An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 86

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146

USA > Washington > Kittitas County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 86
USA > Washington > Yakima County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 86
USA > Washington > Klickitat County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 86

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

"One Sunday two or three of us boys went up to Bickle's store. We found some half-dozen white men and boys there and forty or fifty In- dians, the latter under the influence of whisky and in a quarrelsome mood. A few moments after we arrived a young lady rode up on a spot- ted pony which she had borrowed from her brother, dismounted and went into the living rooms back of the store. A large, fierce-looking Indian immediately went over to the pony, a gelding, and remarked in English that 'that's my spotted mare, by G -. ' An Irishman became greatly amused at this and laughed outright at the expression, whereupon the Indian sprang at

him, slapped him, and called him a dozen names. For a wonder the Irishman took his punishment without a word of protest, thinking that the wiser course, though some of us were disgusted with his lack of courage. The Indian then pro- ceeded to take possession of the pony. He was about to take off the side saddle, when I told him that the pony was claimed by a man who loaned him to the lady and that he must allow her to ride home. After a little talking, the Indian con- sented to this arrangement.

"We then went into the store, several of us whites and a few Indians. Among us was a lad who had a small cartridge in one hand. For some reason the Indian who was causing the trouble slapped the boy. That was too much for me and I promptly knocked him down. Another Indian jumped on my back, and together they would probably have done me up had not a friend come to the rescue. He was a powerful black- smith, William Twitchell by name, who had just entered the room in time to see the fracas. Marching up to us he seized one Indian by the waist band and pitched him out into the road. Then I succeeded in throwing the other and kick- ing him out the door. The room having been cleared of Indians, Bickle and Weaver locked the doors and barricaded them with kegs of nails, of which they happened to have about fifty on hand.

"Then commenced a scene that was true enough to the graphic descriptions I had read of border life. Imagine fifty Indians, nude to the breech cloth, dancing, shouting, yelling, shooting firearms and brandishing knives. It was enough to strike terror to the hearts of veterans, let alone a squad of inexperienced boys and young men. I have always thought that we would have been killed had not help arrived at an opportune moment. The Indians were well armed with the exception of one who had picked up a plough- share on the porch. But just in the nick of time, as we thought, a posse of mounted police from the reservation rode up on the double-quick. As soon as the drunken Indians saw them coming they ran for their ponies and, by separating and making toward the timber, all but a dozen made their escape. Capturing the unfortunate ones, the Indian police tied them to ponies and rode away with them at high speed toward the reservation. We learned afterward that Father Wilbur, the agent, had sent the police to arrest that particu- lar band for drunkenness. To this day I believe that we owed our lives to the opportune arrival of the police. I had the only gun in the crowd, a Smith & Wesson 32-calibre revolver.

"After the Indians had departed I escorted the young lady home, and during that ride there commenced a friendship that rapidly developed into a warmer sentiment. She became my wife

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and lived happily with me for twenty years, but she is now in the unknown beyond."

H. C. HACKLEY.

Bickleton.

A CHRISTMAS TALE.

The following touching story of a pioneer Klickitat Christmas appeared in the Yakima Herald in its issue of December 23, 1902. The author, whose name is unknown, says in intro- ducing his tale: "It is written without an at- tempt at garnishment. Just a plain little story of an incident that actually took place, according to the statements of the old settlers, when our county was young and before the Northern Pa- cific was thought of or North Yakima founded."

"In one of the little valleys of Klickitat," runs the story, "a sturdy American pioneer had made his home. There, with his wife and little ones, he had settled and by hard work, square dealing with all and a wise selection of a homestead, be- came fairly successful. In the house and dairy his efforts were well supplemented by the dili- gence and economy of a faithful, energetic wife. The neighboring squatters, few and far between, respected him. Even the Indians, and there were quite a number living in the vicinity and on the ranch, loved him for his justice, honesty and many acts of kindness toward them. His barns and granary were full ; the haystacks studded the fields; his cattle and horses were fat; there was an ample supply of provision and provender for man and beast; everything, in fact, had been made ready for the snows and storms of winter.

