History of Benton County, Oregon, Part 33

Author: David D. Fagan
Publication date: 1885
Publisher:
Number of Pages:

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A few days later when the troops and General Lane had reached the diggings near Yreka, the General himself, having determined to return to Oregon, took charge of the prisoners and delivered them to Governor Gaines, at the Rogue river crossing (near Vannoy's). The General closes his account by assigning due credit to different members of the expedition, as Major Kearney, Captain Walker, of the Rifles; Dr. Wil- liamson, Lieutenant Irvin, Messrs. Applegate, Scott, T'Vault, Armstrong, Blanchard and Boon, Col. Freaner and his volunteers, etc. Quite a number of miners assisted against the Indians, many having come from the newly discovered diggings on Jose- phine creek to take part. A great rush of men from Yreka and that vicinity had taken place just previous, and many of these, not finding sufficient inducements to remain, were on their way back to California, but stopped at Bear creek and lent their aid to suppress the Indians.

The campaign of June ended by the departure of the regulars, who took up their line of march for California and will be heard of no more in our story. But before the effects of their operations in the Rogue river valley had died away, and while most of the men who inflicted such sudden punishment on the Indians were still near by, Governor Gaines came to the Rogue river crossing and arranged a treaty of peace. The terms of this treaty mainly consist of a promise on the part of the Indians that they would be very good Indians indeed, and not kill or rob any more white men. They would stay on their own ground, which for official purposes was recognized as the north side of the river ; and they would cheerfully obey the commands of what- ever individual was sent among them as agent. To this treaty the signatures of eleven chiefs were appended, whose bands were bound thereby to obey its stipulations. But the most troublesome and desperate individuals of the native tribes refused to be thus bound ; and the strong parties known as the Grave creek and Scisco mountain bands, refused to meet the governor or have aught to do with the treaty.

Something of an organization had been given to the department of Indian affairs of Oregon, by the creation of a superintendent thereof, who being the governor of the territory, held the former position ex officio. But the administration of this depart- ment not proving, for some reason, satisfactory to the authorities at Washington, the two offices were separated, and Doctor Anson Dart was appointed superintendent in 1851, soon after the Rogue river treaty was formed. Judge A. A. Skinner, formerly on the territorial bench, was chosen agent for the Indians of the southern part of the territory, and set about his duties. The judge was a gentleman of the strictest honor and probity, but was singularly unsuccessful in his dealings with the Rogue river bands. Within a short time after his accession to office, the terms of the Gaines treaty being still recognized, a number of white immigrants took up donation claims on the north side of Rogue river, within the region informally set apart for the Indians. Judge Skinner expostulated ; but commands and appeals to the new-comers were alike unheeded ; the settlers remained and the Indians took umbrage at what they consid- ered a breach of faith on the part of the whites. It does not appear that the intrud- ing settlers in all cases maintained a permanent residence upon the land assigned to

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the Indians, and this cause of complaint seems never to have assumed much magni- tude. However that may have been, Judge Skinner was much liked by his wards, and was lamented by them at his departure. He was ever ready to interpose his authority, limited though it was, between the whites and the Indians, and with ampler power might have served to obviate, for a time, the ills of the subsequent year, though not even the ablest of minds could have permanently settled the causes at issue, since they were inevitably bound to terminate in war.

