American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-04-15

General P~ocatello. i had been kind
! to him, partly because l did not want
him to think that / did not have good
manners and partly because l wanted
the Indians to be kind to me.
At different times. China Eye, Mo-
sho and Pocatello Tom told me frag-
ments Of the story Of the massacre
which enabled me to form a clear idea
Of the event.
The Indians under General Pocatel-
los leadership, in returning from Ne
vada, encountered a party of miners,
80 In number, at the mouth of Goose
creek. They were a new race to the
Indians. They were not Cinnamon,
they knew, because they had killed
Cinnamon on Snake river near Boise.
They were working along the river,
digging In the sand and gravel. which
also mystified the Indians. This fact,
that the Indians did not know what
they meant by digging in the sand,
leads to the conclusion that the party
was the first to prospect this part Of
the Snake river for gold. The Indians
held a council to decide whether to
Kill the party or not. After much de-
liberation ii was decided to let them
go unless they stopped to build homes.
The Indians did not want them to To-
cate. From Goose creek until their
death the men were under surveillance
all the time. yet were ignorant of the
fact. By easy stages the men worked
up the river. They followed the old
Oregon trail, stopping to hunt for gold
every time the road came to the river.
For some reason they did not stop at
Bonanza Bar, where gold was later
found by John Calder that brought
many miners here. Passing the Bar
they came to a point opposite a red
bluff near Mr.. Isaac's place. where
they evidently found what they were
seeking. They stopped here, built ov-
n and rock huts, giving every indi-
cation of intending t. remain perman-
emily. One day while they were work
ing away, entirely ignorant Of the
presence of an enemy, they were fired
upon from ambush, most of them drop
ping at the first volley. The others
sought safety behind the rocks or In
the river, but the Indians were hidden
or both sides of the river and not one
got away.
Such things as the Indians wanted
they carried away, but left the shovels
and mining implements, which were
not entirely gone when | came in 1877.
China Eye told me the masacr took
place about thirteen years before /
came, but / think It must have been
longer because there was peace after
the Battle Creek fight until the Ban
mock war in 1878. 1t must have beer
two or three months from the time the
Goose creek until the The
description of the men given by the
Indians, their mode of living and what
evidences could be picked up around
the camp, leads to the conclusion that
the strange men were Italians.
At that time the Bannock Indian
reservation was not established, the
home of the Bannocks being In Lcmhi
county, Putting everything together
/ have concluded that Pocatello and
his band were on their way to Lemhi
from the fight in Nevada when they
found the Italians, and fearing that
they might get soldiers after them II
they became too troublesome they de-
cided not to kill the members of this
party II they kept on going.
1t was not long after this, possibly
four or five years when a party OF
white men were mastered at the City
of Rocks, about twelve miles down the
river from American Falls.
All these murders were committed
by Bannocks. The Indians we see
around here are S%hoshones. The Sho-
shones were always sociable and would
speak to you when you met them. The
Bannocks, when I came her, would
have nothing TO do with white men. IL
come upon SUDDENLY they would draw
their blankets over their faces and re-
main as silent as Sphinxes. The Ban
nocks had a sort of pompadour hair
dress. ] have seen none for a long
time and presume they have retired to
the hills In the eastern part OF the res
ervation.