"The sleighing was good, so two days before Christmas he started over the hills for the county. seat, some forty miles away, to purchase a few of the always eagerly-anticipated remembrances of Santa Claus for the children, and with a hid- den, cherished purpose to surprise, in some sub- stantial manner, the dear wife on his return with a like token of love and affection.

"The next day was a typical winter day; the wind soughed mournfully through the trees along the creek; the air was damp, chilly and creepy ; the dark gray clouds rolled low down on the hills about the valley, hiding their tops from view; the chickens hopped daintily out through the snow and then scurried back to their warm coop; the cattle filed off to the stream to drink and at once returned in solemn procession to the sheds; the horses bunched together in the brush under the cottonwoods; the old watch dog hesi- tatingly left his warm corner by the kitchen fire, walked gingerly down the snow path, sniffed the air, then turned back and scratched at the house door for admission. Everything was dark, gloomy, forbidding and presaged a coming storm. Even the children were affected and became un- usually troublesome and fretful.

"Shortly after noon the wind ceased and then the snow storm began. At first little, scattering, dry flakes, growing larger and larger, coming faster and faster until it seemed as if there were one white sheet extending down from the clouds above to cover everything below in its white, cold mantle. The storm was well on when the 'Tyee' of the Indians opened the door and asked, 'Boston man no come?' On being told he had not, the red man closed the door and hurriedly walked off. This alarmed the wife and mother. On going to the window she could faintly discern through the falling snow a group of Indians standing by the ranch gate. A feeling of coming calamity op- pressed her. She felt lonely and desolate. To occupy her mind, she commenced putting her chil- dren to bed (it becomes dark early in the day in these high latitudes), and then spread the table, prepared supper for her husband and waited. The fire had almost died away; she replenished it; opened the door to look out, when a great bank of snow fell into the room. The storm had nearly ceased, but everything looked dark, cold, lonely and cheerless. She shuddered, closed the door and, weeping, went to her bedside, knelt down and sobbed out an earnest prayer to the Omnip- otent to spare the father of her babies.

"For hours before, away up on the plateau that divides the valley from the one in which the town is situated, a man and team had been per- sistently battling with the storm. The horses, wearied by their all-day wallow through the snow, were completely fagged. First one would slip off the beaten track into the deep snow and fall, and then the other. Sometimes both were down, and then the driver would get out, breast the snow, stamp it down about the horses, get them on their feet, and with words of encourage- ment induce them to make another effort. Night finally came. The snow still continued falling in great thick flakes. Soon the sleigh was half full. One horse became prostrate and refused to rise. The other trembled with cold, weariness and fear. The poor driver, wet by the snow, half frozen and hungry, was as exhausted as his team. He waited out ahead of the horses, uncertain if he should desert them and make one supreme effort to reach the valley alone or return to the sleigh and lie down to the alluring but deadly sleep.

"The standing horse snorted. The man looked up and there, away down in the direction he must go, were black objects approaching, strug- gling through the snow. Were they wolves? Surely they must be; no human being would be out such a night and in such a storm. Hurriedly he turned about for the rifle in the sleigh, but the quick motion was too much for his exhausted strength and he tripped, fell, and rolled over into the snow drift, unconscious.

"The dark objects moved slowly but steadily

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up toward the team. They could not be wolves or the standing horse would scream with fear and endeavor to kick loose from his prostrate mate and escape. He seemed instead to recog- nize them. He whinnied. They came closer and surged up around the deserted sleigh. The ob- jects were the Indians from the valley, searching for and determined to find and rescue their bene- factor and friend. They picked him up, shook him, rubbed. his limbs with snow, brought him back to consciousness and, bundling him up warmly and safely in their robes, placed him in the sleigh.

"Their coming seemed to reinvigorate the horses; they tramped the snow down before them, got the animals on their feet and then quickly led them down the hill to home and safety. "Scarcely had the good woman breathed out her fervent prayer for help and protection for those near and dear to her when a stamping and tramping of feet were heard. The dog jumped up, barked quick, joyous and sharp; the door flew open and her husband staggered in, covered with ice and snow, followed by a happy group of smiling Indians bearing his gifts in their hands.

"There were joy and gratitude in that house- hold on Christmas Day, and we may be sure that the faithful Indians in their warm tepees were not forgotten or unrewarded."

