An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 97

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524

USA > Idaho > Kootenai County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 97
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 97
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 97
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 97

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Catley destroyed what was left of any value and pushed forward without taking the customary pre- caution to throw out an advance guard and flankers on the ridges to his right and left. The troops had proceeded in this manner about two miles down the canyon when suddenly from the opposite side of the creek, about a hundred yards distant. a fierce volley greeted the little body of men. Following the example of Lieutenant Catley, who at the first fire leaped from his horse and sought the shelter of a large tree stand- ing near the trail, the men dismounted and sought pro- tection from the fire of the enemy. Some stood behind their horses, others hid behind trees, and still others went into the brush. Two of their number, Privates James Doyle and A. R. Holmes, of Company C. were severely wounded before they could get out of reach of the galling fire. Catley issued no orders, although

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his men were expecting at any moment to receive the command to charge or to return the fire. Lieutenant Muhlenberg hurried to his superior's side to receive orders, btit none were given. First Sergeant John F. Sullivan then approached Catley and reported, but, like Muhlenberg, received no reply. The commander seemed utterly dumb with fright.

Sergeant Sullivan then reported to Lieutenant Muhlenberg, who ordered that the command prepare to retreat, pending orders from Catley. The situation was critical and Muhlenberg feared that the Indians would cut off their retrat and so completely surround them. This was the substance of his report to Catley. Instead of replying, the thoroughly demoralized com- mander ran from his tree down into the bushes. Muhlenberg pursued his superior, seeking to gain a reply from hin. After running about sixty yards he met Dr. Pring, the medical officer with the troops. This officer, instead of attending to the wounded men, was also in the rear, and in response to Lieutenant Muhlenberg's query as to why he was not with the wounded. replied that he could get no help. Hasten- ing onward Muhlenberg at last cornered his superior

officer and again requested orders. By this time Cat- ley had partly recovered himself and he ordered Ser- geant Sullivan to detail five men to bring in the wounded, which was successfully accomplished. The command was ordered to retreat up the creek to the first clearing and, as might have been expected, Catley took his place at the head of the column, although he was in the rear while the command was going down the creek. Arriving at the clearing without further molestation, Catley decided to remain there until the next morning, while his pack train came up, and ac- cordingly camp was pitched and a heavy picket line thrown out. Half an hour after the camp was made, Lieutenant Webster and the pack train arrived. The night passed quietly, the Indians making no further attacks.

Early the next morning the camp was astir and as soon as the troops could be fed and the wounded cared for and placed in a comfortable position for traveling, the retreat was continued. Catley decided to try to reach the summit of the high mountain on the north and issued orders for the command to move up a long, rocky ridge in that direction. The wounded were placed on horses between the main body of troops and the pack train, which, under Lieutenant Webster, brought up the rear. The head of the column had reached a point about three-quarters of a mile from the base of the ridge when the pack train in the rear was energetically attacked. By sharp fighting Webster and Muhlenberg brought the train safely within the lines.

Meanwhile, however, the Indians had attacked the head of the column, thus striking from two points at the same time and holding the troops between a cross fire. Two small detachments of skirmishers were sent forward to drive back the redskins in front, but before they could attack, were recalled by Catley. Again a spirit of indecision seems to have taken possession of the commander, for he failed to order a move either backward or forward, paralyzed apparently with fear.

The Indians fired the brush and grass at the base of the ridge with the evident purpose of further demoralizing the troops, but the scheme failed. For fourteen hours the troops were kept in this position and during the whole time only five shots were fired by the soldiers. at least so savs Lieutenant Muhlenberg in his report. The creek was half a mile away and there being no other water supply near at hand, both men and ani- inals suffered the tortures of thirst, that scorching July day. Eventually, so the story is told, the men broke into a small keg of vinegar which was found in the pack train, and with its contents partly allayed their thirst. From this incident Vinegar hill received its name.

