USA > Oregon > The Oregon native son, Vol. I > Part 39
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BEAUTY, BEESWAX AND RUM.
was gained by the Don during the inter- view, but tradition states that the beauty of the Senorita, her rich apparel and gol- den hair, a something new to Indian eyes, completely infatuated the chieftain. It is said that he offered the Don ponies by the score, broad acres and furs of fabulous worth for her, but without avail; nevertheless, he determined to possess her. In numbers, his braves were superior to. those of the Don, but the appearance of the latter and, more than all, a superstitious dread of a people who could cause a noise like the thun- ders of heaven, fire and smoke to issue from a decorated piece of wood, as a gun was termed, just by raising it to the shoulder, made him believe them invulnerable.
The chief was young, finely propor- tioned and of kingly mein, a man whose appearance would not only excite the envy of his own sex, but cause as well the eye of the fair to gather pleasure in contemplation of its excellence. The ad- miring glances of the Senorita did not escape the notice of Tom-o-che-nie.
Though hopes were deferred, deter- mination was unalterable, and delay once more proved true the old adage, that "All things come to him who waits."
After hours of hurried and tiresome work the ship's cargo that was consid- ered worth preserving was gathered in place beyond reach of tide; this accom- plished, the Spaniards deemed it fitting that they celebrate their deliverance from a watery grave. For such purpose, a barrel of rum was opened when the event began. From companion to com- panion went the cup of good cheer, and from their willing hands to that of the Indians, to whom such a mirth-provok- ing beverage had hitherto been un- known.
The position of Tom-o-che-nie among his people, his desire to secure posses-
(2) "They frequently bring us lumps of beeswax dug out of the sand which they col- lected on the southern coast where a Spanish ship was cast away years ago, and whose crew were murdered by the Tillamook In- dians." -- Diary of Alexander Henry, February
sion of the Senorita and a possibility that the strangers might give him "bad medicine," made him cautious, and he declined to participate in the orgies in- augurated. At a distance he surveyed the revel and wondered at the results. After a time, shout and song grew less boisterous and merged into silence. Some of the Indians had staggered away, and their actions brought him sur- prise If he went to one of them and lifted him up, it was only to see him fall again. At length, one of them less intoxicated than the others, explained the sensations produced by the liquor, not forgetting to state that he had a desire to wear additional scalps at his belt. This statement solved the prob- lem for the chief; the Spaniards could be easily dispatched while in their stu- pified condition. To think was to act. and in acting the career of the Dons were suddenly brought to an earthly ending (2).
To join with the surf went the rum; into the sands sank farther the- bees wax; among the braves was divided the plunder, and to the wigwam of Tom-o- che-nie was led the Senorita.
How she became reconciled to her lot tradition does not relate, but it is known that she lived for many years as the spouse of the chief, looked upon by all as their queen and as "big medicine."
(3) She introduced images of Christ and of the cross, teaching that there was a place far across the ocean brighter and more beautiful than glorious sunset, which they would inhabit after death if they would practice her precepts and obey her commands. Her descendants, in part, inherited the whiteness of her complexion and wealth of golden hair, Ce-li-ast. the last survivor, a princess well known to the earlier pioncers. be- ing one of them.
T. A. WOOD.
28, 1814.
(3) The writer secured many years ago from the Indian burying grounds of the Till- amook Indians a Spanish coin of the sixteen century and images in stone of the cross and a figure representing the Savior.
AN EPISODE OF ROAD LOCATION.
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He was young, He was fair, But the Inguns Raised his hair.
In 1851 the only route of travel to and from the Willamette valley to the settlements in the valleys of Southern Oregon was the long and tedious drive between; a road in summer inconven- ient, and in winter impassable, because of overflowing streams, unprovided with bridges, and mountains covered with snow, through which a wagon-way could not be maintained. To overcome these difficulties a new and shorter route was being sought for. In June of that year, the Seagull put into the bay now known as Port Orford, from which a party of . nine men slipped ashore as the advance guard of explorers. They were equipped with provisions and arms deemed suffi- cient to last them, under ordinary cir- cumstances, until reinforcements could arrive . A four-pound cannon was also left with them for defense in case of attack. As long as the steamer was in sight, the Indians in the vicinity were . apparently friendly, but as soon as she had gone, their natural propensity to possess the belongings of the little com- pany was at once made manifest. Run- ners brought in recruits in force, and a war dance was held; following which a hostile advance was made upon the tem- porary fortifications which the whites had erected. Being unacquainted with firearms, and relying upon numbers. they kept moving forward in spite of the expressive gestures and threatening ac- tions of the whites, and were soon near enough to attempt the seizure of their guns. At this moment the cannon was touched off and there was a vacancy where before there was a crowd, and most of the invaders fled panic stricken, A few, however, were braver than the balance, and kept up the attack, but the deadly effect of bullets and blows re- ceived from rifles used as clubs soon convinced them that the locality was a very unhealthy one, and they hastened to retire for more "medicine." The
-Shortfellow.