YAKIMA'S FIRST CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION.

"The first special Christmas celebration in the Yakima valley that I can remember," says Mrs. Martha (John P.) Beck, "took place the year of our arrival, 1869. The few of us that were living in the isolated region at that time were invited to spend Christmas eve at the home of Columbus Goodwin, near the site of Yakima City. The Goodwins, the doctor, his brothers, and a large family of boys and girls, came in 1865; the mother, Priscilla Goodwin, had died December 18th, of that year, her death being the first in the settlement.

"Columbus, or as he was generally called 'Lum,' Goodwin had a fine two-story log cabin on his ranch. The spacious kitchen served also as a dining room, and there we women loaded down a long L shaped table with all the good things we were able to cook with the limited supplies at our command. The luxuries were few. Everybody dressed as well as possible, which was not very fastidiously compared with the present standard, but we were not thinking as much of our appearance as of having a jolly time.

"After the children had been gladdened by numerous gifts brought principally by the bach- elors of the community, they were given a place by themselves, and the customary dance began.

One of the fiddlers was Lum Goodwin; the other's name has escaped my mind. At midnight the crowd sat down to our crude banquet, evi- dently the climax of the celebration, judging from the avidity and apparent satisfaction with which the dancers cleared the table of its sup- plies.

"Then came some impromptu speeches by our local orators. Our toastmaster was a lawyer named Randolph, the pioneer attorney of Yak- ima. He was a witty speaker and withal a good one. On this particular occasion he fairly outdid himself, having braced for the event by a fre- quent resort to liquid inspiration. Lawyer Ran- dolph's Christmas speech will never be forgotten by those who heard and saw him that night. For years afterward a reference to it was enough to put the bluest kind of a crowd into - circus-day humor. He left us in 1870.

"More dancing and merrymaking followed the dinner and finally brought our Christmas affair to a close. It was one of those happy events that marked a bright spot in our peaceful existence."

INDIAN SCARES IN EASTERN KLICKITAT.

"The pioneers of Klickitat, who lived east of Rock creek," says Samuel P. Flower, "did not always dwell in sweet peace and perfect security in those early years. When I came in 1878 there were not more than two or three dozen whites in that rough area bounded by Rock creek, the Columbia and the Yakima valley. We were widely scattered over the country, most of us raising horses and cattle. Owing to the close proximity of the reservation on our north and west we were pestered a great deal by the In- dians who roamed at will over our range. For several years in the later seventies and early eighties they continually stirred matters up in one way and another, usually by petty acts, but nevertheless serious enough to keep our nerves tense.

"Though they did not attempt any disturb- ance at the time of the general scare in 1878, oc- casionally we would see bands of them scurry- ing around the country looking for trouble, scar- ing settlers and otherwise doing mischief. This they kept up three or four years, much to our dissatisfaction. A typical instance of their little 'joking' occurred in November, 1879, which I well remember. At that time 'Old Looney,' as he was called, led the redskins in our region. He was a cripple, club-footed, a man perhaps fifty years of age, and a sub-chief. Fortunately, how- ever, Looney was a good friend of the whites and kept his young bucks well in hand. It must also be understood that in 1879 all the Indians in this country were pretty thoroughly excited over the failure of the Bannock and Piute outbreak in

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Idaho and Oregon and the desperate efforts being made in Yakima county to punish the mur- derers of the Perkins family. So it was but nat- ural that our people should be easily excited by redskin maneuvers.

"One afternoon, late in November, a neighbor. of mine whose name I have forgotten, came over from Goldendale with a load of supplies. Just as he was crossing Wood gulch, four or five miles south of Cleveland, and at the bottom of the canyon, one of his horses balked. He tried every means at his command without being able to make the animal budge. This was aggrava- tion enough with night rapidly coming on and a long road ahead of him, but to make matters worse up came a yelling, racing band of Indians. 'Old Looney' was in the lead. Behind him were about thirty young men painted and dressed in war toggery and well equipped with weapons.

"On they came right up to my friend, appar- ently bent on annihilating him. This movement seemed only to strengthen the determination of the balky horse to stand pat, notwithstanding the fact that most of the load of flour had been taken out of the wagon as an inducement for him to move on. Riding up, the redskins circled the thoroughly frightened settler, yelling like demons and flourishing their guns and knives in his face. Some of the Indians were beginning to give vent to their hatred of the white race by prodding the sole representative paleface present, when sud- denly 'Old Looney' made himself heard. At a wave of his hand, the apparently enraged In- dians underwent a complete transformation. Joy- ous grunts and laughing broke upon the air and a number of the horsemen jumped to the ground. In an instant they had the wagon in motion again loaded with the flour and the dumfounded driver back to his place on the load. The balky horse was evidently satisfied with his share in the joke on his master, for he gave no more trou- ble that day. Wagon, horses and man went one way; 'Old Looney' and his band of half-earnest, half-joking bucks went the other, and the inci- dent terminated happily."

"But," continued Mr. Flower, "a far more se- rious and far-reaching scare than that one had a beginning equally trifling some two years later. I think it took place in the spring of 1881 ; any- how, it was the spring that the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company began running its trains up the Columbia river.

"About 200 Columbia river Indians, under Chief Pascopal, were at that time encamped at the mouth of Alder creek, a favorite rendezvous with them. They had gathered quietly during a period of several days without particularly ad- vertising the fact.

"I was then in partnership with Charles N. Bickle, conducting a general store at Bickleton, and had been down to Portland buying goods.

On our way up the river, at Arlington, rumors of an Indian outbreak reached us. Hundreds of warriors had massed on the river opposite Wil- low creek, ran the report, and were about to sweep the river settlements. Settlers were flee- ing to common centers of refuge and the land was about to be stained with blood. Intense ex- citement prevailed and the scenes of '78 were being re-enacted. At Arlington, also, I was handed a box of cartridges to take to William A. McCredy, who at that time lived in Klickitat county, near the site of the supposed hostile camp.

"However, the train pulled out after a while, and soon we reached Willow station. There the air was quivering with war rumors. At the store, near the mouth of the creek, a rude fortification had been thrown up and about a hundred and fifty residents of the Willow creek region had assembled in the utmost haste. They were rac- ing in from the interior when I arrived.

"About nine o'clock a special engine brought a major and Lieutenant Wainwright from Fort Walla Walla to investigate the trouble. Being thoroughly acquainted with the country and the Indians and able to speak their language, I con- sented to accompany them over the river. We immediately crossed and proceeded to the home of Joseph Jones at the mouth of Pine creek, where we spent the night. McCredy and his fam- ily were staying there also until the excitement should have passed.

"The next morning we were up bright and early and seeking the Indian camp. We saw moving bunches of horses several miles away, but for a long time were unable to find any In- dians, though near Alder creek we met two squaws. I at once opened a conversation with them, but could obtain little information. A bit- terly cold rain begain falling, which added to our desire to quickly terminate our mission. Finally the squaws brought up old Willy, a well- known Klickitat, and to him I explained that we wished to talk to the Indians; that we had heard rumors of trouble; that the great white chief had sent two messengers to find out the cause of the troubles and to remedy the wrongs done the In- dians, if any there had been. Slipping five dol- lars into his hand, I bade him go to his brethren with our message and request a pow-wow. Old Willy disappeared over the hill and we patiently awaited his return.

"It was not long before we witnessed a re- markable demonstration of the Indians' well- known ability to play hide and seek, for they commenced bobbing up around us with startling rapidity. Gradually their number increased un- til I thought that the whole tribe had left the reservation. At last the stragglers became fewer and fewer and it was apparent that they had shown at least all the force they intended, nor

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were they in a friendly mood nor dressed for peace. They were plainly angry and ready to receive us, if necessary, with powder and ball.

"Through an intelligent squaw, Eliza, I ex- plained our mission to their camp and asked for a statement of their case. Then it was that we learned that white settlers and stockmen, with more meddlesomeness than discretion, had in- formed the Indians that the government had is- sued an order forbidding them to leave the res- ervation any more; that, therefore, they must remain at home. Without pausing to make spe- cific inquiries, and probably in no humor anyhow to do so, the hotheads had organized a revolt. They had gathered at least 200 warriors, squaws and children, equipped themselves for traveling and fighting, and had determined to resist the new order of affairs. Naturally they chose the broken region around the mouth of Alder creek as the place where they would meet the soldiers.

