The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-03-04
Cayuse Indian Woman, Elizabeth,
Was but Girl Then
USED TO SING HYMNS IN CAYUsE
TRAVELLING ARTIST WAS SAVED
FROM ScALPING KNIFE BY
RED GIRL.

Those members of the Cayuse In
dian tribe, in whose memories linger
the knowledge and details of the Whit
man massacre, are passing away, and
soon none who was alive at the time
will remain to tell of the tragedy.
On the Umatilla reservation near
Pendleton, a short time ago, an aged
Cayuse woman, Elizabeth, died. When
Lat-a- chez, a pious Cayuse Indian, in
burying the IS victims of the Whitman
massacre.
1t is part of the history of the mas
sacre that Lat-a-c chez, who was noted
for his piety and faithfulness to the
whites, was one of the first friendly
Indians to reach the scene of the mas
sacre, and that he in company with his
son and daughter, Elizabeth, wrapped
the corpses in sheets of house lining
and buried them.
Elizabeth was then but girl, but
helped in task of gathering up the
mutilated corpses of the Whitman par
| ty, and was the last survivor, so far as
| is known, of the friendly Cayuses who
was actually on the scene Of the mas
sacre.
t. Helped Bury Them.
Tal-o-kwats-that was the name of
the Cayuse girl who helped bury the
observation-disclosures near the scene OF
the massacre and knew Of the details.
Whirlwind, yet living at Thorn Hollow,
rode over from the Umatilla river to
learn of the slaughter, and others Of the
remaining Cayuses are at their tepees
on the Umatilla on that day, but 50
| far as is known none is left who saw
the missionary lying dead amid the
ruins of his home.
| Elizabeth never tired of telling of
atpu, and to the time of her death was
able to sing, in the Cayuse tongue, a
number of hymns taught her by the
missionary She was full-blood Cay
| use woman and lived to be a good old
age among her people.
| There is one other pupil of Whit
mans class still living on the reserva-
ton, Ip-na- sol-a-tOk, or "Cayuse
Sarah who is still member of the
| Presbyterian mission on the Umatilla
reservation, and who wildly remembers
Whitman.
An old frontiersman of Athena-A
P. CBilD Woodward-who came to Ore
gon in 1852, writes Of Elizabeth and
her father, Lat-a-chee, as follows:
Woodward's Story.
Shortly before the massacre of the
Whitman party in the fall of 1S47 a
travelling artist was passing through
the Walla Walla country, and the In
dams intended to kill him on his way
from Fort Colville to Vancouver. Lat
a-chee sent his daughter, Elizabeth, and
son to meet the artist and pilot him
around the hostile camps in safety
They met him between Snake river and
the Touchet, and conducted him to the
Hudson Bay fort, later Fort Wallula.
I'm my estimation Lat-a-chee was
the best Indian that ever lived, not ex-
cepting Red Jacket, Osceola or any other
noted redman. He adopted me 81 years
ago. took me to his home, kept me
through the winter, attended me when
was sick, fed me, clothed me and gave
me horse and blankets in the spring
while was lying sick with cholera
near Ladd's canon in Grande Ronde
valley in 1852, after 1 had been left to
die by an immigrant train, an Indian
named Nez Perez Dick found me and
! took me to his home until l got better,
and then brought me to the tepee OF
Lat-a -chee on Yellow Hawk creek near
the present site of Walla Walla. There
| l was nursed back to health. l shall
never forget this Indian nor his daugh-
ter Elizabeth, who saved the life of the
travelling artist and who perhaps saved
my own life"