The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1936-08-06

the WORLD treating Scurvy and 9TH
er diseases with the best means he
knew, setting broken bones. He had
no cattle and no family besides his
13-year-o1d nephew Perrin to hold
him back He might have gone ahead
in the section of the train with the
young men who could travel faster.
Sometimes he must have wanted to
hurry, the sooner to set affairs at
the mission in order, the sooner, most
of all, to be with Narcissa again.
But it was beyond the Rockies. be-
yond the dangerous Indian country,
that he gave the greatest service to
the train, plotting them from Fort
Hall westward. insisting that they
must take the wagons and cattle
through. Without them they could
not hope to live by farming in a
country where such things could
scarcely be bought at any price.
Only call of great need took
him from his place as guide of that
great wagon train. Mrs. Spalding
was believed to be dying, the 9TH
ers were ill with scarlet fever. At
Grand Ronde the letter met him, and
he turned at once toward Lapwai.
But before he left he instructed a
friendly Indian, StickuS. to find
Mountains at the Columbia It was
timber to be felled in some places
Waiilatpu, where Dr. Whitman had
arrived before them to get provi-
sions ready and to put his grist mill
To- n, I,
burned. perhaps accidentally. during
his absence. He had only few days
before he had to ride to Tshima-
kahn, the mission station among the
Spokanes, 160 miles away, to attend
Mrs. Gushing Eells. who gave birth
to a son on October 6. It was some
time before he could put the mission
house in livable condition and 60
down the Columbia to meet his wife.
They met at The Dalles, Jason Lee
having escorted her that far.
That winter Mrs. Whitman was
very ill, in December so seriously
her death was expected at any time.
Few people realize that she could
not read or sew without spectacles,
and that the many interesting let
tiers she sent to friends and relatives
were written with great difficulty.
Nothing could keep her from her
duties as mother however. AS soon
as she could be up. she took all the
care of her three little ones, be-
sides children from Vancouver and
other mission children who visited
from time to time.
In the fall of 1874 her family" in
creased suddenly. The seven Sager
children, two boys and five girls,
were left with her, their father and
mother both having died on the
Oregon trail. The baby was nearly
starved to death, but experience had
taught her that daily baths and care
full feeding could accomplish mir
acles. Every day her boys and girls
had bath-in a tub in the mission
kitchen during the winter-time; in
the Walla Walla river in summer.
The next few years were happy
ones for the Whitmans. They were
able to raise enough food to meet
their own needs and supply immi-
grants, both those who could pay
and those who could not. In 1845 DR..
Whitman built the saw-mill Is miles
from his station, traces of which
still may be seen on Mill creek,
which flows through the present
city Of Walla Walla. Gradually. Mrs.
Whitman's health improved. They
wrote letter after letter urging
friends and relatives to join them in
this promising new land.
Proudly, Marcus and Narcissa
Whitman watched the increasing tide
Of immigration flow past. Unques-
tionably the Northwest would be
American north of the Columbia,
and they had done what little they
could to make it So Each summer
hundreds of white women crossed
the Continental divided bringing
with them little children, even tiny
newborn babies.
On August %, 1847, Narcissa Prem
tiss Whitman wrote to her father and
mother: The poor Indians are
amazed at the overwhelming mum.
bers OF Americans coming into the
country. They seem not to know
what to make of it. Very many of
the principal ones are dying, and
some have been killed by other In
dams, in going south into the region
OF California. The remaining ones
seem attached to us, and cling to
us the closer; cultivate their farms
quite extensively, and do not wish
to see any Sniapus (Americans) set-
TIE among them here: they are will
ing to have them spend the win
ter here, but in the spring they must
all 60 on.
They would be willing to have
more missionaries stop and those
devoted to their good. They expect
mat eventually this country win b
settled by them but they wish to Sc
the Willamette filled up first"
Plainly she could not see what
was coming, or would not breathe
word Of it to her loved ones. There
had been threats from the first Per-
haps the Whitmans thought the In
dams would forget again. But then
came November.