An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 87

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 87
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 87
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 87

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).

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strong was the feeling against him. Dr. Amen patched up the injured Indians, two of whom, In- dian Bob and Wild Bill, were living two or three years ago on the Wenatche.

RECOLLECTIONS OF CHIEF MOSES.

Senator A. J. Splawn, one of the Yakima coun- try's earliest and most widely known pioneers, in the following historical sketch, gives us a vivid picture of eastern Washington's famous Indian chieftain and incidentally of other well known early pioneers of this region. From the article also one may gain an excellent idea of the pioneer stockman's life in those years. Senator Splawn contributed this ar- ticle to the Yakima Herald of September 30, 1902, and it is used by his permission :

I saw Chief Moses for the first time at Wenatche, September 1, 1861, where the Great Northern railway station now stands. I was in the employ of Major John Thorp driving a band of beef cattle from the Yakima valley to Caribou mines, British Columbia. As we were passing this spot on the opposite side of the Columbia river we saw an Indian village. Our appearance created considerable excitement among the lodges. Finally, out there rode a solitary horseman, riding towards the river. Riding in, he swam to the opposite shore, where we were watching his daring feat. Coming up the river bank to where I stood, he asked to whom these cattle belonged. On being told, he rode over to where Major Thorp was waiting on his horse. As he rode away I asked him his name. He replied, Suc-co-tal-sko-sum (Half Sun), but known to white men as Chief Moses. I had heard of this great chief before. He and the Major .conversed for some time. As I watched them that day, the impression made on my mind-then a boy of sixteen-will never be forgotten.

Major Thorpe was an Oregon pioneer, who crossed the Plains in 1844; a magnificent specimen of manhood, standing over six feet tall, with the undaunted eye that marks the fearless soldier; he truly knew no fear, and Moses was tall and commanding, with a massive frame and a large head set on broad shoulders. His eagle eye ever on the alert, he sat on that blue horse like a centaur. He was then at the age of about thirty-five, the finest looking. Indian I have ever met.

After finishing his parley, Moses rode back as he came, and we moved the cattle on, crossed Wenatche river, and camped near where now stands the county bridge. The place at present is owned by M. Horen.

Our horses and cattle were on fine grass, and, supper over, we retired for the night, but the mosquitoes were so numerous we could not rest, so I got up and went to the hill, a short distance off, and found they were not so bad; returned and told the Major, so we picked up our bed and started for the hill, followed by Joe Evans, the white man, Paul, the half breed, John and Kin-ne-ho, the In- dians, with Eliza, the squaw. This constituted our force. Ere long all were asleep, when the sound of horses' feet awakened us, and soon the hill was covered with Indians. Loud voices arose from that band of warriors. Presently there dismounted an aged Indian, who spoke in low, earnest tones as if pleading; only a few murmurs of assent could be heard. Suddenly, out in plain view, rode an Indian, all feathered and painted, on a milk white horse; he commenced a loud harangue. Soon echoing whoops from all sides proved he was striking a respon- sive chord. Just then we heard horses fording the Wenatche river not far distant, and soon there came in view two horsemen riding rapidly by us to where the Indians were. One jumped from his horse, and throwing

his blanket on the ground in front of him, with his hands he waved back that body of Indians, and soon the hill was cleared. Then I saw it was Chief Moses. He had come at an opportune time.

A few years later I learned from Nan-num-kin, an Enteat Indian, that he tried to persuade the Indians not to molest us, but failing, he swam the Columbia river at Enteat, and rode to Moses' camp and informed him of what was about to occur.