Finally, between midnight of the 30th and two o'clock on the morning of the 31st, the command moved swiftly down the precipitous hillside on their left, crossed the creek and ascended the mountain on that side. Before the troops stopped that day they had traveled, it is estimated by Muhlenberg, approximately forty miles. During the hasty flight of the troops and in the attack preceding the retreat from Vinegar hill. the greater portion of the pack train was lost. It proved a welcome addition to the Indian's supplies. furnishing them with needed provisions, equipments and ammunition. They secured two guns left behind by the two wounded soldiers. While scaling the heights across the creek, Lieutenant Muhlenberg was thrown from liis horse and one of his knee caps dis- located. In this predicament he was found by Private Jackman. who placed him upon his (Jackman's) horse and himself walked.

The next morning at two o'clock the forced march was again taken up and continued until ten o'clock that night, about fifty miles being made. A short march the next morning brought the exhausted soldiers to War- ren, where a brief rest was given the men before pro- ceeding farther from the scene of hostilities. There- upon Catley set out for Warm Springs, where he met Colonel Bernard, who, with a small force, had just arrived from Fort Boise.

Thus ended the ill-fated Catley expedition. Its members had gone forth well equipped for the fray and with high hopes of success. They were defeated in the first skirmish, then began a retreat, which, it is hoped, finds few parallels for ignominy in the annals of the American army. Catley covered, in two days and a half, a distance that it had taken him eleven days to traverse by ordinary marches. According to Muhl- enberg's report, two men had been wounded, and Mr. Edwards says that one other was killed. The Indians had captured most of the pack train and thereby strengthened themselves materially for a long cam- paign. Lieutenant Muhlenberg says of his superior officer : "Lieutenant Catley, I think, acted as a coward and is totally unfit to take command of any body of troops." Subsequently. Catley was courtmartialed at Walla Walla on a charge of cowardice. Speaking of the other members of the expedition, Lieutenant Muhl- enberg says : "As to the conduct of Lieutenant Web- ster, everywhere I saw him he seemed to be cool and collected. I never got to see him much, as he was al-

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ways behind in charge of the pack train. Lieutenant Catley's men behaved very well and seemed willing to obey any order given to them. They did not seem ex- cited in the least."

On Catley's arrival at Warm Springs, he was re- lieved of his command by Colonel Bernard, and pro- ceeded thence to Camp Howard. Bernard at once moved with his force and a portion of Catley's troops into the Sheepeater country. At Warren he left a guard of twelve cavalrymen to reinforce the garrison, for the citizens of that place, about one hundred in number, having become alarmed after Catley's defeat, had organized a volunteer company, which they had placed under command of Captain James W. Poe, and had taken possession of the old stockade built in 1877. For some time they posted pickets around the town every night.

While Colonel Bernard and his force are engaged in their futile campaign, let us detail the second trag- edy that was enacted upon the south fork of the Sal- mon,-a tragedy that set the whole community in a blaze of righteous indignation and fanned the flames of the country's passion to such fierceness that had the Sheepeaters been immediately captured they would probably have been summarily dealt with. The scene is laid at the ranch of James P. Rains on the south fork, about a mile and a half from its mouth. Here Mr. Rains and his family had lived for a number of years and by dint of hard work had accumulated a val- table property. In earlier times a portion of the ground along the river had been worked as placer mines and a thriving little camp had sprung up which was now. however, deserted. So far as is known Mr. Rains had never quarreled with the Indians and in that region was held in high respect by all who knew him.

Like many others he was not apprehensive of special danger, thinking that any desire the Indians might have for fighting would be fully satisfied by Lieutenant Catley. He therefore felt safe in his home, and was engaged in gathering the year's hay crop, when Catley's troops came streaming homeward after the encounters on Big creek and at Vinegar hill. The jaded troops and excited commander passed the Rains home, informed the family that they must flee as the Indians were in close pursuit, then passed hur- riedly onward, leaving Rains and his wife and two little children to fight their own way into Warren unas- sisted, if fight they must.