As some pretended to have foreseen the Gaines treaty proved an unmitigated fail- ure. Hardly had the governor set his face toward the valley of the Willamette, than quarrels, misunderstanding, and serious difficulties broke out between the red and white occupants of Rogue river valley and neighboring localities. The one race speedily grew "insolent" and the other began, as usual, reprisals. There were not wanting unprincipled men of both races, whose delight was to stir up war and contention, and ruffianly bands of either color paraded the country and a condition of terrorism pre- vailed. Among the Indians, it was said, were several white men who had adopted Indian dress and manners, and these, if such existed, as there doubtless did, must have proved among the worst enemies of peace. Much complaint of the Indians began to be rife very soon after the treaty was signed; and the Cow Creek Indians, always a pugna- cious tribe, were charged with the commission of several outrages within two months of that event. The whites mining at Big Bar and other places on the Rogue river, and industriously prospecting the numerous streams which flow into it, were in constant danger. Lieutenant Irvin, of the regular army, was kidnapped by two savages (Shastas probably) and a Frenchman, removed to the trackless woods, tied to a tree and sub- jected to many sorts of personal indignity. He escaped however, injured only in mind, but deeply convinced that the locality was too dangerous for a pleasant existence. This occurred in July. In consequence of this and other occurrences, General Hitchcock, commanding the Pacific Department, dispatched a force of twenty regular troops from Vancouver and Astoria to Port Orford, a newly located place on the coast of Curry county, thirty miles north of the mouth of Rogue river and then supposed to be accessible from the former seat of war near Table Rock. Subsequent explora- tions have dispelled this idea and proved that the military, so far as their effect upon the malcontents of the upper portion of Rogue river valley was concerned, might as well have been left at Vancouver. However, they were well situated to awe the hostiles who had broken out nearer the coast. Contemporaneously with the events above mentioned had occurred on the coast several incidents of the greatest celebrity. The accounts of two of these, the defense of Battle Rock, at Port Orford, and the mem- orable T'Vault-Williams exploring expedition, will be found in another part of this work, the space deemed suitable for their proper presentation being too extended for this article. The Indians of the Coquille river being thus found hostile, the detach- ment, somewhat re-inforced, proceeded under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Casey, to teach them a lesson. Dividing his small force into two bodies, the commander proceeded to the forks of the Coquille, and near the locality now called Myrtle Point, attacked a band of natives, who retreating from the one detachment fell in with and were beaten by the other. This took place in the autumn of 1851.

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A. G. Walling, Lith. Portland, Or.

RESIDENCE OF JOHN H. LEWIS, Corner Fourth and Harrison Streets, Corvallis, Benton Co., Oregon.

CHAPTER XXIV.

HOSTILITIES OCCURRING IN 1852.

Events of the Year-Murder of Woodman-Pursuit of the Murderers-The Steele Expedition-Affairs at Big Bend-A Slaughter of Indians-A Peace Talk-Steele Returns to Yreka-Ben Wright-His Character -- The McDermit Expedition-Massacre at Bloody Point -- Ben Wright Sets Out for Tule Lake-The Indians De- feated-Discovery of Murdered Immigrants -- Scouting at Tule Lake -- The Lost River Massacre-Three Ver- sions-Triumphal Return to Yreka-Concerning a Murder at Galice Creek or Vannoy's Ferry-Fort Jones Established.

The main events of importance in 1852 included the murder of Calvin Wood- man, the massacre of Bloody Point, wherein thirty-six persons lost their lives; and the killing of the seven miners on Rogue river, near the mouth of Galice creek. Of these events, only the last took place within the limits of Southern Oregon, but they are all of sufficiently connected interest to justify a narration herein.

The date of Woodman's death is unsettled; the author of the history of Siskiyou says it occurred in May, 1852; but certain official documents, particularly a report on the number and names of those whites killed by various Indian tribes in Southern Oregon and Northern California, mention it as occurring in June of that year. June second has been specifically mentioned; but the exact date is immaterial. The man- a miner-was killed while riding along the banks of Indian creek, a tributary of Scott river. Two Indians did the bloody deed, and fled. Quickly the whites gathered at Johnson's ranch and fired upon whatever Indian they could find, and making the peaceful natives of Scott valley the principal victims. These Indians who had never broken, out into hostilities, but had rather signalized themselves by moderation and an obliging disposition toward the whites, retaliated upon occasion and severely wounded S. G. Whipple, the deputy sheriff, but late captain in the regular army. Old Tolo, Tyee John of Scott valley, and Tyee Jim offered themselves as hostages to secure the whites against the Shastas, and accompanied Elijah Steele to Yreka, where the real culprits were supposed to have fled. All were convinced that the Shastas had . nothing to do with the murder, and that it was most probably committed by Rogue River Indians, who, it was said, had been seen in the vicinity, and who had now gone north to join Tipsu Tyee, or the bands on the river near Table Rock. There was a great deal of excitement at Yreka concerning the matter, and the court of sessions authorized Steele to apprehend the suspected parties, it not being supposed that much time or travel would be necessary to enable him to comply.