In 1864 I again met Moses near Rock Island, below Wenatche. Two Chinamen coming from The Dalles, Oregon, had hired me to drive two beef cows they had purchased from Thorp, in the Yakima valley, and taking them horseback to the Chinese mining camp, where now the Great Northern railroad bridge crosses the Columbia river below Wenatche. Not far from Rock Island we saw two Indians galloping down the trail in front of us. The Chinamen were a little in advance of me when they met. One of the Indians began beating my passengers over

the head with his whip handle, which was an elk horn; the other Indian came straight for me. He was a power- ful fellow. Catching hold of my horse's bridle, he threw the animal on his haunches. In the meantime I slid off the horse and pulled out my revolver, intending to shoot, but he sang out: "Wake pook, nika Tyee Moses" (Don't shoot, I am Chief Moses). He said he wanted some fun, and thought he would scare me to see if I was brave, and said: "Mika skookum tum tum" (You are brave). I requested him to make the Indian cease abusing the Chinamen. This he did, and then rode away. Gathering up my passengers I found, after checking up damages, nothing more serious than a few gashes on their faces and heads, no bones broken, and scalps still on. We soon reached the mining camp, and when those people looked upon their mutilated countrymen, the sounds were worse than a flock of geese. They expressed their gratitude to me for saving their lives by giving me an extra ounce of gold. I met Suc-co-tal-sko-sum many times afterward. In the earlier days he was more generally known as Que- tal-e-can. He was a lover of sport, especially horse racing. We have often raced together when there was not a white man in many miles. The cheers went up just the same when I won as they did when I lost.

In June, 1869, while hunting lost cattle, I found Moses encamped at Rocky Ford, on Crab creek, which is now the home of T. S. Blyth, the cattle king of Wash- ington. The Indians were having their regular spring festivities. At Moses' lodge there was a ten-gallon keg of whisky with the head knocked out and a tin cup hang- ing on the side as a sign for everyone to help himself. This did not indicate a health resort for a white man, but Moses was not drinking, so I concluded to stop and cook dinner, and so informed him. He pointed to a place where I could get down to the creek for water and find some grass for my horse, so I unpacked and cooked my dinner. As I finished my meal I saw a large body of Indians coming down the trail from Wilson creek to the eastward. All was excitement in Moses' camp. Men flew to arms. The new arrivals continued their course until only Crab creek separated them from Moses' war- riors. I began hastily packing up to move out from be- tween two fires. Soon Moses appeared and inquired why they came to his camp in such a threatening manner. Their reply was, they came to kill a medicine man of their own tribe who was then in the lodge of Moses, and unless he was given up he would be taken by force. Moses answered that the man had come to him seeking protec- tion. It had been granted, and the word of a great chief once given was final; therefore depart, or he would order his men to fire on them; that when the medicine man saw fit to leave his lodge of his own accord he would no longer be responsible; they could do then as they wished. They departed in the direction whence they came.

Evening was drawing near, so I went to Moses' lodge and told him I would sleep there that night, but while

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we were talking he picked up the fatal tin cup filled to the brim with fire water, and swallowed its contents. My horses being saddled and packed, like the Arab, I quietly stole away. The Indians were too busy drinking to miss me for some time. I went down a few miles, and hid away for the night among the tules beside Moses lake, and could hear the Indians hunting for me during the night. Feeling that the danger from the Indians I had just left was only for the time they were intoxicated, at daylight I struck the trail on the west side of the lake and continued my way toward White Bluffs on the Co- lumbia river. I had traveled but a short distance when, looking back, I saw the Indians coming at a gallop. Overtaking me Moses asked why I had left so abruptly the evening before. My reply was, that when I saw Chief Moses drinking like the common herd I considered it time to leave. He asked me to say nothing about the whisky for fear the soldiers would come after him.

During the Nez Perces war Chief Joseph's emissaries were continually going to and fro between the hostile camp and that of Chief Moses, trying to induce him to go on the war path, which he absolutely refused to do, as I afterward learned to my own satisfaction.

At that time, in company with E. D. Phelps and W. I. Wadleigh, we had purchased several thousand cattle on the White Bluffs and Crab Creek ranges, covering the territory from Pasco to Moses lake, and as far up the Columbia river as Moses coulee. Indians from all parts began to move towards Moses' encampment ; those around Snake river points passed through our range and committed depredations such as burning our houses and corrals, driving off the saddle horses and killing cattle. Everything indicated an Indian uprising. People in inany parts of the country in isolated settlements moved to more thickly-populated places for safety. This condition remained unchanged for about thirty days. People were fearful to relax their vigilance, not knowing at what hour the hostiles would be upon them. It was well known that a large body of Indians had gathered around Moses. We had heard that their lodges extended for many miles up and down the Columbia above and below Wenatche. Our cattle were running on the range adjacent to this body of Indians, and it boded no good to us in a financial way. At this time I was on a visit to the Kittitas valley. I found most of the settlers were gathered on Nanum creek, and had thrown up earth breastworks for defense, understanding in the excitement that existed the possible danger of a solitary Indian, who by chance might happen along that way, and be fired upon. That night I stayed in the fort and heard the instructions given to the guard, a boy of about 16, that if he saw an Indian to shoot him. This convinced me that my fears were well founded. A shot like that would have brought 2,000 Indians on them in ten hours.