Having safely sheltered his family within the stockade at Warren, Mr. Rains, inasmuch as no signs of the Indians were discoverable in the neighborhood, got ready to return to his place that he might attend to several important matters overlooked in the haste of preparation for flight. James Edwards and Harry Serrin offered to accompany Rains that he might the sooner be ready to return to town. Heavily armed and watchful tor the dusky foe, the three set out for the ranch. Ten days had now elapsed since Catley's re- turn and Bernard was well on his way into the in- terior. Rains, Edwards and Serrin reached their des- tination in safety and immediately set to work taking care of the hay crop and otherwise looking after the

place. On Friday, August 15th, Albert Webber, a young brother-in-law of Rains, who lived on Camas prairie and had come to his aid, joined the party at the ranch. His companions told him that they would fin- ish the next day and suggested that he act as cook while they completed the haying. To this plan Webber assented. The hot August sun beat down fiercely upon the bed of the deep canyon, so fiercely that the men usually took a long nooning and to make up this loss of time commenced work at daybreak and continued it, with few intermissions, until dark. Everything else had been attended to and they worked enegetically all day Friday and Saturday that they might return to Warren Sunday. From the first they had worked with their rifles by their sides. They were ever vigilant, for they were all frontiersmen and well aware of the dangers around them.

Saturday morning they carried their rifles with them into the field as usual. Toward noon they re- turned to the house, where they partook of the midday refreshments, then rested until about three o'clock. They discussed the advisability of carrying their weapons back to the field that afternoon and, unfor- tunately. decided to dispense with the usual precaution.

Faithfully they worked and at last were pressing the last bale when from the direction of the cabin a rifle ball sped swiftly by them. The gathering twi- light deepened. Distant objects took a shadowy form and were rapidly becoming undiscernable. The three men were startled by the close proximity of the shot and remarked that Webber must be shooting at a grouse. Hardly had they uttered the remark when a volley greeted them, several bullets whizzing uncom- fortably close to their ears. Edwards, who was on top of the press, yelled to his companions to fall behind the press, then he himself jumped from his exposed posi- tion.

There was no doubt now as to the source of those shots. The Indians were at their bloody work. It was now a fight for life with the odds greatly against the four men. Between the three in the field and the house a small creek rushed down from the steep moun- tain side, cutting its course through a densely wooded channel forty feet in depth to the river. To this creek the three made their way as rapidly as they could. Here they consulted as to the best course to pursue. The longer they tarried the more probable it was that they would be completely cut off from the house and the weapons and the more nearly certain they were of death. They decided to make a dash for the house at all hazards and cautiously climbing up the creek's bank. they started along the trail, Rains in advance. About half way between the creek and the cabin a low rocky point juts out from the west and over this small eminence the trail led. All were now running rap- idly. "Keep down from the point!" Edwards and Serrin cried to Rains, but the latter for some reason heeded them not and kept to the trail, while his com- panions rounded the point. Just as Rains reached the summit a gun flashed and the brave pioneer stopped and staggered. A ball had pierced his right hip. Another shot rang out, this time from the direction of

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the house. Rains received the leaden missile in the chest. It tore a frightful wound in his body.

Edwards and Serrin saw him fall; they saw the flash of the gun from the direction of the cabin ; they heard the shooting in many directions, especially on their right, where it was afterwards learned that Web- ber had been directing his fire against the Indians. The two men decided that Webber had been taken and that they had better retreat to the creek canyon. Back- ward they went over their former tracks and reached the creek bottom unharmed. No safety there. They must be moving, so up the creek they walked and crawled and ran until they reached a point where the stream forks, a place they had never visited thereto- fore. The night had now descended upon the scene and not one of nature's beacons shone brightly enough to furnish a light to their pathway-a fortunate cir- cumstance. At the forks they again stopped and con- sidered their situation. The Indians would doubtless discover that they had escaped to the creek and would therefore follow them, the men reasoned. Why not take the illogical course and scale the point between the two forks? The Indians would not think that they had pursued such a course and had the two whites been acquainted with the nature of the path they took, it is extremely doubtful it even they in their desperate straits would have undertaken to climb the precipice be- fore them. But it was night and they saw not. Hour after hour they toiled upward over the sharp rocks and through the scattering pines, now falling, now slipping, always saving themselves by clutching the branches and bushes near them, steadily and cau- tiously moving upward until at least they reached the top of the ridge. Below them five thousand feet or thereabouts lay the creek. Soon, on each side of them, a signal fire blazed forth in the darkness and thankful then were the two hunted men that they had ascended the point instead of one of the forks. They were so exhausted that they crawled into a nearby thicket and slept for a short time, little caring what the redskins were doing, as long as they were separated from them by yawning canyons. At daybreak they awoke and readily found an old trail which they followed into Warren, arriving there about seven o'clock. A little later Webber arrived, much to the surprise of Edwards and Serrin. His escape had been almost as marvelous as that of his companions.

