Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-09-27
Tbe LAST of fbe
INDIAN HEROINES

race some LmrIy-HVe years ago result
ed in sacrifice and heroism.
In 1857, when the gold fever was
leading men across the lava beds lying
between Oregon and California, q
young Kentuckian, an ex-sergeant of
the United States army-Frank Riddle
was among those who trespassed up
on that desolate region. He found
there Winema. an Indian girl, fifteen
years old, who was considered the
most attractive of the Modoc IN
Riddle not only got gold, but he got
Wincma for his wife. The young
couple lived in the gold diggings, and
the wife became weaned from her poo
this change or a love for her husband
to her people they would kill her.
AS more gold fields We're discovered,
more whites swarmcd across the lava
beds, and the Indians began to MUIR
der them. This melted the whites to
revenge, and a band of seventy-ive
men went from California to punish
the Indians. After pursuing them for
a long while to no purpose they invit-
cd the chiefs to meet them for the pur-
pose of making a treaty. The invita-
ton was accepted, and both parties
went into camp nea 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. b
had walked nine miles owe a rough
mountain trail to warn them that at
the conference they were to be MUIR
dered. This she had learned the night
before at tho 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
d 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 ef-
feet q settlement, but failed. Winema.
who had done much to prevent the
murder Of settlers by her people, con-
tinued her efforts, but now both she
and her husband began to be suspect
ed of q preference for the whites. Wi
nema's food was poisoned, and she
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 in his power to
right the wrongs on account Of which
the Indians We're fighting. When he
was about to start to attend the con-
ference Winema besought him to re-
main away. Since he would not listen
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 filed the country
with horror. The meeting wasaSan 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
him. The squaw turned the weapon,
crying: Him deadt No use to shoot!'
Scouchin tried to scalp Meacham, and
Winema grasped the knife. Scouchin
struck her. Then she shouted, "The
soldiers are coming!' This turned out
to be true, and in another moment a
troop Of cavalry dashed among the In
dams. Seeing among the other In
dams a squaw, many carbines were
aimed at her. "No shoot mel" she
cried. Il tried to save themy' Then
a man in the ranks recognized her and
yelled:
"The man who harms her I'll kill!'
Such is the story of this woman's
work. BY her first warning she saved
seventy-fve white men. Had those
to whom she gave her second warning
listened to her she would have saved
a major general and a colonel in the
United States army. The penalty she
and~her husband paid for her fidelity
to the whites only remains to be stat
ed. On the day of the killing of Cam
by and Meacham. Riddle, while riding
on horseback over the lava beds, was
shot from an ambush by an Indian.
h three little children of Riddle and
Winema were murdered while Sleep
ing and the hut burned over them.
Winema, fleeing at night from her
tribe and her family. made her way
across the lava beds to the govern
ment post. Though III and desolate in
the loss of her husband and her chill