USA > Oregon > The Oregon native son, Vol. I > Part 44
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The fight lasted four days, in which we gradually fell back upon the Walla Walla.
It was a genuine Indian fight, the hos- tiles creeping upon us in the shelter of the hollows or skulking or lying flat be- hind clumps of sagebrush, while much of the time we could use our horses to no advantage, but had to fight on the ground and behind bushes, the same as the Indians.
In this fight we lost about five men and there occurred the death of the la-
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mented Captain Bennett. With a vol- unteer detail of ten men he was attempt- ing to capture a house on the bank of the Walla Walla river, which was occu- pied by the hostiles, and from which they were firing upon our men. Creep- ing down to it through a little gully un- observed, he came near and shot an In- dian. But by this he was betrayed, for the moment that he arose he was shot by Indians who say the smoke of his gun. In attempting to carry off his body, Kelsaw, a private, was also shot and fatally wounded. It was a thing I learned in Indian warfare, to make no move without first drawing the enemy's fire. Once, after shooting from behind a shelter, I cautiously lifted my hat to view, which was instantly pierced with three bullets. Captain Bennet's body was recovered.
Upon the march into the Walla Walla, Captain Bennett seemed to have a prem- onition of his death. He said to me that there was going to be fighting, and some one would be killed, and it might prove to be himself as well as any one else. If he were killed he wished me to promise that his body should be taken back to Salem, and bur- ied in the new Masonic cemetery; both he and I being Masons. "If I am killed, don't let them scalp me ," he added. He was not scalped.
The result of the battle of the Touchet in the Walla Walla was to break up the stronghold of the Indians, and pre- vent their concentration. In that body of hostiles were not only the Walla Walla's, and the remnant of the Cavuses, but also the U-lit-zou-sen with his Palouses, and Kam-i-a-kin, with the Yakimas. After
the battle the Yakima's went back across the Columbia. A band of Nez Perce's were also present watching the fight from the hill-tops. They sympathized with us, however, as was shown by their waving their blankets and crying "Skookum, Bostons," whenever we did any good fighting.
With a detail of about twenty-five men, and necessary teams, I was appointed to take Captain Bennett's body to Salem.
There had now fallen snow, and the weather was intensely cold. With the body placed in a box, and on the wrap- pings covered with earth, which was speedily frozen, we took up our march and were about a week going to The Dalles. Many of the men were frost bit- tes; one of the number losing his toes. At one camping place we used a wagon bed to start a fire, and found only green fuel. We also found it necessary to use the top and sides of the box in which the captain's body lay, for kindling.
At The Dalles we found the river frozen and navigation closed. Here we waited more than a month; but with the first boat came to the Cascades. Here I found it necessary to impress a sail boat in order to make the trip to Vancouver. From that point we came to Portland on the little steamer Eagle. Here we found Captain Bennett's own steamer the Canemah. At Portland the Masons pro- vided a casket for the body, which being finally prepared for burial-having been preserved in ice at The Dalles-the fun- eral was observed at Salem.
There was no abler soldier in that war than Charles Bennett; and if he had not been slain he would have become the ficid commander.
The first "neck-tie party" which took place in the Pacific Northwest of which a record has been made occurred in the month of May, 1813. A trader and trapper of the Astor Fur Company, by the name of John Clark, was on his way down the Palouse river; and, finding that a silver cup belonging to him had been stolen, made a search of the members of
his party and found that it had been stolen by an Indian. Assuming the au- throities of judge, jury and executioner, the thief was tried, and it was not long before one end of a rope was attached to a convenient limb and Mr. Indian dangled to the music of the breeze at the other.