As soon as the Indians opened fire on the whites Webber had grasped the situation and prepared to de- fend the cabin to the last. He had not done much shooting, because he expected those who were in the field to arrive almost any minute. Soon after dark Rains came to the door and was let in by Webber, who . laid him upon a couch and ministered as best he could to his wants. Rains called for water and after drink- ing a little, moaned in his extreme pain, then passed away peacefully. Webber was now confronted with a still more serious danger. The Indians lighted several bonfires around the house for the purpose of better watching the movements of the man in the cabin. Just as he was about to despair of escape the fire in the rear of the cabin became very low. Now that Rains

was beyond any aid, Webber eagerly grasped the op- portunity and, taking the best gun of the four, crawled away into a shallow ravine in the rear of the cabin and thence to the creek heretofore spoken of. He as- cended the side of the precipitous canyon below the torks and after a hard climb finally reached the summit. From that point he saw the Indians burn the buildings on the rancli and the few old miners' cabins which also stood along the river. He estimated the number of the Indians who took part in this attack as no less than seven, though he thought there might be more.

At Warren a party of eighteen well armed men, under the leadership of N. B. Willey, at once took the field with an idea of pursuing the Indians. A messenger. Charles Bright, was despatched with the news to Colonel Bernard. The little company pro- ceeded to the Rains ranch and there found the usual scene of desolation following an Indian attack. In the ruins of the cabin, where the Rains family had made their home and where Webber had made his stand, they found the charred bones of Rains's body, which were taken to Warren and properly interred. The damage to the ranch was estimated at $3,000, a sum which the government was asked to pay to the widow, but her claim, like all of Idaho county's Indian war claims, was thrown out by the commission. The vol- unteers followed the trail of the Indians for several miles into the interior, but finally gave up the chase as too precarious and uncertain a venture.

Such is the story of the famous Rains massacre as told the writer by one who was present and whose escape has been chronicled, James Edwards, now a res- ident of Grangeville. His home is brightened by the presence of a devoted wife, who was formerly the mis- tress of his murdered friend's home. Mr. Rains, an Oregonian by birth, was one of the pioneers of Idaho county and a man highly esteemed by all who knew him. He was young at the time of his death, perhaps somewhere in the early thirties.

Colonel Bernard remained in the mountains until early in September. His campaign was not successful in capturing the warring redskins, though the pres- ence of the troops doubtless kept the Indians from committing other outrages. Upon Bernard's return to Boise, Lieutenant Farrow was ordered into the field. with instructions to commence a fall campaign against the Sheepeaters, an order which he proceeded to promptly carry out. Under his command was placed a force of forty soldiers and twenty Umatilla scouts. This force proceeded to Big creek over the same route that its two predecessors had taken. This time the Indians were located and Farrow succeeded in treat- ing with them through his Umatilla scouts. Farrow was energetic and succeeded in impressing the hostiles with his strength and determination to capture them. It being very late in the season, the Indians, who were but poorly equipped for carrying on a long campaign. ultimately decided to surrender to Farrow. Few In- dians ever surrendered to United States troops under more favorable conditions. The Sheepeaters were al- lowed to retain their weapons and property, were ex- empted from prosecution by the civil authorities and.

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after being kept at Fort Vancouver for a time, were placed upon the Fort Hall reservation in the southern portion of the state. Between fifty and sixty Indians were in the band, about half of whom were men. By some this number was supposed to represent their to- tal strength, while others contend that not one-half of the Indians surrendered.

