The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-01-07
INDIAN WAR VETERANS To ASK
NEXT LEGISLATURE FOR PENSIONS

NAAS
barn, instead of to the camp where
Captain Eaton was in command. and
was killed by the Indians in his barn.
The band of ten rangers, convinced that
McAllister had met with treachery,
worked to make the little cabin safe
against attack.
There was a low door in the cabin,
saws Laws. 80 that we had to stOop
to get inside. We fixed it up so that
we had a few port holes to shoot
through.
Captain Eaton went out to look
around for signs of the Indians. He
could see some distance away the road
ne thought the Indians would pass
order to see farther he stood on a fence
on one side OF lane near the cabin.
While he was standing there the In
dams. who had come around in the
unexpected way slipped along in the
grass AMI weeds. lying on their stOm-
achs. A little noise drew EatOn's eyes
down to the ground across the lane and
there he saw two or three Indians
sticking their guns through the bot
tom crack of the fence to take aim at
him. Eaton was so high on the fence
that the gun stocks would not allow
the Indians to get a bead on him
through the bottom crack. They were
Just pulling their guns back so that
4; 81, inhn a IN
jumped off the fence and running for
the cabin yelled: 1.-The Indians, boys"
Wanted to Shoot Eye Out.
I'VE all got safely inside the cabin
and with guns in hand waited. [ look
ed out of port hole in the direction
where the Indians were about to shoot
at Charley Eaton and could see one of
them. L see his eye. MARLEY l said
to the captain. | can put his eye out.
wanted to shoot right away. Don't
shoot the captain said. Let them
shoot first So we waited.
This was about o'clock in the af-
ternoon. A little later three Indians
stepped out of the brush in the open
and more were behind them
Laws was interrupted at this point
in his story with question as to how
they looked.
They were painted up fine he ans
wered They wore something that
reached from their waist to about half
way between their hips and their
knees, but otherwise they were naked.
Their faces and breasts and legs had
great deal of red paint"
Did they have anything on their
heads?"
NO. They lad black hair that was
pretty long and was combed straight
down.
The three that stepped out of the
brush were big fellows. | drew and
shot one of them right through the
head. That was October % 1855. and
hat was the first shot fired in the In
dian war.
when Capt. Eaton saw the redskin
drop he said to me. Andy, you've fixed
that one The other two Indians ran
back into the brush and as soon as it
grew dark, firing on the cabin began
1t lasted most of the night. One bullet
hit Ed Wallace in the head and he
carries it yet. The bullet hit a log
first and just enough force was left
for it to go into his skull without kill
ng him. Wallace is living yet in Ore
gon somewhere, | think.
Remains There All Night.
We'll, the Indians kept us there all
night. They got our horses. Three
of the horses belonged to me and
never got cent for the loss. Next day
it was quiet Captain Eaton called for
volunteer to ride out to the settle
ment and notify the rest of the rangers
Of the need of relief. One of the ten
men in the surrounded cabin was Geo.
McAllister, son of the man the Indians
had killed III GO said the son. as
soon as the captain called for vOlun-
teer.
George McAllister started out. We
listened for some time. Hearing no
shot we decided all to go. and we got
across the Puyallup to safety.
Il recall a little incident in connec-
ton with my return to Thurston cOun-
ty When | left for the war | had an
old pair of shoes with loose soles. l
expected to get a pair at SteilacOom on
the way to Puyallup, but missed get
ting any. l tied the soes up with
strings but the strings soon wore off
whl | was wading river over the
rocks one day. so | jerked the shoes
of entirely and went in my sock feet.
The socks soon wore through and |
was bare footed. My feet got mighty
sore as | was walking from Puyallup
to Montgomery. At Montgomery we
got a wagon and rode most of the way
from there back. Ny folks had taken
up claim on Nina prairie so l was
making my way there. At Tumwater
the women had been living in a block
house. When they saw the wagon draw
up. they rushed out of the blockhouse