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THE LEGEND OF KANIS-KEE .*
In silent shades of ancient pines, Where moss festoons and swinging vines, Like veils of mist and silken trains, On forms that waltz to unheard strains, An arbor fit for fairies make- There lies the sleeping, silver lake. The moonbeams rift the arch of green And thurst the yellow spears between The swaying trees, and shadows sport In mystic ways about the court; But almost perfect silence reigns From full of moon until it wanes. The waves that kiss the beaches glide So noiselessly from side to side, The sweetly-sighing murmur seems Like songs of love in maidens' dreams. In ivied walls above the waves Of Kanis-kee are curtained caves, Where goblins dwell of monster mien, And every night they may be seen To move about the haunted courts In battle, or at fiendish sports. Attendant forms in bridal dress- As ghostly brides and nothing less- Too great in number to compute, Await the orders, standing mute,
Of monsters dread from some dark world
Whence for their crimes they had been hurled. Tradition says a chieftain grand,
Of vanquished foes once made demand, That e'er he'd stay war's bloody tide A princess fair must be his bride. The truce was signed, the noble maid In cruel bonds must be conveyed By strangers to a distant land, To wed the chief at his command. At Kanis-kee the young girl cried, And ghostly echoes hoarse replied From dungeon depths of mighty pall, And half a score of monsters, all Unknown to men of earth before, Came from the caves and swiftly bore The weeping hostage bride away, While raved her master in dismay.
The warriors sought the distant plain;
The chief pursued the ghostly train. Above the placid Kanis-kee,
The goblins danced in frantic glee
Around the fairy queen they crowned,
Until the chieftain, at a bound,
Appeared within the sacred ring To battle with the monster king- A double shroud of night o'erspread
And crushed the man with blighting dread.
To serpent form he writhing waned, And serpent power tenfold he gained,
The power to charm in him abides,
To lure from love the fairest brides, And every month at full of moon, As runs the legendary rune, The fairest bride in all the land Is stolen for the golden band.
-Selected.
* The Indians regard Kanis-kee, or Spirit lake, with superstitious awe. They be- lieve the most lovely of every "moon" is stolen by witches and borne to the sands near its shores .- Father DeSmet.
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NESIHA WA-WA.
Now and then in the struggle that literary or news-supplying ambition has for existence a paper or magazine starts in the "newness of life," followed by the statement that a "long-felt want" has been supplied-or filled.
Time alone decides to reject or sustain the verdict of the self-appointed jury, and the publication lives and thrives or succumbs to the inevitable collapse that awaits it.
If any periodical could successfully lay claim to the proud distinction of having "filled a long-felt want" it is the Oregon Native Son. As a vehicle of valuable and useful information, as a medium through which important data can be secured, preserved and properly classified con- cerning the history of the state, as a method of comparison of stories which have been handed down for generations in reference to Oregon's early history and thus reaching the facts, as a means of expression by pioneers and others who are in possession of facts and figures which make the story of Oregon one of the most fascinating in the history of the American nation, and as a means of pre- serving the history of those rare exper- iences and reminiscences of the early pioneers so dear to and highly valued by the native sons and daughters of Or- egon, the Oregon Native Son will be a valuable journal.
The field to be occupied is prolific of romance and story, where abundant ma- terials only await the magic touch of the biographer's and historian's wands to bring them to life, is not the Oregon of today, but of the long ago, and originally embraced within the present limits of Or- egon, Washington, Idaho and part of Montana.
This was the original Oregon, and in- asmuch as we deal with Oregon history our field must include all that ever formed any part of its original domain.
The nomenclature of its rocks, rivers
and hills, its mountains, rock-ribbed,, snow-crowned and vast, its mountain torrents, its valleys, lakes and forests are a part of the Oregon story, and it is our duty and privilege to preserve it in the archives of the Order of Native Sons, and to place it upon these pages from time to time as a part of Oregon history. Our magazine is not designed to prey and fatten upon the purses of the people any more than the purpose of the Order of Native Sons of Oregon is to bleed them. Both have the joint and common purpose of serving the best interests of the state of Oregon and of her citizens, regardless of political or sectarian pred- ilections, of caste, ,and of the fact that they are or are not members of the Order of Native Sons .. Their first duty, as a matter of course, is towards Native Sons, Daughters and Pioneers, as the founda- tion upon which the Order and the jour- nal rest, but the higher and nobler pur- pose is for the advancement of our state and her people. This journal was es- tablished for the purpose of assisting to carry out the plans of the Orders of Na- tive Sons and Daughters, and, therefore, it is the duly acknowledged and adopted organ of the Orders. It is our purpose, therefore, to stick to the text and let our motives speak for themselves. In serv- ing the Orders in the capacity of their official organ, it may be found necessary and advisable from time to time to seek the broader ground of the general wel- fare of the Pacific Northwest and of its people without regard to birth or adop- tion. One of the most important pur- poses of the Native Sons and Daughters is to uphold, encourage and patronize. Carrying out this principle it will become necessary to animavert upon the subject of the resources of the Pacific Northwest, their commercial, industrial and educa- tional advantages. To satisfy an intelli- gent reading publie it may become nec- essary to intersperse the dry details of history with articles by able contributors upon such topics of interest as may meet