warm reception given them did not by any means lessen their hope of securing from the whites the coveted articles they had, and they began to appear again in a few days in large numbers, and with them came their chief medicine men, who, during the course of another war dance, assured them that his incanta- tions were proof against any harm the whites might try to inflict. Seeing that the situation was one which was in the end to result in disaster to them, the white men concluded to abandon the place. Before doing so, however, they replenished their fires and gave their stockade every appearance that the in- mates were "at home," and then they quietly but quickly left it, traveling along the beach by night and hiding in the woods by day until they reached the settlements in the Umpqua. Hardly had they done so before a reinforcement of forty was landed at their late stop- ping place and this number was soon in- creased to seventy, a force well-armed and provisioned, and one too strong to be attacked by the Indians, and they were not molested . In August follow- ing, it was decided that a move be made to discover the desired route into the valley settlements beyond the Coast range lying between, and twenty-three of their number, led by W. G. T'Vault, set forth to accomplish such purpose. After some eight days of unsatisfactory search, thirteen of the party became dis- satisfied with the outlook and returned to Port Orford. The other ten, including their leader, were more resolute and de- termined to go forward. They wan- dered over the ridges, through under- brush and marshy ravines until nine more days had gone by, without finding a pass through the range or feasible route over them. Worn out with hard- ship and traveling, and uncertain of the way back to their starting point or other settlement. they resolved to trust them-
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AN EPISODE OF ROAD LOCATION.
selves to transport down a river, sup- posed to be the Coquille, in canoes manned by Indian owners. All went well until the next day, when the canoes were quickly beached upon the river sands near an Indian village, whose in- habitants seemed .to be awaiting their coming. No sooner was the landing made than the party was surrounded and were obliged to immediately begin a fight for their arms and lives. Hun- dreds of redskins, armed with bows and arrows, war clubs and knives, made from band iron stolen from the wrecked pilot boat Hogstaff, attacked them from all sides. The stop and assault was so unexpected and attended with such un- human yelling and rain of blows that
defense was almost impossible. The
first to step on shore was L. L. Wil- liams, and his feet had no more than touched the sands when he was attacked by two powerful savages who under-
took to seize his rifle. . In the attempt to thwart them it was accidentally dis-
charged which frightened them for the
moment, giving him an opportunity to review the situation, and he resolved upon the desperate attempt to force his way through the swarm of dusky de-
mons, who aimed to secure his gun and perhaps intended killing him. As he
fle, he used it as a club upon the In- was unable to reload his discharged ri-
dians until there was little else left of it save the barrel. Being young, strong
and determined, he fought only as a des- perate man can, and, though once knocked down, he succeeded in fighting
himself through, and. free from the
crowd, and being fleet of foot, was soon a considerable distance across the open-
ing, which was surrounded by a forest beyond, when he was brought to a sud- den halt, wounded by an arrow which
struck him in the left side below the ribs, penetrating the abdomen. Finding that he could not take a step, he at- tempted to draw out the shaft, but it broke off. leaving a part of it, together
with the barb, in his body. In his ex- pain, and again began to run onward to citement he was unconscious of any cover, a dozen Indians following in pur- suit. The number finally dwindled down
to two, who took turns at shooting more arrows at him, which, fortunately, flew wide of the mark. Being in despair of escaping and irritated by the persist- ence of the pursuers, he changed his line of action and began to run after them, but when he advanced toward one the other shot at him from behind. At this critical moment the suspenders of his pantaloons broke, letting them fall about his feet, compelling him to stop to kick them off. At the same time his eyes and mouth were filled with blood from a wound on his head, and, blind and despairing, he turned again to the forest; but nature exhausted, for the moment, refused further strain, and he sank headlong to the earth. This was what his pursuers were hoping for, and they made a rush upon him. In the hands of one of them was a gun, which the Indian did not know how to dis- charge, as Williams had noticed. At the near approach of his tormenter and pos- sible show of his obtaining the gun, the sickening sensations which had over- come him at once vanished and he again sprang to his feet, rifle barrel in hand, firm and determined. The In- dian with the loaded rifle was no less resolute and approached, the gun he car- ried being drawn by the breech. aThe critical moment of the fray had arrived, and both realized that it must be a final struggle. When near enough, Williams struck at the Indian, but without effect at first. His antagonist was more sure in his aim, for Williams was bruised at every blow. Fortune, though a little laggard, was with Williams, however,
