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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1875)
THE WEST SHORE. September. i the firry. One day In 185". atler an absence of a week or more In the mountains, the Indian re turned to the house and gave to Jewett the speci men. Jeweit bad never wen any cinnabar, und (lidD'l know wlmt It wu. Yet, as It was a curious looking rock, lie put It among some other speci mens and "finds'' be bud gut tiered, and these were all on a shelf In the room usually assigned to wayfarers who stopped there for meals or for night' lodging. Early In July, IKCO, a gentle man uu bis way from Hun Francisco to J'ortiano verland, riding horseback from Jacksonville m one hud to do In those days, lor the stiigo lino had not then been pulon-atopped for dinner end to have his horse fed, at the ferry. Awaiting the meal, ho took a look at Jewetrs collect Ion of cu riosities and specimens. The piece of clnnuhur especially attracted his attention. He know what It wus, und, niitunilty euongb, supposed his host, the posseseor of it, also knew lis qunjiiy. J inn n whs a very rich ore, was npparent Irom Its weight. " Wiieredid this tuiiiw liom V" Jewell told bun how It nuino Into his liundii-biit, "What Is It?" was his question In turn. And after tlio uncut hud told him Unit Hint piece of rock waselnim- bar or quicksilver on, mid (luit a mlno of that would lion splendid fortune to Its owner, Jewell's yes " bugged t,m," and the thirst for gold, by medium of quicksilver, look violent hold mm bin). " Where could that Indian have found tills re T" was the first puscle he addressed to 111 in to IT; hni there flushed upon him this othcrqulte as lmporlui.1-" What's become of tbo Indian T" This lust Inquiry wus In a short time sutlNfled ho wax on the Hi I el r lleNervallnn, wliltnnr he had been taken wllh other of his trlUo. Jewell bad then broken tlio specimen In halves und taken one pleco to town to show II lo me and have mu end It to Hun Krauclsco" to some safe man' assay. Hut I was already In Hun Kranclco, und ao bo Mil rusted the ore lo my friend to forward It at mine. And when I relumed with the cerlifleato of Its exceeding richness, and told him what Juslb bad snld and wMied In reference lo the matter, each of im Hirer, who us yet exclusively posesKcd the secret, mid bud then made a Joint and co-partnership ullalr of It, became equally alive to Iko lniHiriaiice of getting hack tbo tad luii and having htm tell us how be oame by It, or wbero he got It, or to lead us to the sjtol In tmsu ho knew Just where It was fouud. ( KITING DKKJ'KR I NTS ItRHTKD. The Itov. K. K. (Jeary, now of Imne county, was then Nuprrlnlendent of Indian A (lairs, with bis uJflce In I'ortlmid, I was on friendly relations Willi blin, and accordingly It was determined among us (ho tlireu joint owners of the very rich quicksilver in I no in prmfiretirt that I should write to Mr. deary a request that Hie particular Indian (his name has slipped my memory) abould bo hI lowed lo return to Jackson county nder the rim i go of ibo trusty messenger to whoso bands tbo letter was confided. This wus done, and, Unit no mistake as to tbo particular Indian should be made, Mr. Jeweit hum stun cd on tbo m I km Ion, hiking with him a horse tor the fellow to ride on Die home trip. Mr. Henry very generously ucccded lo the request; Jewell rfpatn-d to lliu Iteservullon wlih tils authority; Ibo Indian wus readily found ; he was glad lo km tv tbo opportunity once more lo return to bis wu itlchee; and lu due time he was solely lodged it the ferry. lit bad thought it politic on tbo way not to tel l lie l ml lun know whul particular service was eapected or wauled of him. e knew the buck, ud also knew how to humor or manage him. OinvaKuln under bis own roof, with ibo fellow lu blliueir, be could by admit questioning and so a nol louroitsn rltbor his cupidity ur bis suspl Ions draw from him all that It Was vssentlal In the cafe. Ho, lu two ur lb roe days, bo picked out from bis culh-ctliin.as If without design, the ro valuing half of Die specimen the Indian had given him two years before, and In his presence began to pick It with his knife. The Indian ob served him a few in l miles with mall Interest, but when Jeweit I ben put I lie ore lu the lire where dinner was being cook ml, be betrayed a good deal of ugliallon and started to run away as If In great fright. IVrplexcd at this strangr ei. duet on I ho part of the Indian, Jewell Hiked I lie ore Irom thellivand linuti for the buck toctnue buck. The fellow pouted, bill declined u up arouch. Finally Jewell went to him and persim ded hi m to return lollie house, hut he obstinately refused to go nearlhe tire or near the kitchen. Jewell miw at ouee that the. Indian hail nvognlitd ltivsMH'lmen, broken as It was.uud felt sun that their was something In eoiim-vtlon with II which had uncommon Influence upon him. And now Uils new and iiiicihvIihI dlnVully tiilerptiard, iu any who are acquainted with lb average Indian rbaraeter will appreciate. They nre very super llllous.aiid luany but their own race lliey are toleally reticent in all such mailers, ll was in ui (Ml Fiiough l hut our Indian, on whom we had already spt-ul a snug little sum, and from whom