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the requirements of readers who care lit- tle or nothing for pioncer history and thus insure first place for the Native Son and Daughter at every home and at every fireside in the Pacific Northwest. . Its plan of campaign having been plainly and positively marked out,, there can be no retrogression and no rest until the goal is reached and we have claimed the prize -- the people's plaudits, their recog- nition and support. No temporizing pol- icy will be pursued. It will be a plain, straight forward course without deviation except to pursue those little amenities of good reading which make necessarily dry and prosy recital of facts and figures tol- erable. The field embraced in the origi- nal limits of the Oregon Territory is one rich and fertile in the materials for histor- ical research, of legendary lore handed down by Indian tribes, many of whose representatives survive in greater or less numbers, and whose progenitors inhabit- ed this region long prior to the memory of civilized man. No region of America can boast of more prolific resource of fact and fiction, of song and story than clusters around our magi incent moun- tains, that lurks in the dark recesses of our forests, than repose in the cool blue depths of our majestic rivers, or than sleep neath the shadows of cliffs that over-hang our marvelously beautiful lakes, with which original Oregon is so thickly dotted, all furnishing the warp and woof of thrilling narrative in this history of ours, that makes its reading so intense- ly interesting. The romance that is so intimately connected with our history is not drawn from an overwrought imagin- ation. Though stranger than fiction, it is founded on fact, a large part of which is still fresh in the minds of the aged pio- neers who are vet with us, to reward us with a recital of their experiences in the Thirties and Forties, when history was making fast, and the struggle for supremacy over misfortune and the wild savage was painful and slow. This, then, is our work; to gather these stories while we may have them for the asking, to take up the thread of history now
lying dormant in the track of the brave pioneer, whose home was in the wilder- ness, and whose life was devoted to his family, the branches of whose sturdy tree are now to be found in every part of this great state, and whose handiwork has contributed to the making of the great states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. All praise to our noble pioneers. Wherefore are we here today, asking not only the support, but the personal co-op- eration of men and women of the Pacific Northwest, in our laborious but worthy undertaking of preserving the history of original Oregon, and of perpetuating the names and memories of her heroic pio- neer men and women. Our magazine is not the organ of any special faction or society in the sense of exclusiveness. Neither is it the champion of any polit- ical party, or the mouthpiece of any sect. It is fair to all and prejudiced towards none. It claims reasonably fine discern- ment as to the needs and requirements of a country that is rich and fertile, and it purposes ministering to those needs and requirements, so far as it is able, with the means at its command.
We confess that if this work had been taken up generations ago, much of the data which has perished with the death of many of our older pioneers could have been preserved: that our work would have thus been lessened and simplified somewhat, but it was not done, and we must therefore address ourselves to the work before us with the greater skill. energy and determination. Our pio- neers and their descendents have had and now possess the faculties of determi- nation and indefatigability in anything and everything they undertake. There fore, let us keep this fact in mind while we work together in a cause that de- serves the praise, the commendation, the support and co-operation of every man and woman in the great Pacific North- west who has the pride of home and country at heart, and who would see his or her land grow and thrive and its in- dustries and institutions flourish.
PURPLE AND GOLD.
On the evening of October 19th the Native Sons of Oregon marched down the grand stairway at the Exposition music hall, headed by Grand Marshal of the Grand Cabin, D. C. Minto, of Salem, and Grand President Sol Blumauer. Their band preceded them, and so did their big banner of gold and Stars and Stripes. The Native Daughters were al- ready in the hall, and rose as the Sons entered. -
The grand officers of the Sons and Daughters took seats on the platform.
If it had not been for the many baby shows during the past few years, no one would have known that Oregon had ac- cumulated so many native sons and daughters, for Oregon is yet a young state. But babies tell the tale.
There were about 1000 Native Sons and Daughters at the Exposition that evening, and there were 300 pioneers wearing their badges, many of them dated back in the Forties.
No speeches, and no people attempt- ing to make them, were allowed in the building.
The event of the evening was the cake-walking by Native Sons and Daughters. There were six couples who participated, and all of them were fully up-to-date and their movements ex- tremely laughable. There were many amusing side-steps and some of their per- petrators will not get the bends out of their backs and knees for some time to come.
