The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-12-22

some Of the cavalry picket guard opened
fire on them, which sent them scurrying
to camp. These men were posted on
the brow of the hill near where my
house now stands, so that evidently the
Indians were reconnoitering and unex-
pectedly ran across the guards. Every
body was of course up and under arms,
but nothing else occurred during the
night.
"The next day all was quiet across
the river. The Indians had gone; not
squaw pappoose nor puppy was left
They had disappeared as completely as
if the earth had swallowed them up
Even the friendly Klickitats were at a
loss to account for their absence. All,
but the Cascade massacre was the
dreadful sequel of their vanishing.
ga few days later the cavalry re-
turned to The Dalles, and the daily
routine of farm work was resumed
undisturbed until the awful horror of
the 26th day of March. What bright,
beautiful day it was The broad bosom
of the Columbia was like mirr0red
glass. My two yoke of oxen were yoked
to the wagon, and Brother Charles was
deputized as special guard for the days
trip to Rail gulch for load OF rails.
Just as we were ready to start a faint
"hullo" was heard from over the river,
near the mouth of the White Salmon.
Again and again it came. Finally, two
figures were made out, waving their
blankets. The Indians collected at the
house, hesitating, fearing a trap, but
finally, fully armed, party started
over to investigate. Before their return
we had gone for our days work. About
two o'clock, when on our way home,
my brother Eugene came riding up on
horseback with the news that the
Cascades had been attacked and that
the battle was then raging, and told us
to hurry home as fast as possible. The
appalling news fell like a thunderbolt
from clear sky. The battle going on,
or possibly over, and and an elder
brother there, perhaps dead.
"On reaching home we found every
thing in commotion. The Indians had
gathered in for council and were evi-
dently much excited. The parties who
were signaling across the river in the
morning proved to be buck and his
squaw who had been held as prisoners
by Showouwai, a brother of Kamiaken,
because he had refused to let the chief
have rifle to which the chief had tax
en- fancy. They had been seven days
coming from the Simcoe reservation
and had experienced fearful hardships
on the way over from hunger and
fatigue; having come nearly all the
way through snow, in some places many
teet deep. They brought news that the
hostiles were to start SO as to reach the
Cascades the very day that they had
reached the river. They had strained
every nerve in order to reach us sooner
and give the alarm, but they were too
late.
"My brother Eugene Immediately
started for the landing to intercept the
little steamer Mary, which was then
coming in sight, and communicate the
news to them. Their reply sent thrill
of terror through every heart They
themselves had been in the fight and
had by the greatest chance, barely
escaped with their lives, and some had
been seriously if not mortally wounded,
and were then on board. Their advice
was for us to fly with our lives, as in all
probability every soul at the Cascades
would be killed, as the woods were full
of Indians About sundown a courier
arrived, bringing the news that Brad
ford's store, where all the whites at the
Upper Cascades were cOngregated, had
been captured, as the Indians could be
seen carrying -four and other things out
of it. This was a mistake as it was the
Bush house, which had been aband-
oned and was afterward looted by the
Indians.)
"a council was at once called, Indians
included. They on their part promised
to station guards all along the river and
to send cOuriers to the Cascades, and
this promise was faithfully executed,
| After thev had gone it was unanimously
decided that We should at all hazards
attempt to reach The Dalles. We had
all confidence in the Klickitats; they
had been proven, but we're satisfied the
others could not be trusted. Our only
route was by the river, and the craft
large Chinook canoe which had been
hid in the brush near where the present
wagon bridge crosses Hood River, and
was owned by an old Indian named
Waucusha. This canoe was an excep-
tionally fine one, capable Of carrying 30
or 40 passengers. -.
"At about midnight the entire white
population of Hood River left their
homes and marched in single file to the
river, where we met the canoe and
started on our lonely journey. As we
quietly padded our canoe through the