. The undertaking, however, proved an arduous one ; and Steele and his eleven companions, who included John Galvin, Peter Snellback, James Bruce (afterwards major in the war of 1855-6) Frank Merritt, John McLeod, Dr. L. S. Thompson, James White, the two hostages, and a Klickitat Indian named Bill, rode to Rogue river in 26

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the search, taking two Indians captive on the way. The first of these attempted to escape, but was shot by the Klickitat, who was detailed to pursue him. The dead man had been sent out, it was afterwards concluded, to persuade the Shastas to join Sam's band in a proposed war against the whites. The other prisoner was well mounted and armed, and proved to be a son of Tipsu Tyee, the enigmatical chief who dwelt in the Siskiyous. Him they took along and hearing that there was a prospect of finding their refugees at the general encampment of the Rogue Rivers, kept on to that stream. Farther along they met Judge A. A. Skinner, the Indian agent, and by him were requested to camp at Big Bend, where he had arranged for a conference of whites and Indians on the morrow. Certain grievances had arisen between the Indians and whites, which at this distant day cannot be fully made out. Chief among these griev- ances, it was said, was the desire of " Young Sam," son of Tyee Sam, the principal war chief, to possess the hand and heart of little Miss Ambrose, daughter of Dr. Ambrose, afterwards Indian agent, and who was living with his family on an agricul- tural claim adjoining T'Vault's at the Dardanelles. But this is doubtless a mistake, as the writer is informed that the young lady in question had not yet reached two years of age. The cause was a more trivial one, it is said, and concerned only a piece of beef. The settlers near by, alarmed for the safety of themselves and families, applied to the people of Jacksonville for assistance, and a company numbering some twenty- eight or thirty, all young men, under the command of J. K. Lamerick, of after celeb- rity, proceeded instantly to their assistance, arriving on Big Bend, in front of and across the river from the Indian rancheria, a short time previous to Steele's arrival. Besides the companies of Lamerick and Steele, quite a number of neighboring settlers had gathered there, anxious to see the result of the proceedings, and these being armed, attached themselves to Lamerick's company in order to assist in the expected engage- ment. The whole of Joe and Sam's Indians were at the rancheira, and considerable coaxing was necessary to bring them to talk with the whites. Some crossed over, and the rest, emboldened by Judge Skinner's promises, also came, to the number of a hun- dred or more. The Judge, always favorable to the Indians, tried to bring about a reconciliation ; and for this purpose proposed that both parties should remove to a log cabin situated at some little distance away. Suspecting treachery, the Indians refused to go, although Joe, their peace chief, tried to persuade them to do so. Sam, his brother, had recently returned to the rancheria for safety. At this moment John Galvin, one of Steele's Yrekans, rudely pushed the muzzle of his rifle against an Indian's naked back, desiring him to move toward the cabin. The savage made a natural motion to resent the indignity, when Galvin instantly shot him dead. Fighting immediately took place. The dismayed and overmatched Indians got behind trees or sprung into the river and all was confusion. Those of the savages who were on the north side, began firing, but without effect, and hostilities only ceased when thirteen Indians had been killed. No white men were injured. Old Joe, the peace chief, clasped his arms about Martin Angell and clung desperately to him for protection. He was saved from his impending fate by Angell and two or three others, who kept off the excited throng of whites.

Fighting ceased, and arrangements were made for the morrow's operations. Steele, with his Yrekans, agreed to move up the river to a certain point, cross the

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stream at Hailey's ferry and come down on the north bank to the vicinity of the rancheria. A detachment of Lamerick's company, embracing mainly the settlers who had proffered their services, was appointed to go down the river, cross and gain the top of upper Table Rock, whence they could command the vicinity. The main body, under Lamerick, rendezvoused at Ambrose's ranch and at night returned to the scene of the fight and crossed in the darkness at a very dangerous and difficult ford near the rancheria. When across they stopped until it grew light, and then moved toward the Indian stronghold which was surrounded by thick shrubbery, interlaced and nearly impervious to man or beast. When within shooting distance the Indians opened fire on them, which was returned, and as the expected reinforcements had not arrived, the troops had to wait. Sometime in the forenoon the settlers appeared, when the Indians immediately proclaimed their desire for a klose wa wa. This the volunteers somewhat objected to, as it dispelled all chance of fighting for which they were eager and now so well prepared. A council of war was held, and it was decided that in view of the fact that the Indians had already suffered much damage, and the cause of the difficulty did not warrant a war of extermination, it would be best to have a talk. The contending forces soon came to an amicable understanding and agreed to let the past be buried with the hatchet, and then the volunteers returned home. Steele's company moved down the river as agreed upon, but found that peace had been restored before their arrival. They then returned to Yreka. Even their homeward journey was not without its share of excitement, for it appears the party, in order to avoid Tipsu Tyee, who was supposed to spend his time watching for the scalps of all those who passed his domains, took a wide and painful circuit through the untrodden wilds and suffered somewhat from hunger as well as apprehen- sion. The Steele expedition failed to arrest the two murderers, and was beside some- what expensive to its leader, who afterwards deposed that it cost him $2,000 which he could get nobody to pay.

