The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1917-04-07
IN EARLY HISTORY
"REMINISCENCES OF FRANCIS J. d.
WOLFE
(By John B. Slater. historian Of the
Stevens County Pioneer Association.)
Continued from last week)

In lS5S the gold hunters OF the WOrIu
had shifted their attention from Cali
fornia to the newer digglngs in the
Frazier river basin, and in the spring
of that year many pack trains were
headed for that region. In June at
Wallula we organized with 150 men.
They We're of all nationalities and from
every cline. Dave Mclaughlin was
the leader and we had our men divided
into three divisions We took. a pack
train of merchandise, also provisions
for the trip: considerable number of
cattle, and horses for the men, wi tn a
few extra mounts. We made slow
start going out by Lyons ferry, on
the Snake river, about Is miles below
Lewiston. The varied dispositions of
men soon asserted themselves and we
had some chickering's, quarrels and
personal encounters over trivial mat
ters until we reached Moses Coulee
The Indians We're covetous of our cat
tie and packtrain, and the Palouse
tribes followed us that far and tried.
to stampede our stock. We put up
fight and a number of shots We're ex-
changed. In the rounding up of our
stock one of our men was killed by
the reds. but we did not miss him until
we reached the Columbia river at the
mouth of the Okanogan. 1t was use-
less to go back for blood had been
spilled on both sides and the Indians
who originally intended to steal. were
now tempered to the killing point.
At the Columbia river we met Chief
Moses with his band and we were re-
fused a crossing. He invited an in
T IL
the river in canoes. Our interpreter
was George Monteur, a mixed blood,
French and Indian. We met Moses,
who was an imposing figure, and in
stature, pOise and countenance bore a
striking resemblance to Henry Ward
Beecher He was the only Indian
ever saw who would look one in the eye
for any considerable time without
shifting countenance. His eye had the
appearance of being bloodshot like that
of a mastff. He was built on an i'm
mense frame and his shoulders were
mounted with q ma assive head with a
slight bend forward. I was so much
smaller than he that felt like one of
Gulliver's Lilliputians in his presence
We all went up to the Hudsons Bay
post to talk with the factor. The
parley continued through the night
Moses and the factor seemed agreed
that our few men who had come across
to the post with me could go on, but
the balance of the men and the stock
could not 60 I told them If could not
cross the Okanogan with the whole
party, we would not cross the Column
bia with our stock. Moses wanted to
get our stock into his country and
consented to allow us to cross to the
Hudson's Bay post, and finally con-
sented to protect us until we had crossed
the Okanogan. We offered to pay for
ferriage and the Indians and men about
the post put about 80 canoes in COM
mission for our service in carrying
over our goods; the horses and cattle
were transferred by swimming. We
were then allowed to cross to the east
side Of the OkanOgan river where we
camped.
The fact that they had no women or
children with them was an evidence
to our leaders that the Indians meant
mischief. Moses here told us that he
had kept his word to protect us until
we had crossed the Okanogan river,
but now he felt at liberty to fight and
One of Moses traits was that he would
give fair warning. Mclaughlin called
his captains together and we formed
in military order. We increased our
companies from three to four by pick
ing 25 of the best men from the COM
mand and l was made captain Of the
new company. In this order we trav-
eled 25 miles. The Indians in small
bands would travel with us for a time
and then drop out of sight and others
would cOme-always quite friendly: and
we thought we were currying favor by
occasionally treating them to small
portions of tobacco, sugar and the
like, but it turned out that we were
simply advising them of what we had
in our stores and whetting their ap-
petite for theft. The next day we made
only eleven miles, but the next morn
ing we found that the Indians had
deserted u.s. and were thus put on our
suspicious that they had designs upon
our herds and stores. We Travelled
until noon when the trail brought us
down to the Okanogan river crossing.
We observed here for some distance
along the way fresh moccasin tracks.
On the bench there was a level plateau
of probably 100 acres and we waited
here until all the men had come up,
excepting those with the stock which
were stilfbehnd. From here we could
see the entrance to McLaughlin's can
yon, so named for the tragedy that was
about to ensue. 1t was July and hot.
! was ordered with my men to take
the lead. We had no fears Of danger
until we noticed at points along the
hillside the wilted leaves on brush
placed so they obscured small stone
fOrtificatiOns. The Indians were sta
toned in .twos and threes behind these
at intervals along the side of the bluffs
and steep places overlook ing the flats
along the river, an ideal place for an
Indian attack. Ny men had proceeded
less than so yards when few shots
from the Indians sung through the air
over our heads. We were In the open
and in full view Of the savages while
we could not see one of them. We
feigned a retreat, and in my attempt to
swing to my horses side out of view
of the Indians my foot slipped from
the stirrup and l went to the ground.
Instead of following the other horses
he broke away and ran out into an
open space up the river. started af-
ter him against the protests Of my
men, and strange as 1t may seem not
a shot was fred at ma until I caught