The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1919-06-20
A REAL PIONEER
The Seattle Post-Intellisencar f,

L
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has
been running stories Of living pio-
neers OF the state for q long time.
making a historical record of the
northwest as well as furnishing some
intensely interesting information re-
garding the early days. In a late
issue the P.-I. published sketch of
the life of Thomas b. BealI, and few
pioneers have seen more excitine
times, or taken greater part In prom
inent activities, than this ancient cit
izen. AS Mr.. Beall, during his army
connections. was among the first
white men to come up into the Okla
hogan country, the story OF his life
takes on local interest, and the fol.
lowing extracts from the narrative
viii be of interest to our readers:
Veteran of the Indian wars in wash
ington. Mr.. Beall must be listed
among our pioneers, although he has
long been counted citizen of Idaho.
lie comes from a family Of soldiers.
His grandfather Lloyd Beal. was a
major in the war OF 1912, and was in
command of Fort McHenry, at Balti-
more, during the British lombard
ment when Francis Scott Key wrote
the Star Spangled Banner. Two un.
2les. brothers of his father, graduated
from the United States Military Acad.
eny at West Point. Two Maternal
uhc!es were in the United Stat .s navy
REAR Admiral Taylor and Col. Sid
ney Taylor of the marines. His own
family moved to Fort Wichita. b-
dan territory. in 1S41, wters his fa :
ther, afterwards Col Benjamin l..
Eeall. was captain of tle Second drl-
goons. The father served through the
NcX'can war and later oue the from
tiai in Indian campaigns
Thomas b. Beall was borr IN Wash.
inrton D c., on Deceniber %. 1892
/ ~ et rcatiOn was such MS a soldiers
s"r wc' Id get in movif., from post
to post in those early davs. In tss3
h" Crossed the planes to Fort Lane
Oregon ard then moved to California.
where his father was stationes at
Fort rtjon. Los Angeles county. Al. or
th'ae years he came NORTH in 1857
with company of the First Dragons
OF which regiment his father was ten
colonel
He was stationed at Fort Vancouver
and Fort Walla Walla. In the spring
'of 1858 he had charge of a wagon.
train from the Dalles 10 Fort Walla
Walla. He then accompanied Col. T..
J. Steptoe on his journey ,inso. the Spo-
kane e-country,-resa >slea eamnna.
battle of Steptoe Bhtte 2 The battle
took place near the present city of
Rosalia on May II 1858. Capt. Oliver
H. p. Taylor and Lieut.. William Cas-
ton and five other soldiers were killed
Eleven others were wounded. The
men picketed their horses and lay
flat on the ground, driving the Indians
back with occasional charges. At
night Col. Steptoe and the remainder
OF his command after burying the
dead stole away to the Snake river
and to safety at Fort Walla Walla.
Mr.. Beall was packmaster with that
expidition and in August and Septem-
ber of the same year he served in a.
like capacity with the EXPEDITION
against those Indians This time the
troops were commanded by Col. Geo.
Wright, who wrought great havoc
among the Indians. The troops un-
der Col. Steptoe had arms inferior to
those in the hands of the Indians. The
same blunder was not repeated. Col.
Wright's men had superior guns and
ammunition. During this campaign
Latah creek received the gruesome
name of "Hangman Creek" Mr.. Beall
says: "One of the officers inquired
of us whether we knew how to tie a
certain moose or knot called a hang
mans moose. I knew how to tie this
knot and, upon answering that
could, was informed that l was de-
tailed to act as hangman and it thus
happened that l tied the knot and
placed the rope about the neck of all
the Indians hanged by Col. Wright's
command in the Spokane country.
The gossip that he received a bonus
for such service is denied. He says
ue SiHply ODcy Gu tuc oIuciS VI HIS
superior officers.
After the Wright campaign. Mr.
Beall remained at Fort Walla Walla,
time. In April, 1859, he began to-
organize pack train to accompany
two companies of the Ninth infantry
as an escort for the boundary COM
mission. They went from Fort Van
couver by way of Fort Simcoe. the
Columbia and Okanogan rivers, to
Lake Osoyoos and from there accom-
panied the commission along the Brit
ish Columbia boundary eastward to
Fort COlville.
In 1854 he became a part of the
Wild Horse mining excitement in the
Kootenay country. Since leaving the
army his life has been mostly devoted
to prospecting and mining. He took
part in the stampedes to the Couer
d'Alene, Pend d'Orille. Mcclellan
Gulch and other fields as they were
discovered
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