Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1900-04-20
CHASED BY JOSEPH.
Lew Wilmot is not an Admirer
of the Chief.


County Commissioners Lew
Wilmot, of Ferry comfy, Wash,
is not an admirer of the noted
warrior Chief Joseph. Mr.. Will
mot came to this section in the
early Cos. and has since been
pioneering in Idaho and eastern
Washington. During the Nez
Perces war he was freighting in
the hostile country, was chased by
Joseph's warriors, had numerous
narrow escapes, and helped to
rescue wounded women and child
rem and recover the bodies of
murdered settlers. In the follow
ing letter Mr.. Wilmot gives IA
graphic recital of the massacres
around Cainas prairie in 1877.
KELLER, Wash, March 23.-To
the editor of the Spokesman-Re-
view. ! have been reading yonr
article, as well as looking at the
picture Of Chief Joseph. | never
see Joseph's picture or hear his
name mentioned but what it brings
to my mind the most horrible and
atrocious sight / ever witnessed,
and l hope that / may not, or any
one else may not, for that matter,
behold another such sight; and it
was enacted by Joseph and his
braves.
1t was on the 18TH of June, 1877,
late in the evening, that Mr.. and
Mrs. Norten, Hill Norten, Miss
Lin Bowers, Mr.. and Mrs.
Chamberlain and their two
daughters aged respectively 2 and
6, and Joe Moore and Lew Day
started from Cottonwood for Mt.
Idaho for safety, fearing massa-
ere of the whites, Lew Day having
been shot in the back a little while
before.
Ready and l were camped on
Shebang creek, when the folks
came along and they wanted us to
go with them, but as we had
nothing to fight with, ! told them
we would be an incumbrance, and
we could not possibly do them any
good; that we would come in the
morning.
THE MASSACRE.
They proceeded on their way
and after going some three miles
they were attacked by Joseph and
his band. Hill Norten succeeded
in getting through their lines, as
did Miss Bowers. johnny Cham
berlain and his wife with the
children tried to but were caught.
1t would have been more humane
for the Indians to have killed Mrs.
Chamberlain than do as they did.
They killed Johnny and the Oldest
daughter, and ran knife through
the baby's neck but did not cut
any of the vital veins. The tip of
it's tongue was either cut or bit
off. l think they had taken it by
the feet and struck its head against
the ground.
Mrs. Norten was severely
wounded, Mr.. Norten was killed,
and Joe Moore and Lew Day were
mortally wounded.
Hill Norten and Miss Bowers
got through TO the settlements and
soon several men started out to
bring in the people dead or alive.
The Indians had gone to their
camp on Rocky Canyon some four
miles away, and the rescuing
party got nearly to Grapgeville
before the Indians gave chase.
Ready and | hitched up our teams
and started before sun-up and had
gone within half mile of where the
Norten party had been attacked
when we saw Joseph and his braves
coming alter us as fast as their
horses could carry them. AS we
were on the open prairie, we could
see them tor over one mile. The
ground being very soft, their horses
could not run fast, which gave us
time to unharness the leaders, to
mount one and get at least IA
quarter mile start of them. ! was
well acquainted with them so had
no difficulty in keeping our lead.
About 80 of them followed us for
over mile; then they returned TO
the wagons. l had on my wagon
one barrel of whiskey and several
cases of champagne as we'll n.
several cases of brandy. They
rolled the whi-key out of the
wagon and cut a hole in large
enough to put in a tin cup. Some
one of them knocked the head in
the barrel and split all its contents.
THE RELIEF PARTY.
When we got to the settlements
We were greeted almost as though
We had risen from the dead, for it
had been reported and believed
that the Indians had killed us.
AS soon as we heard that the
Indians had killed Mr.. Norten
and that Mr.. and Mrs. Chamberlain
and the children were missing. n
party of us started out to see il we
could find them dead or alive. I
was riding off to the right of the
party, and when near where the
Nortens had been fired on. | saw
an object in the grass and when |
pOt paaror I coulJ ono tLn, - -