for his next strike made a "good In- dian" of his foe. Williams thereupon seized the gun, which the Indian had dropped, and as his other pursuer ran up, a sharp report followed and the red devil fell in his tracks. Williams then went farther into the woods, but being weak and expecting to die, laid down,
where Cyrus Hedden, another of the party, who had escaped uninjured. dis- covered him and aided him to move
further on, when they met some friendly
Umpquas, who assisted them to reach, after a six days' tramp, the Umpqua river, where the tug Almira was lying,
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OREGON NATIVE SON.
which took the refugees to Gardiner. The wound Williams received in the ab- domen discharged badly for about a year, and then from time to time until the arrow head finally worked out, which was four years subsequent to its being shot into him. and again and again three years later on.
During the attack at the landing, five of the party were massacred and two escaped after being wounded, and three uninjured. T'Vault, one of those wounded, after firing his gun, saw that defense was useless. and made ready for flight by jumping into the river, and began to swim for the opposite store. Not far below was one of his men, Gil- bert Brush. attempting the same feat, but had been overtaken by an Indian in a canoe, who was beating him over the head with a paddle. Strange to relate, an unlooked-for happening saved not only Brush but, perhaps, T'Vault as well; an Indian boy came on the scene in another canoe and beat off Brush's
assailant, got him in his canoe, picked up T'Vault, and, giving them the pad- dles, jumped into the river and swam back to the shore. Through this they were enabled to quickly reach the op- posite bank wherethey made hasteto se- crete themselves and escape, finally reach- ing the settlements, T'Vault with slight wounds and Brush partly scalped and badly. bruised. Brush was brave enough to subsequently tempt savage warfare by again visiting the villages of these same Indians, but the second time it was under different auspices. He was the guide of a strong military force sent the following November to punish them for the massacre which he man- aged to escape . He had the satisfaction of seeing their villages destroyed and many of them shot by the sc'diers, to whom they offered resistance, a lesson which proved very effective to the sur- vivors, for afterwards they were carful not to molest or kill the whites.
F. H. SAYLOR.
A YAMHILL ORATOR.
During the time the late Professor Johnson was principal of McMinnville College, it was the rule that all students should recite a piece selected, or read a composition whenever exercise day came.
It was permissable for young ideas to declaim original efforts. One of the wags of the community, Major Bean, made an offer of assistance to a boy from the Happy Valley setetlement, some ten miles away, who was attending school and in doubt about how he would comply with the rule. As the major was a prominent merchant of the town, the boy accepted his proposal.
When the boy's name was called on exercise day, he awkwardly advanced toward the improvised rostrum, tripped on the step. faced about and began :
"When Colonel-
"Make your bow sir!" interrupted the professor.
The boy stopped short, wiped his nose with his coat sleeve. made a jerking inclination and began over again.
"When Colonel Kelly led his men-" (Here he proudly marched around the stage).
In the days of our Indian wars,
His cayuse bucked him o'er his head (Here his arms flew around like the evolutions of a windmill),
And then he saw a thousand stars."
During the delivery of the last line he began to put on a most painful look and run back and forth with his head in his hands for a moment. He then stopped. and from his manner it was thought that there were other verses, causing the professor to say:
"Well done; go on with the next verse."
"There aint no next verse, sir; the moral comes next."
"Well, give us the moral then." The boy then continued:
"While pushing forward in life's fray, Whether walk be on hiill or level,
Look out for tumble on the way
Or down you'll come by d-1."