About the time of Steele's departure from Yreka, Ben Wright, the Indian fighter par excellence of all the country around, also set out from that town in search of the two murderers of Woodman; he was accompanied by several Indians, among them being Scar-face, a Shasta sub-chief, a man much suspected by the whites. Proceeding toward the Klamath the party was divided and Scar-face, venturing near Yreka alone, was seen and pursued by several whites who sought to add him to their already long list of " good Indians" slain in revenge for the killing of a man they had doubtless never heard of. The terror-struck Indian, on foot as he was, led them a race of eighteen miles along the hill sides before he was taken by his mounted pursuers. He was then hung to a tree in what is now known as Scar-face gulch. Wright was more fortunate than Steele in his search, for he returned to Scott valley with two prisoners, who were tried by a citizens' court at the Lone Star ranch, where immense crowds of men from Yreka, Humbug, Scott river and other mining centers attended. They found one of the prisoners guilty and hanged him immediately ; the other one was allowed to go. Thus ended the Woodman tragedy.

The people of Jacksonville and Yreka became much exercised in the summer of 1852 in regard to the probable fate of the immigrants of that year, who were coming

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in large numbers by way of the southern route from Fort Hall via Clear lake and Tule lake. The Indians on the route, consisting mainly of Piutes and Modocs, had long been regarded as hostile, and the advance parties of that year's immigration reported them as being exceedingly troublesome. During the previous year the settlers of Yreka had lost quite a number of horses by the Modocs, part of them being recovered by Ben Wright with a small company of miners, who pursued the Indians. This Ben Wright enters largely into the history of Indian matters in Northern California and Southern Oregon, and divides the honors of a successful Indian fighter with such men as Kit Carson and other celebrated frontiersmen. Much has been written of him, and his career would appear to bear out in full both the praises bestowed on him as a courageous and successful scout and a skilled mountaineer. In any other walk

of life, or amid any other surroundings, Wright doubtless would never have been heard of. But circumstance, which has made and marred the fortune of so many, raised him into prominence as an "Indian fighter "-an unenviable occupation, one would think, but seemingly the object of many men's ambition. Wright, we are told, was the son of Quaker parents; but the peaceful tenets of that sect were set at naught by their son, who was possessed of a spirit of adventure and a disposition as foolhardy and reckless as ever guided man. After years spent in living with or fighting against Indians, he found himself, in the early part of 1851, on Scott river, a digger of gold. From here he went, during the same year, in search of the stolen horses, and returned measurably successful, driving the horses and carrying some Indian scalps. Indeed he was quite an Indian in habits and appearance, living with a squaw, wearing long, black and glossy hair, which fell to his belt-a fashion aped by the inferior cow boy-dress- ing in buckskin and getting himself up to look the Indian as nearly as possible. He fought Indians after the manner of their own warfare, even to the scalping and muti- lating of the dead, and to the use of strategy and treachery to get the foe within his grasp; but to his own race he was ever true and honorable, though his associates were far below even the low standard of society then existing. By the Indians who encoun- tered him, he was regarded as the greatest warrior living; and taking all things together he was just the man for the emergency. Let the good results and the accompanying circumstances be the palliation of his methods.

