THE CHEM AW A
AM ERICAN
3
the little strin g s of dried fish h an g in g about, one would not have know n
th e cabin was the abode of Indians.
M any tim es Dick came for advice about ag ricu ltu re and other problem s
as they arose, and finally reported th a t w hite people had settled in his
v icin ity —th a t did not show a friendly sp irit; and finally th a t they were
try in g to frighten him aw ay, telling him th at he and Jim could not hold
land and th a t they were w asting their tim e and m eans.
Dick was counseled to go on w ith his w ork, to pay little heed to the
conduct of his neighbors, and not allow him self to become so provoked
as to resent th e ir aggressions. T hese aggressions grew more serious,
how ever, Dick rep o rtin g from tim e to tim e, and yet he was patient and
forbearing.
O ur people th o u g h t th at th e In d ian s were being tau n ted in hopes they
would leave voluntarily to escape persecution, but no one th o u g h t th e
people would go fu rth er.
O ne day as Dick was chopping wood in front of his house, eig h t men
rode up and shot him down. H e fell dead across the stick he was c u t
tin g w ithout raising a hand in defense. H is father ran out of th e house
and they shot him also. T h e women came out and they stru ck them
w ith th eir guns, but th e women fled to the woods. K lickitat Jim was
re tu rn in g from the mill w hen he heard the shooting and saw the
m ounted men in front of D ick ’s house. H is own cabin was a few h u n
dred yards aw ay from D ick’s. H e succeeded in reaching it before the
mob could get him . H e sp ran g th ro u g h a window th a t was covered w ith
cloth and seizing his rifle, prepared for defense. T h e mob fearing for
their lives p u t spurs to their horses and galloped away.
T h e women succeeded in reaching the settlem ent of our people th a t
n ig h t and there was great excitem ent w hen th e news was told. A bout
40 men w ent to the scene of the m urder the next m orning. T hey made
coffins and buried the dead. T h e people’s blood was up and there was
talk of descending upon the m urderers and g iv in g them a dose of th eir
ow n m edicine, but while the leaders were stern men and used to serious
th in g s, they knew the danger and the council was: “ Bovs, we have a
law for these th in g s now, let us try i t . ”
T hey tried. E ig h t men were indicted and brought to trial. T he
young prosecutor was able and earnest and m ade a stro n g appeal for
the enforcem ent of the hom icide law w ithout regard to the fact th a t the
victim s were “ only In d ia n s.” H e was afterw ard G overnor of our
state and his son sits w ith honor upon the suprem e bench of the State
of W ashington. But the accused w ent free. T h e result of the trial
perhaps could not have been different in th a t day of hostility between
th e races. T h e widow of Dick Johnson lived in a cabin on the Lindsay
A pplegate farm until S pring, w hen she was taken to the reservation.