Mr. Phelps, with whom I was associated, happened to be there also, and we knew that something had to be done at once. We concluded to go over to Wenatche and talk with Moses and learn if possible of his inten- tions. When we declared our purpose many begged us not to go. One man had only a few days before been to a tall mountain from which he could see the countless lodges along the Columbia for many miles. He said we would never return. But I knew Moses well, and from my many years' acquaintance with him felt that he was too much of a diplomat to engage in a war with the whites when he knew there would be no possible chance to win. We left the fort and at two o'clock that after- noon were on the Columbia river, six miles below the mouth of the Wenatche. Indian lodges were strung out on the opposite or north side of the river, as far up as we could see. The plains were covered with horses grazing, kept from wandering off by an occasional rider.

I remarked to Mr. Phelps that we were hunting In- dians, and from the outlook we had succeeded beyond our fondest hopes.

From the high range of hills a few miles north of the river, we saw dust rising and streaming behind like the smoke from a locomotive. The objects creating this disturbance were coming towards the river, and as we dismounted to watch, they soon came near enough to the river on the opposite side for us to make out a body of sixteen warriors, their gun barrels flashing in the sunshine and making an interesting sight. They came down to the river to water their horses and espied us; two canoes near by were hastily manned and most of the party embarked. As the canoes neared the shore I saw, in the bow of the first, Chief Moses.

As he stepped on shore we met him. He looked searchingly at us for a few moments and then asked us why we came. I told him that the people in Kittitas and Yakima valleys had learned that he intended to make war on the whites and many had left their homes and moved into fortresses; the conditions were such that some act either of the whites or Indians would cause war, and, having known him for many years, I felt it was not his desire to bring on a war with all the bad results which must necessarily follow, so we had come to see him and talk over the situation, without fear of being killed by any of his men. He told us to go up to Frank Freer's store at the mouth of the Wenatche, and we would find Freer and Sam Miller there; we could remain over night and on the following morning he, with some other smaller chiefs, would come and have a big talk. We rode on up and found the Freer brothers and Sam Miller at their store, feeling perfectly safe.

The few miles we traveled-between the place we left Moses and the store-we counted 190 lodges, and were told that above, In-no-mo-sech-a, chief of the Chelans, was encamped with 100 lodges, and still on up the river a short distance were the Okanogans and San Poils, numbering 150 lodges. Moses' camp of 200 lodges was at the present site of Waterville. Each of these lodges would turn out about six warriors, enough to have swept our valley. Moses was on hand promptly the next morn- ing with the following chiefs: Smo-hal-la, of the Priest River or Push-Wa-na-pum, In-no-mo-sech-a, of the Che- lans; besides some smaller lights. On the flat in front- of the store were many Indians. I was told that among those present were five Nez Perces, of Chief Joseph's bands, which were at that time retreating up the Clear- water in Idaho, followed by Gen. O. O. Howard, whom the Indians called Day-After-Tomorrow. Moses always received news from the seat of war earlier than we did. .Their line of swift-riding couriers would have been a credit to any army.

Moses spoke first, saying that he had no intention of joining his cousin, Chief Joseph, in waging war on the whites, which could only end with the killing of many on both sides and the humiliation of himself and his peo- ple, and having recognized the danger of small parties or individual Indians committing outrages upon the whites, he had at the beginning of hostilities sent word for all the Indians to come to him at once. Some Indians had thought the order meant war, and consequently on their way to join him had done as he feared. After he had all the Indians gathered around him he continually guarded them, not allowing any to leave. Every day he went around the circle that enclosed the different encamp- ments to see that no raiding parties had gone out during the night. This had been his mission when we met him the day before. He told us to return and tell our people that Moses was their friend who did not intend to go to war, and who would hold the Indians where they were for a short time, until he was perfectly satisfied that all danger was past.

Having been on the ground at the time and under- standing the conditions as they were, I believe that to the energy and foresight of Moses, coupled with his good control of the Indians, must the credit be given for avert- ing an Indian war at that time.

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We returned to Kittitas valley and found our friends still holding the fort. After telling them of what we had seen and heard, with our full belief that all danger was passed, they returned to their homes. About three weeks afterwards Moses allowed all the Indians to return to their different homes. Our horses were brought back to the range from which they were stolen, as Moses had promised us at Wenatche. Thus ended what for a time looked like a general outbreak of hostilities.

In summing up Chief Moses as I knew him, which covered a period of thirty-five years, from 1861 to 1896, my conclusions are that he was more of a diplomat than a warrior. Reckless in morals, the renegades of the dif- ferent tribes gathered around him. His noted fondness for the running horse often forced him to pay long prices for swift animals which it was his ambition to possess. The Indian love for liquor was his greatest fault, but he never lost that proud bearing to which his inheritance entitled him. In point of intelligence he was the equal of any Indian in history. He might well be titled the "Bis- marck" of the Indian tribes of the Northwest.

"SHOT MULES AT THEM."

Thomas Jenkins has long been a resident of Klickitat county and the Northwest, and can tell many interesting stories of pioneer life. He came across the Plains in 1844, and therefore is among the earliest of the Oregon pioneers. Mr. Jenkins has a clear memory of incidents that happened dur- ing the Cayuse and Rogue River wars. His oldest brother, Richard, was a volunteer in the Cayuse war and from him he has gathered a number of amusing stories about the Indians' idea of artillery, of which they obtained their first knowledge in that war.

In one instance the troops ran short of ammuni- tion for their cannon and made use of brickbats, stones or anything that came to hand. This curi- ous ammunition they rammed into the cannon and shot at the hostile savages. It is an Indian custom to carry a rifle with the stock behind, grasping the muzzle in his hand. When the cannon was dis- charged, one of the brickbats took the breech of an Indian's gun and broke it short off. The Indian was not accustomed to the cannon's roar and natur- ally thought it must be thunder. His conclusion was that the god of the white man had interposed against them and had sent a thunderbolt to destroy his gun, thus rendering him harmless to the enemy. He immediately went to the camp of the troops and gave himself up. He was not afraid to fight against men, but if God was arrayed against him he would surrender.

In another instance the volunteers had taken the small howitzers from their carriages and strapped them firmly on the backs of mules, to enable the animals to carry the guns into places otherwise in- * accessible. It was found that after the mules became accustomed to the firing they gave little attention to the report of those small cannon and that the guns could be shot with a reasonable degree of accuracy from their backs. When the soldiers overtook the Indians and brought these pieces into action, the red men were very much horror stricken and many

of them immediately surrendered. It seemed to them that the resources of the white men in battle were unlimited when they could shoot even the inules at their enemies.

AN ODD DOCUMENT.

The following document is a duplicate of similar agreements signed by the citizens of central Wash- ington in 1878, at the time of the great Indian scare in this region, and is self-explanatory. It may be stated in passing that few if any of these guns were ever returned and that many of them to this day repose peacefully in Kittitas and Yakima and Klick- itat homes, souvenirs of an eventful period in local history.

"I, the undersigned, a citizen of Yakima county, and Territory of Washington, do hereby acknowl- edge the receipt of one breech-loading Springfield needle-gun, with fifty rounds of cartridges, from the county commissioners of said county, for the pro- tection of the people and property of Yakima county. Said gun and cartridges to be returned in good order, or accounted for, to said board of com- missioners at Yakima City, at such time as the same is demanded.

"And in case of a failure to return said gun and cartridges in good order or to account for same as above provided, then and in that case, I hold myself and my heirs, executors and assigns severally bound unto Yakima county for the payment of the sum of fifty dollars U. S. gold coin for such failure.