Early in the summer of 1852, a letter was received at Yreka from an immigrant, who was on his way to that place, saying that great suffering would ensue if the train was not met by a supply of provisions. In consequence of this statement, a company of men was organized, with Charles McDermit as captain, and provisions being con- tributed by merchants and others of Yreka, the train set out for Lost river. After passing Tule lake they were met by a party of men who had packed across the plains. McDermit and his company went on, and the packers continued toward Yreka. When they reached Bloody Point, on the north side of Tule lake, they were surprised by the Modocs who were hid in the tules bordering the trail, and who rose up and discharged volleys of arrows at them at short range. All these men were killed save one, Coffin by name, who cut the pack from a horse, mounted the animal and riding to Yreka gave the alarm. Bloody Point is a place on the north side of the lake where a spur of the mountains runs down close to the lake shore. Around this spur the old emigrant trail

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passed, just beyond being a large, open flat, covered with tules, wild rye and bunch grass. This was a favorite place of ambuscade.

When Coffin arrived in Yreka the news at once spread far and wide. Ben Wright was sent for, and a company of twenty-seven men quickly volunteered to serve under him in an expedition to annihilate utterly and without remorse the treacherous and blood-thirsty hostiles who performed the deed. These set out without loss of a moment, being well supplied with arms, horses and provisions, by the benevolent citi- zens of Yreka. But meanwhile the savages had not been idle. McDermit, not hear- ing of the tragic fate of the packers, had continued on, meeting at Black Rock two teams, for whose guidance he detailed three men, John Onsby, Thomas H. Coats assem- blyman-elect of Siskiyou county and a favorably known young man, and James Long. About the last of August the teams encamped at Clear lake, and the next day the three guides rode on in advance to select a proper halting place at noon. One of the trains delayed somewhat to make repairs to wagons, and thus was separated from the foremost one, which included thirty men, one woman and a boy. As they came over the divide, they saw the Indians about Bloody Point, while the guides were unsus- pectingly riding into danger. They disappeared around the point when shots were fired, and the three were butchered relentlessly by the savages, who retired again to the tules to wait for fresh victims. The men with the train divided themselves into a front and a rear guard and kept the savages at bay until reaching the flat. Here they made a barricade of their six wagons and retired within it for protection. By being constantly on their guard they managed to thwart the attempts of the Indians to dispossess them, but were kept closely beleaguered until noon the next day, when the Modocs drew off to attack the other train. These men, however, more wise than the first, drove over the hill, thus avoiding the ambush so carefully laid for them, and found safety in the barricade with the others.

In the afternoon Ben Wright appeared, and taking in the situation at a glance, did not pause to communicate with the whites, but furiously charged the Modocs even in the midst of the tules, and attempted to cut them off from their boats. The sav- ages stampeded, and making for the water, were mingled indiscriminately with Wright's men, who killed them almost without resistance. All along the bank of the lake the fight raged; the volunteers shooting and cutting with a ferocity suited to a combat with such cruel adversaries. The savages sought only to reach their boats and get out of range, and even in this they but partly succeeded, for an undetermined number, ranging from twenty to forty, if we may believe the ordinary accounts, met a richly deserved fate.

Several succeeding days were spent in search for the Modocs' victims, and the mangled bodies of many immigrants were found, whose death had not been heard of. Two of these were women and one a little child. They were all mutilated and disfig- ured horribly, beyond recognition in probably every case. Portions of wagons were found, and camp utensils, fire-arms, clothing, money, and other articles, which con- clusively showed that an entire emigrant train must have fallen a prey to the demoni- acal hostility of the Indians. Twenty-two bodies were found and buried by Wright's company and fourteen by that of Captain Ross. Of these last several were of women and children, and all disfigured and mutilated.

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The stay of Captain Ross' Jacksonville company was necessarily shorter than that of the Yreka men, but considerable service was done, nevertheless, in protecting immi- grants and assisting in the search for the murdered people. The company left Jack- sonville in hot haste after thirty men had volunteered, the news of the attack on the pack train arriving in the evening. By the next morning the company was ready to march. Daniel Barnes was chosen first lieutenant, Nathan Olney, second. Returning homeward, Captain Ross escorted Snelling's train, the largest one of the year, safely to its destination at Yreka, and afterwards proceeded to Jacksonville.

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History of Benton County, Oregon, Part 33

Author: David D. Fagan Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Number of Pages:

Author: David D. Fagan
Publication date: 1885
Publisher:
Number of Pages: