The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-01-24

caiEF JOSEPH

1871, marched q company OF ninety
United States soldiers and ten armed
Itrontersmen. Colonel Perry was at
their head. They were on the trail
OF band OF hostile Nez Perez Indians.
"a thin reck Of smoke far down the
gorge warned them they were nearing
the Indian camp. Moving forward with
caution. Perry planned to take the
camp by surprise. The canyon was
silent as q grave. The sayages were
apparently asleep. It looked as
though the soldiers would win an easy
victory.
Suddenly the rocky trail IN front
burst into q whirlwind OF iame and
powder smoke. From behind every
hush and bowlder spurted q tongue Of
fire. At the same moment the top6of
d ridge at the south side Of the can.
yon bristled with war bonnets and
blazed into sudden furious action. The
whole gorge reyerberated with rtie
shots. The troops were moved down
on every side, even while their ofleefs
sought valnly to restore the shattered
ranks to some sort Of order. Out OF
the Indian death trap rushed the.
troops and frontiersmen in villa
panic,stricken retreat. And after them
ran the victorious Indians, chasing
their beaten enemies to within four
miles Of Fort Idaho.
Battle Of the Canyon.
In a battle against sixty Indians,
Perry and one hundred men had been
whipped, with loss 81 about one
third their number, And the savage
to whom the victory was due was a
tall gravefaced .Nez Perez, named by
his own people "Hin.Mah.T66-Y ah.Lat-
Kekt tRolling Mountain Thunder),
but Known to history as 'fChief Jo-
seph." His nation" the Chute.Pa.Lu.
we're called "Nez Perez .tPlerced
Nose) by early French colonists, from
their ancient custom Of wearing nose
rings. They were a mighty clan, llv-
ing in the present states OF Oregon.
Idaho and Washington. They were
more civilized than most Indians and
were friendly to the white pioneers.
Their most treasured tract OF land
was the beautiful Wallowa valley in
northeastern Oregon. White men en-
croached on this valley, and. by a
treaty in 1863, the government secured
it from the Nez Perces. The Indihns
we're ordered 10 leave their old home
and go to the Laponai reservation in
Idaho. The majority Of them obeyed.
But many stayed where they we're, I'M.
der Joseph's leadership. Joseph was
at this time only twenty-five, but he
had already taken his aged fathers
place as chief. Y
In spite Of the chiefs protests the
government early In 1877 sent Gen..
o. O! Howard to GUST Joseph and his
fellow Indians from the Wallowa. He
ordered them to leave within thirty
days. In vain they protested against
leaving their crops before fall, and
said they could not collect their stray.
ing cattle in SO short time. Joseph.
to avoid trouble, at last consented to
go. But before the thirty days were
up several Indians were wantonly
killed by white settlers. The NezI
Perces sprang to arms in revolt. Jo-
seph was forced, reluctantly, to take
the leadership Of the uprising. He
marched his little band Of warriors
with their squaws and children to
White Bird canyon. There, on June
II, he met Perry and won the first VIC
tory Of the Nez Perez war,
General Howard and force Of
troops with cannon now went after
the victorious Indians. On July II he
found Joseph and 800 warriors waiting
behind breastworks on the Clearwater
river. For two days the battle ragged.
Then, unable to Withstand the artfl-
lery, the Indians withdrew. Joseph.
by a clever ruse, got them safely
away, and then, by a sudden flank
movement, threw his pursuers into dis.
order. Thence he took his follower
over an almost impenetrable mountain
pass into safety. General Gibbon
with 200 cavalry fell upon them at
dawn on August s. only to be beaten
of with heavy loss. The pursuit, how.
ever, grew all the more hot. The tel.
egraph kept the government appraised
Of the fusttlves' movements, From
every side the troops were rushed
against Joseph.
A Broken Pledge.
Detachments under Miles, Howard
and sturgis sought in vain to hem
him in. For one thousand miles he
conducted his wonderful retreat.
Then, only fifty miles from the Can
adam border, be was stopped by a
fresh body OF troops in front OF him.
The chief sent word to Sitting Bull,
who was hiding in Canada with
twelve hundred hostile Sioux, to COME
to his help. Sitting Bull would not
do 1t. Joseph could still have escaped
with ease, but would not leave his
wounded and the women and children.
At last, on General Miles promise that
they might return to the Wallowa
valley IN peace, he surrendered. This,
.tT,t.l