YA-KIE-NA'S MARK.
The annual . ceremonies incident to the protection of home and place of bus- iness against the encroachments of the devil are now in progress among the Celestial residents of Portland. Their ceremonies and beliefs are very similar to the Indians. Both believe in making a great deal of noise to keep a bad spirit out and then importune a good one to favor them. The Indian, however, not only observed a yearly festival, if such it might be called, in their primitive state. but their medicine men were called into service on intermediate occasions.
A somewhat remarkable one came un- der the observation of Mr. W. A. Gar- diner, a pioneer of 1852, which he re- lates as follows :
"In the early fifties I was living on the Cowlitz river and near by was encamped quite a number of Indians. Along in June the water began to rise and soon reached a point where they saw that they must remove their camp or the flood would wreck it. Upon their solicitation. I allowed them to put some of their be- longings in my cabin for safe-keeping. In a few hours thereafter it became evi- dent that the encroaching waters would cause me to also vacate my premises. About this time, Ya-kie-na. a 'big med-
icine' man among the Indians, put in an appearance followed by some youths carrying wild rose bushes. These he had placed around the house taking care to tie the ends of the branches together so that there would be no break in the circuit, except in one place where the boys held the ends. Ya-kie-na then pro- vided himself with a board and a couple of sticks and stepped into the circle. Go- ing to each corner of the house he began an incantation, meanwhile drumming upon the board. When he had finished this procedure at the last corner he gave a piercing vell when the boys tied the ends of the bushes they were holding. The devil was, needless to say, in the Indian's estimation, driven out.
"Ya-kie-na then went to the door of the house and began a low monotonous chant lifting both face and hands towards the heavens as if supplicating the Great Spirit. Finishing his exhortation, he approached the door and made a mark just below it when the ceremonies were ended. Pointing to it he said: ‘Alta o-coke chuck copet -the river will rise no further. By noon the next day the water was at its height and, strange to say, it reached the place of the Indian's mark exactly."
DID IT BELONG TO SPAIN ?
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer pub- lished in its issue of February 14th last, what purports to be a fac-simile of a Spanish document which shows that the Spanish were in actual military posses- sion of Vancouver Island between 1790 and January I, 1792. It is stated that the document, if it had been in posses- sion of Emperor William of Germany when he arbitrated the Canadian bound- ary between England and the United
States, would have incontestably proven the right of the United States to Van -. couver Island. The document in ques- tion is a report of Pedro Alberni upon the condition of his forces on his return from Nootka sound to Mexico. It is dated January 1, 1793. The original document, which is now in Seattle, was sold to a British citizen over 40 years ago, and it has been withheld for per- sonal reasons.
The Indian name for Vancouver, Washington, among the Chinooks was Skit-so-to-ho. With the Klickitats it was Ala-si-kas, the meaning of both words being "the place of mud turtles."
The manufacture of pottery was first begun in the Pacific Northwest in 1865 at Buena Vista, Polk county, Oregon, by A. M. Smith. The first flax mill was established at Albany in 1877.
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OREGON NATIVE SON.
LOUIS FLEISCHNER. A Pioneer of 1852.
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Photo by Cronise, Salem. CHARLES B. MOORES. A Pioneer of 1852.
oto by Aune. SIMON BLUMAUER. A Pioneer of .1852.
Photo by Aune. MRS. MOLLIE BLUMAUER. A Pioneer of 1853.
POISONED ARROWS.
HOW THE INDIANS SECURE THE VENOM.
Before the Indian secured from his in the rocks and bask in the sun, the white brother a supply of rifles and am- warmth of the eart hand rocks being ex- tremely grateful to them. This is the opportunity of the squaws and children. They provide themselves with a piece of raw meat, generally liver, of about a half a pound's weight, which they dan- gle temptingly by means of a piece of string and an ordinary stick some six or eight feet in length over the nose of a huge rattler. munition, the primative bow and arrow was the red man's greatest protection against his enemies. In order that his instrument of death should be more deadly, he dipped its point in poison. When an enemy was struck by one of these, even if a mere scratch was made, death was the usual result. It was not customary to use-these arrows at all times when on the war path. only in cases of emergency. The intimate know- ledge the Indians possess of the medic- inal properties of roots and herbs, served them well in various sections of the country, as they were able to distil from them vegetable poisons.