There was a large attendance during the evening, although the weather was rainy. Pioneers, Native Sons and Daughters were encountered all over the building, and the front of the stage was draped with their colors. The log cabin in the east wing was brilliantly illuminat- ed and the interesting implements sur- rounding it attracted attention from all.
The Native Daughters have been very energetic since the formation of their Grand Cabin in the institution of subor- dinate cabins. The Personnel of No. I
we gave in our September issue. Those organized since are:
Hannah Gilbert Cabin No. 2, Junction City. Officers: Past president, Sadie E. Driscoll; president, Mrs. J. Ehrman; first vice-president, Mrs. A. Powell; sec- retary, Miss M. Shan; treasurer, Miss L. Senders; marshal, Mrs. L. Clow; inside sentinel, Mrs. I. Goodman; outside sen- tinel, Mrs. L. Howard.
Martha Mulligan Cabin No. 3, Eu- gene. Officers: Past president, Edith B. Linton; president, Ida Patter- son; first vice-president, Emma Thomp- son1; second vice-president, Mrs. T. W. Harris; third vice-president, Bes- sie Day; recording secretary, Grace Brown; financial secretary, A. Osie Walton; treasurer, Mrs. I. L. Campbell; marshal, Augusta Patterson; trustees, Mrs. W. K. Scarborough, Mrs. Louis Belshaw and Mrs. G .R. Chrisman.
Jane McCully Cabin No. 4, Ashland. Officers: Past president, Mrs. Mary Ross Stanley; president, Mrs. Ella Dunn Rice; Ist vice-president, Mrs. Mabel Wagner Kinney; recording secretary, Miss Lydia McCall; treasurer, Mrs. Lizzie Dunn Van Sant; marshal, Mrs. Agnes Pugh Bristow; inside sentinel, Mrs. Mary Coshow Frazen; outside sen- tinel, Mrs. Millie Giddings Donnelly.
Julia Abraham Cabin No. 5, Rose- burg. Officers: Past president, Mrs. I. B. Riddle; president. Mrs. H. T. Mc- Clellan; vice-president, Mrs. P. M. Mat- thews: 2nd vice-president, Mrs. Joe Sheridan; 3rd vice-president, Mrs. T. J. Kearney; recording secretary, Mrs. Allie Sheridan ; financial secretary, Miss Neta Good; treasurer, Mrs. C. H. Fisher; marshal, Mrs. F. M. Zigler; outside sentinel, Miss Lena Kearney; inside sentinel, Miss Rose Bitzer; trus- tees, Miss Vera Good, Mrs. H. D. Graves and Miss Clara Dillard.
Mrs. Weatherred improvised a Grand Secretary's desk at the Exposition build- ing where she could be found every evening doing something for the ad-
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OREGON NATIVE SON.
vancement of the Native Daughters.
Grand Secretary Weatherred of the Native Daughters has received an invi- tation to address the International League of Press Clubs which meets at Tampa, Fla., next January, on "The Pa- cific Coast and Its possibilities." Her remarks will certainly be interesting to her hearers as she is a very pleasing speaker. The Pacific Northwest will be a gainer when the address is finished, for she is well-posted on its past, its needs, and can safely predict for it a grand future-an eminence in the com- mercial world, at least, which will be un- rivaled by any other section when its in- dustries are fully developed.
An effort will be made by the dele- gates from Oregon to induce the League
to hold its session of 1902 in Portland. It is to be hoped that they will succeed, for the advertising the visiting editors will give us on their return will benefit this section of the Union beyond esti- mate of value.
Our sisters were not mistaken in Mrs. R. A. Miller when they selected her as the Grand President of their Grand Cabin. They wanted some one to fill that position who would lead in the up- building of their Order. So far rapid work has been done, and from the re- ports, as regards the personel and num- bers identifying themselves with the cabins instituted, the Native Daughters will be a fixture in Oregon for all time to come, and one of those it can well prize and mention with satisfaction.
LITERATURE.
"In Myth Land" is the catchy title of a new monthly magazine for children. Unlike its predecessors, this little maga- zine covers an entirely new field, having as its object the education of children through the medium of stories.
The leading articles each month are taken from mythology and history. They are written as stories and read like fairy tales, thus being of absorbing interest to children. In addition to these educa- tional articles, there is a carefully-se- lected assortment of fine illustrations in- cluding a handsomely colored engraving of the principal mythological subject as frontispiece.
The Magazine is published by Chit- tenden & Woods, 340 Dearborn street, Chicago. It is under the supervision of Frances Armstrong Woods, and will no doubt be a success as it covers a long- felt want in the children's magagzine line.
Mr. Gifford Pinchot, chief forester of the government, has just issued A Prim- er of Forestry, being Bulletin 24, Divi- sion of Forestry, U. S. Department of Agriculture. It is well bound, beautiful- ly and profusely illustrated, and contains a vast amount of valuable information
for the public at large and especially for citizens of Oregon and Washington, where forest protection is becoming a pertinent question, and is receiving at- tention at the hands of men dersaly ig- norant of the subject, as well as a few who are well informed. The author is probably the ablest forester on the American continent at the present time and this book is intended for the general public, consequently it is written in a popular manner and is free of scientific terms. Children of the schools should read it as well as business men, stock- men, lumbermen, professional men and all others interested in forests and forest protection.
We are glad to present the following letter, which speaks for itselt, and shows that Mr. Banks intended no injustice to Mr. Steel. By reference to page 15 of "The Mountains of Oregon," the reason for our remarks in the September num- ber will be appreciated. Mr. Steel se- cured the legend from Allen Dayey, chief of the Klamath tribe, about fifteen years ago:
Cleveland, O., Oct. 18, 1899. Editor Oregon Native Son:
My Dear Sir-In the last issue of the Oregon Native Son you unintentionally,
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LITERATURE.
I have no doubt, but none the less surely, do me a very great injustice in your review of my book, "An Oregon Boyhood." I refer to your accusation that I had rewritten W. G. Steel's article, giving the legend of Crater Lake with- out credit. As a matter of fact I never saw Mr. Steel's book entitled "The Mountains of Oregon," but did find this legend printed in a newspaper a number of years ago with no name attached. It never occurred to me that anyone would suppose I was claiming originality of the legend. Legends get to be common property. in the literary world. I used to know Mr. Steel in Vancouver when he first came to the Pacific Coast, and it would have given me the greatest pleasure to have complimented him on putting that legend in form if I had known it was his work. I am sure your sense of justice will lead you to set me right with your readers in your next number. Sincerely yours,
LOUIS ALBERT BANKS.
The November Pearson's contains an unusually attractive list of contents. Mr. Leslie Gilliams contributes an article en- titled "A New Deaf-and-Dumb Alpha- bet." The new sign language which Mr. Gilliams explains, is illustrated with an interesting series of photographs of the human hand in the positions which form the various vowels and consonants. This novel alphabet will not only facilitate communication between deaf-and-dumb people, but offers an easy method for the interchange of ideas between persons who wish to carry on a conversation that shall be unintelligible to those around them. Two popular scientific articles, 'the first on "Telegraphing from the Clouds," and the second "A Study of Splashes," both illustrated with remark- able photographis, complete the leading features of the number. Noticeable among the fiction is a capital football story by Elmore Elliott Peake, entitled, "A Priestess of the Pigskin." Other stories are "The Adventures of Sirdar Mohammed Khan," by Louis Tracy; "The Last Champion of Granada," by George Griffith; "The Lost Continent," by Cutcliffe Hyne, author of "The Ad-
ventures of Captain Kettle;" "The Duke's Letter," by James Workman, and "The Disclosure of a State Secret," by Walter Wood-all stories prettily told and full of spirit.
In his account of the great journey of the Oregon in the October Century, Lieutenant Eberle thus describes the re- ceipt at Rio de Janeiro of the news of Dewey's victory :
On the afternoon of the second day of May, came the news of Comodore Dew- ey's superb victory in Manila Bay. The scene that followed the publication of this news might be likened to an Indian war-dance. Our black, coal-begrimmed men fairly went wild. They cheered; they danced in the coal barges and on the decks, and made the harbor ring; and then the coal came on board more rapidly than ever, while the band played patriotic airs. All afternoon and well into the night there was a combination of music, cheers and shoveling coal. There were cheers for Comodore Dewey, for the Asiatic squadron, and for our captain and officers. Our minister and the American colony came on board and joined in the love-feast.
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