"In witness whereof I have hereunto' set my hand and seal this 8th day of August, 1878. (Seal) J. G. OLDING."

A PIONEER HEROINE.

Thomas Jenkins, who settled in the Klickitat valley in 1859, and who has been a resident of the Northwest since 1844, tells a thrilling incident of his first year in Oregon. A couple of Indians, friendly Klickitats, came to his homestead and left a half dozen sacks of hazel nuts and camas for safe storage. It was not long after until several Indians of a hostile trihe came, determined to steal them. Thomas and his brother were small and their father was away, so the Indians were certain they would find no difficulty in frightening Mrs. Jenkins into giving up the nuts. There were two of them, a young, active boy of about twenty years and an old man, who had in himself magnified all the hideous- ness of the most repulsive Indian features, the nearest to representing the attributes of Satan in human form ever viewed by man.

The Indians were laboring under a false impres- sion when they thought to frighten Mrs. Jenkins. She had in the house for purposes of defense two old army pistols, one loaded and the other empty. The loaded one she concealed beneath the pillow of a bed in the room, the other she held in her hand. When the Indians came, the boys, six or seven years

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old, took to the corner beneath the bed, but Mrs. Jenkins stood her ground bravely. The old Indian with the ugly features drew a long case knife and brandished it menacingly as if he would kill her, but the woman backed him out of the house with the cocked, empty pistol. Three times the Indian came back with the ugly weapon in his hand and as many times was driven away. The young savage had meanwhile climbed up to the loft where the nuts were stored and was lowering them to the floor below. Mrs. Jenkins turned the empty revolver upon him and he, thoroughly frightened, refused to come down until she had put away the pistol. No sooner did he get without the door than he ran like a frightened deer. The old Indian cursed Mrs. Jen- kins and aimed all manner of insulting epithets at her, but dared not come back lest she should shoot.

In a day or so the friendly Klickitats returned for their stores and were much pleased when they heard how Mrs. Jenkins had defended them. "Skookum white squaw! Skookum white squaw !" they exclaimed in loud praise. When they left they gave her a sack of the nuts for "tenas white men," or the boys, as they said.

A HUMOROUS TRIAL IN KLICKITAT.

John J. Golden, a member of the first party to arrive in Klickitat county and the founder of Gold- endale, tells an amusing story of the manner of hold- ing court in the early days of the county's history. Mr. Golden had allowed his hogs to run in the woods, where they throve and fattened on the acorns, but as they seldom saw any person, they soon became as wild as any undomesticated beast of the forest. Mr. Golden intended to let them run in the woods until the snow fell deep enough so that he could track them. The fall season, however, proved to be a mild one, and at no time was the snow deep enough to cover the ground. Mr. Golden succeeded in killing all he needed for his own use, but the rest he determined to abandon. as he did not care to take the trouble to hunt them. Three young men requested and obtained his permission to hunt them and after considerable tramping slot several.

J. H. Alexander, also an early pioneer, claimed that they had killed his hogs, and determined to demand satisfaction for his loss at the hands of the law. He was the justice of the peace for that sec- tion and unblushingly appealed to himself for justice in the case. It is not doubtful that Klickitat's present learned bar would find some irregularities in this manner of dispensing justice, but then the county was not troubled with legal advisers.

Mr. Alexander immediately took steps to appre- liend and bring to justice the malefactors. Armed with a pistol which was in reality more dangerous to the user than to the one attacked, he succeeded in arresting two of the accused men; the third, pre- ferring rather to risk the effectiveness of the gun than to trust himself in the hands of the law, took to

his heels and ran for dear life, never once heeding the challenge of the justice to halt or die.

Now the prisoners were in most respects fearless men, but, having been brought up on the edge of the wilderness always without the reach of the law, and never having seen any of its operations, they had formed a very exaggerated idea of its powers.

The justice appointed the time of trial for the same evening and summoned witnesses accordingly. John J. Golden was called as a witness for the de- fense, and, after being duly sworn, told his story. No sooner had he finished his testimony than the justice, who believed in the argumentum ad hom- inum method of conducting a prosecution, pro- ceeded to revile him for his false and perjured tes- timony.

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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 87

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