entreaty was in vain,
the devoted woman mounted her pony
and rode with the i'll fated party to the
place Of meeting.
The story of that meeting has been
told many times. When Meacham was
attacked by the bloodthirsty Sconchin,
Wi-ne-ma threw herself on the savage
and begged him to spare the life Of he1
white friend. Others coming up, Wine
ma ran from warrior to warrior, turn
ing aside their weapons. At last one Of
many bullets struck Meacham senseless,
and the quick witted squaw turned
aside the weapon aimed to finish his
life, with the words, Him dead; nc
use shoot" Sconchin tried to scalI
Meacham, when Wi-ne-ma grasped the
knife. The enraged buck struck her q
terrible blow, almost knocking hel
senseless. Again the wit Of the woman
came into play. "The soldiers are com
ing upp' she cried, and the next mo-
ment detachment Of troops did appear
Amid curses from the enraged troopers
a dozen weapons were leveled at the
breast of the brave squaw. Looking the
mounted men straight in the face, she
cried: ono shoot me! / tried to save
them" Then came from the ranks the
words of an enlisted man, "The mai
who harms her I'll kill.
The same day Wi-ne-ma's husband
Riddle, was riding horseback and wa
shot dead from ambush by Modoc
The body was dragged many miles owe
the trail by the frightened horse. Whel
the horse stopped, the head and shout
| ders Of the coprse were SO horribly mu
tilated that the body was unrecogniza
ble Then the three little children O
Wi-ne-ma and Riddle were murdered a
they slept and their bodies burned il
the rude family dwelling. Wi-ne-ma
under the cover of darkness and eludin,
| the hostile members of her race am
family, made her way across the desc
late lava beds to the government post
She was sick and broken hearted at tn
horrible fate Of all her family, but sh
nevertheless became the constant an
| devoted nurse of Colonel Meacham a
he lay in the hospital recovering iron
his six gunshot wounds 1t was /
| weeks before the colonel was able t
leave his bed. By that time Wi-ne-m
was almost helpless invalid. She wa
an important witness for the govern
ment in the trial Of Captain Jack AM
his subordinate chiefs for the murder @
General Candy and other officers, an
for this she herself was shot through tn
chest as she sat one evening by win
dow at her lonely home. Colonel Meacl
am gave the little woman chief LIBERAL
from his means, and the soldiers at til
post saw that she never lacked medica
attendance and nursing. -Philadelphi
Times.