"On behalf of the government, the army offi- cers assured the Indians that such an order had not been issued, and pledged the government's aid in support of the rights of the red men should the whites attempt to coerce them. This talk seemed to satisfy the Indians that a serious mis- take had been made, as Chief Pascopal and his men promised to cast off their war toggery and lay aside their arms.

"Our mission ended, we returned to the river, where I left the officers, and proceeded on my way, having delivered the cartridges. It is al- most needless to remark that the panic stricken whites at the Willows returned to their aban- doned farms as soon as informed of the true sit- uation. So quickly did it all happen that prac- tically none of the settlers on upper Pine, Alder and Wood creeks heard of the affair until long after the excitement had died out."

WHEN ELLENSBURG WAS YOUNG.

Anisiche, or Wild, Bill, of the Okanogan tribe, who attained widespread notoriety because of his artificial nose, was involved in another exciting adventure in 1879 or 1880. In those days the In- dians were daily visitors to the town of Ellensburg, coming in from their camps in the valley or on the surrounding hills and mountains to sell ponies, buy supplies and many of them, if possible, to lay in a goodly store of whisky. It was no uncommon sight to see scores of Indians at one time in the village. Sober, they were not especially to be feared, but when they were drinking, the safest place to be was in a building securely protected. A man started a saloon at Peshastin in the later seventies, but as it did not pay in that locality, he removed the nefa- rious business to Ellensburg, thereby greatly adding to the troubles of the few settlers.

On this occasion quite a number of Indians came to Ellensburg and obtained liquor. The result was

that they became exceedingly quarrelsome. The In- dians gathered near the creek. George Morgan, a rough cowboy, somehow had a dispute with one of the Indians. He was, however, walking away peaceably when Bill and another Indian of fully as · desperate a character, began a serious quarrel. Finally Bill started after Indian Bob with a knife. The latter slipped past Morgan, who, looking back, saw Bill coming toward him with a raised knife and supposed that he was to be the victim. Morgan quickly drew his gun and fired. The ball passed through Bill's mouth, knocking out a tooth and coming out through the cheek.

The pistol shot brought a dozen other redskins and in a trice Bill and his friends closed in on Mor- gan, flourishing knives and pistols. No doubt they would have killed him had he not succeeded in reaching Dr. M. V. Amen's office, at the corner of Main and Fifth streets, where he crawled under a bed. The enraged redskins followed him to the door, but would go no farther, as Dr. Amen stood guard in the doorway, and the Indians have a super- stitious dread of a doctor. Some of them ran around to the rear of the office, supposing that, of course, Morgan would go through the building, but in this they were mistaken, as there was only one entrance. For a long time they blustered and swore and tried every strategy to get the doctor away from his post, but to no avail.

After dark Dr. Amen provided Morgan with horse and supplies and the frightened cowboy made his escape from the country.

In the meantime the fight became general on the outside between the drunken Indians and the whites. Fortunately no one was killed, though quite a number of shots were exchanged. At last Wild Bill mounted his horse and attempted to escape, riding through the sagebrush, and shooting at and defying the officers who were after him. William Prasbury and Jacob Becker were constables at that time. When Bill reached a point opposite the site of the courthouse, Becker fired at him, bringing the Indian's horse to the ground. How-, ever, Bill's companions gave him the needed assist- ance and he mounted another horse. By this time some of the citizens were mounted, and after a hard chase they captured the redskins above Canaday's brick mill.

They were brought back to town and lodged in the jail, which consisted of a half filled charcoal bin at the corner of Becker's blacksmith shop. A citizen-a noted character in those days-was em- ployed to guard them. The Indians were soon in a drunken stupor. Some time during the night, Flood, the guard, took a pick and went into the jail. There he tried to kill the Indians to keep them from testifying against the parties who had given them the liquor, but, luckily, he failed in his diabolical purpose, though he did drive the pick point through the cheeks of some. The outcry brought help to the Indians. Subsequently Flood left the country, so

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An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 86

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company Number of Pages: 1146

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146