Tribes with homes and hunting grounds upon the plains, however, where roots and herbs are unknown, naturally turned to the snake for ammunition. Rattlesnakes could be found in countless thousands upon their wide expanse, and it was an easy matter to secure from these venom bearing advance agents of death the poison sought for.
During the summer season, parties made up of braves, squaws and pap- pooses, visited some locality where rat- tlers were known to abound in numbers. and business was opened up. To the squaws and children was delegated the task of hunting the snakes, the bucks remaining in the shade of their wigwam sitting cross-legged or lying at ease be- hind some friendly boulder that kept away the scorching ray of sun, their only occupation being to inspect the results of the hunt when brought into camp.
Rattlesnakes are the most venomons and uglyl during the hottest part of the summer months, and they are especially so at their period of shedding their skins . At this season it is said that they go blind, and in consequence strike whenever sound reaches them. During the heat of the day the rattlers crawl ont of the holes in the ground and crevases
The snake gathers his sinuous length into a coil, with his rattle in the center and the head towering above the body, rearing and slowly moving backward and forward, so as always to keep the liver in front of him. He keeps his rat- tles going constantly, and one who ever heard the peculiar whirring noise will never forget the time and place. The little unwinking, beady eyes glow like miniature coals, emitting a strange, fas- cinating light that it is well not to regard too closely. The frequently opening mouth displays the slender black-forked tongue darting in and out with incon- ceivable rapidity, and the white glisten- ing fangs in the upper jaw ready for in- stant action.
The meat is swung to the left, to the right and, over him, but just beyond his reach. This irritates him, so that when finally the bait is permitted to pass within his reach, his head darts from the center of his coil and the bait is fairly struck. The snake hangs there a moment and either disengages himself or is gently shaken off by his tormentor. The strike of a poisonous reptile always seems to enervate them for a moment or two. consequently the rattler in this in- stance resumed his coil again but slowly.
Again the meat swung within his rech and now he was thoroughly angry, as the object of his bite did not seem to show the faintest sign of his blow. This he could not understand and gathered himself for another attempt. Three or four times this act was repeated until
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all the venom had been exhausted. Another snake was immediately sought fot, and again the tantalizing proximity of what to them was an enemy caused them to bury their fangs as often as pos- sibie in the bait. Many pieces of meat were treated in this manner until the savages believed that they had obtained a sufficiency of poison.
A fire was built quickly and an iron kettle produced. The impregnated meat was throws into the kettle and boiled, a trifle of water having been added to it, umil but a small residum was ob- tained. . This, if kept warm, remained in a liquid condition, but coagulated readily when taken from the fire. Dur- ing the boiling c. the meat, a duty of the squaws, it was frequently tasted, as the aborigines depended in some manner apon that sensation as to the proper time
when the boiling should cease. Ratt' ... snake poison is not harmful if taken in small quantities into the stomach, bu: It is not a pleasast sight, especially if one knows the contents of the kettle, +o see a haggard Indian crone calmly lift the iron spoon to her lips to taste this devil's broth. The virulence of the poi- son is estimated by the Indians in ac- cordance with its effect upos some other animals. The Indian boys of the tribe generally caught a few rabbits or prairie dogs. An incision was made in their skins sufficient to draw blood and a drop of the decoction was applied to it. If death came quickly, with all the symp- toms of snake poison, the distillation was correct. Should it take longer to die or should the symptoms not be as violent as the Indians think necessary, more boiling was required.
G. M. CARVER.
OREGON MEMORIAL STONE IN THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT.
When the government decided to erect a monument at the capital to the memory of the father of our country, each state was invited to supply a stone, for placement therein, from building ma- terial to be found within its limits, the stone to be suitably engraved with the name of the state and any other de- vices desired. It was the original inten- tion to set these stones in the wall of the monument. but so many states were tardy in providing their contributions, and the stones received were of such varied quality and size that it was finally decided to place them in the niches in the interior. The stone contributed by Oregon was a sandstone slab, four and one-half feet long by two feet high and six inches thick, weighing six hundred pounds. The stars in the shield are in- laid pieces of polished granite, while the white caps of the mountains, repre- senting our grand snow peaks, are in- laid pieces of polished marble. The carving is more elaborate than that. of any stone sent by other states, and it nat- urally attracts much attention from vis-
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