Speaking of their capture, the Warren correspondent of the Lewiston Teller, in the issue of October 8, 1879, says: "Too much praise cannot be accorded Lieutenant Farrow for his exertions in this affair.

He has been thoroughly in earnest, has persevered when others weakened, has resolutely faced the inclem- encies of the season, short supplies, poor and exhausted stock, and has achieved a complete success ; and in these expressions of gratitude I but echo the senti- ments of every one of our citizens. The large scope of country thus cleared of Indians should recommend his promotion to a colonelcy." The end of this Sheep- eater war happily proved the conclusion of Indian dis- turbances in Idaho county.

CHAPTER II.

CURRENT HISTORY, 1879-1903.

After the close of the Nez Perces and Sheepeater hostilities, the county settled down to steady develop- ment, unhindered by opposition from the red men or other foe to progress. The first few years of the new decade were a period of rather quiet times. The old placers had become so thoroughly worked out that all but a comparatively few of the Chinamen, even, had left them, and new placer grounds the prospector failed to find. The result was no local market. The lack of cheap and speedy transportation rendered outside markets unavailable, consequently there was a local monetary stringency. The increase of popula- tion in the entire decade between 1880 and 1890 was only 964, yet at no time was there any stagnation. Cat- tle and horse raising increased, and slowly the rich soil of the prairie was subdued by the plow of the agriculturist, and compelled to yield bountiful har- vests. A representative of W. W. Elliott & Com- pany, publishers, writing of the prairie in 1883, says : "Six years of patient industry have rebuilt the waste places caused by the war, and made the face of the country more beautiful than ever. Not even the farms of Walla Walla show better evidences of careful agri- culture than can be seen on Camas prairie at this time. Hard as were the experiences of this people during the war of 1877, the results it has brought have advanced them in the race of life and bettered their condition by giving them broader views of men and things than are usually found in communities so isolated. The scars of the war have been covered with the fruits of peace, and Camas prairie is now a garden spot, making mani- fest the broad difference between the elevating influ- ences of Caucasian civilization and the enforced deg- radation by the Government of the Indians on the ad- joining reservation."

July 20, 1885, the cattle men of Idaho county met at Mount Idaho, pursuant to call, and organized the Idaho County Stock Growers' Association, the objects

of which were stated to be "to advance the interests of stock growers and dealers in live stock in said county, and for the protection of the same against frauds and swindlers and to prevent the stealing, tak- ing or driving away of horned cattle, sheep or other stock from the rightful owners thereof, and to en- force the stock laws of Idaho territory." The first officers were: president, Loyal P. Brown ; vice-presi- dent, John Coram; secretary, F. A. Fenn ; treasurer, H. C. Johnson : executive committee, James Surridge, C. Overman, James Witt, James McDermott, James Odle and the president.

It appears that there had been some cattle steal- ing prior to this time. On the 3Ist of the previous May a warrant was placed in the hands of Sheriff Al. Talkington for the arrest of two men supposed to have taken a band of horses belonging to a Chinese packer in Elk City. The Chinaman was camped near Jackson's bridge at the time he sustained his loss. Talkington traced the thieves with their purloined stock to the vicinity of the agency grist mill, where one of the men, whose name was Fox, resisted arrest and was shot dead. The other was taken into cus- tody. Both had been residents of Camas prairie but a short time. A coroner's jury acquitted the posse, in- cluding the sheriff and Parker, Sutherland and An- derson, of the agency.

Some excitement was created this year by a pro- posal to return Chief Joseph and his band of hostiles to the Nez Perces reservation. Citizens sent a pro- test through B. F. Morris of Mount Idaho to the com- missioner of Indian affairs, suggesting that should the Indians be returned, quarrels were almost certain to break out between them and friends and relatives of those outraged and killed during the war. The department kindly spared the feelings of the people of north Idaho and guarded against a possible out- break by sending the major portion of the band to the

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An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 97

Author: Publication date: 1903 Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1524

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524