Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1906-12-01
TIE L AS st of the
INDIAN HEROINES
tOriginal.l

Pqn y
od in sacrifice and heroism.
In 1857, when the gold fever was
leading men across the lava beds lying
between Oregon and California,
voung Kentuckian, an ex-sergeant of
the United States army-Frank Riddle
was among those who trespassed up
m that desolate region. He found
there Winema, an Indian girl, fifteen
Years old who was considered the
most attractive of the Modoc women.
Riddle not only got gold, but he got
Winema for his wife. The young
couple lived in the gold digglngs, and
the wife became weaned from her peo-
nile. But she knew that If she showed
thIs change or a love for her husband
to her people they would kill her
As more gold fields were discovered,
more whites swarmed across the lava
beds. and the Indians began to muir.
der them. This melted the whites to
revenge. and a band of seventy-five
men went from California to- punish
the Indians. After pursuing them for
a long while to no purpose they invit-
ed the chiefs to meet them for the pur-
pose of making a treaty. The invita-
ton was accepted, and both parties
went into camp near each other on
Lost river. In the gray Of the morn
ing of the proposed conference a young
Modoc squaw, with clothes torn and
feet bleeding, hurried into the white
camp and asked to see the leader. She
had walked nine miles over n rough
mountain trail to warn them that at
the conference they were to be muir
dered This she had learned the night
before at the council fire.
The whites impressed with the
truth of her story, determined to meet
cunning with cunning. Going into am
bush near the place of meeting, the
Modocs fell into their trap and but two
escaped with their lives. The squaw
who bore the information was Wine
ma. Her people never learned that she
had saved the whites at their expense
or she would have died by torture.
This massacre of Indians brought on
q war between the United States
troops and the Modocs. General Can
by commanded the troops, while the
Modocs fought under an Indian called
Captain Jack Riddle and other whites
who had married squaws strove to eff
feet settlement but failed Winema,
who had done much to prevent the
murder of settlers by her people, con-
tnued her efforts, but now both she
and her husband began to be suspect
ed of preference for the whites Wi
: was obliged to sleep in secret places
for fear Of being murdered.
Two peace conferences were agreed
upon between the whites and the In
dams. At the first the Indians did not
appear. The second was arranged be-
tween the commander of the military
post of the district, Colonel Meacham,
who was doing all i'll his power to
right the wrongs on account of which
the Indians were fighting. When he
was about to start to attend the con-
ference Winema besought him to re-
to her she grasped his bride rein, at
the same time calling upon General
Candy, who was also to attend the
conference, to listen to her. When she
found they would not, she mounted her
pony and rode with them.
What followed filled the country
with horror. The meeting was an In
dian trap and resulted In a massacre.
General Candy was murdered. A blood.
thirsty Indian, Scouchin, attacked Colo
mel Meacham. Winema threw herself
upon the savage and begged him to
spare her white friends life. Other
Indians came up, and Winema ran
among them, turning their weapons
aside or knocking them upward.
A bullet struck Meacham senseless,
and a buck ran forward to dispatch
MIN. The squaw turned the weapon,
crying: Him dead No use to shootp'
Scouchln tried to scalp Meacham, and
Wlnema grasped the knife. ScOuchin
struck her. Then she shouted, "The
soldiers are coming"' This turned out
Il N'NSt anu ia thhONAiSA -
troop of cavalry dashed among the In
dlans. Seeing among the other In
ulans squaw, many carbines were
aimed at her. mo shoot mew she
cried. II tried to save them! Then
man In the ranks recognized her and
/ Yelled
The man who harms her I'll killP'
Such is the story Of this woman's
work. By her first warning she saved
seventy-five white men. Had those
10 whom she gave her second warning
listened to her she would have saved
major general and a colonel In the
united States army. The penalty she
una her husband paid for her fidelity
70 the whites only remains to be stat
eu' On the day of the killing of Can
W and Meacham, Riddle, while riding
VI horseback over the lava beds, was
suot from an ambush by an Indian
ahe three little children of Riddle anC
"ihema were murdered while sleep
ng and the hut burned over them
"ihema, fleeing at night from hei
ulOe and her family, made her way
aeross the lava beds to the govern
r. luent 1ncnlota In