we exptvted so much of information m would make us all very rich, was lu mortal fear t that rnutuieiil of ore-but only when II was placed in th Am, (or he hod refused loeven sit u ibo outnide strpa unlit Jewett brought and showed him the HTlineti he had raked Irom the tie ere ll was by It mlcvted. HOW TIIR Lit II AM HOT US. rra whole week suUtspiently the Indian was kiystertous and uiuai. He n fusej to sleep under Ilia she,) where he had been furiilihed .pisrtsrs, i and which be h,l utilll that day of the ore and j urn inauhniiijr o,vupled, but Insisted upon Uklng hts blankets lo go oul In a pine nearly a suile away on Uie site of m old rancherle. He Was, as every ludlan usually U, mud of whlskv, and ai this dUlant erlod, at the Hsk of bringing imableaud prwerullou Uh.ii bis keeper ai lhal Mae Air having done U, I am bound to My he had Weil rurtiLhcd wilh enougli o p. htm ,m,utn very sloge of lutuxlctmu fruin tly to dead drunk, In order to worui out of blin by fair means r awil the story be was wanted as urgvuiiy eft But sober or drunk, a- tom WMIj uardorwheeIMoresltHied ftum him on the yaHledlarsuldeet. We begun lo despair. There wasaumeihlug In Ilia way, lo thus alarm and Aighlen him, mid lu seal bU lips m lightly. Wbatwaslit Aye, that was Uie quMiiua, of all t ben next lo thai other paramouui and moat anxiously awaited, to which wo wanted answer. At last It came. TUB KEVKLATIO!. One day, after a long spell of silence, our In dian suddenly and of his own accord became communicative to Jewett, who bad all Ibo time kept watch and ward over him. As a matter of policy the two or us in Jacksonville naa never gone to the ferry since the day after Jewett re turned with blrn; but we wore dally and eagerly hoping and waiting for the wished-for word to come that the secret had been confided and that the rich mine could now be easily found and then immediately located. After these preliminaries and essentials to sound title bad been properly attended to we each felt that we would be" fixed" for life In the roll or the mohtuffltient-provliled, however, tbo confouned mine shouldn't "peter ouL" But now to the long-deferred denouement, I give It substantially as Jewett told It That day of revelation the ludlan called Jeweit to the river hnnh and tlifro told to him Itio story of the specimen, without suggestion or bint or rcfiicHt. Ho wus ilien pant middle ago, anywliove from lorty-fl vc to.flfiy-ftvo years old for it Is dif ficult tocMlinnte un Indian's age by ourrulo of looks. When he was a young brave, he said, and long before the whiles had ;irenpnscd upon their country, he remembered that Just before tlio time their tribe bad set for a raid upon some- ol the Klainittlis, with whom they were on hostile terms, one of their warriors came In from a bunt after an absence of two days, and his faco wus painted with the strangest red they had ever soon. Questioned about it by the head chief be had told where be found It and how he came by lu Away In the hills, und nearly a day's chase from the rancher lo, he hudhotadeer und then rested In the shade. He there found Bomestrango looking ml rock, unlike, any he had ever seen. Having built him n lire to cook some of the ven ison bo amused himself hammering a piece of tbo rock on a larger surface of the same. One of the fragments lei I into the lire, and, after he had cooked and ato of his fticul, bo observed In the coals the brilliant particles of the burnt and dis integrated rock. He raked them out and as he toucjied the cooled mans wltb bis Augers he ob served that It Imparled to Ihein the flue red which so pleased himself and attracted the notice of his tribe. Accordingly, he set to and painted himself In the manner In which tbey raw hliii. Ho then tried lo explain how ibul TUB "PAINT-ROCK," as (ho Indian term might be Interpreted, when In the (Ire and after he had daubed hi nisei 1 wilh ll, caused a singularly slippery taste in his mouth and peoullur sensations otherwise; but there wus very little attention given lo that part of his story. The brilliant rod paint was the con spicuous object, and how lo get plenty of It the leading wish and uppormoal thought. With It, how the Kogue Itlvors could outshine the other neighboring tribes I and Indluns have as much of tho pride of udorntnent, barbaric I hough It be. as the vainest belles of the day or the silliest of tho coxcombs of the exclusive order. A VIAHT AMD ITU COS8EQUIKCKS. The old Chief was Instantly taken with an Idea. What a grand thing it woni boytoryre ravngTng thooiiemy.to uve ins tribe repair to the swat " pHlnli'-k'i'rouud, and Ihere have a big lime oi tun feasting and dancing, and last, thou kIi not least, In putting on this newly discovered, inoit gorgeous war paint I U should be done. The tribe wore gathered In, commanded what lo do, aim mo next day all started, mounted and on Hail iiKin (he grand "paint-rock" feast and frolic, which was lo be the prelude to the raid upon and the certain victory over their Iiostilo uelghburs, who little simpected exactly what was In store for Ihein. lint In this Instance, the rcudcrwlll find, ox In many Instances where the most enlightened peoples ol Indo-European or Caiiem-lau blood were Involved, the Ited Men proposed, and Uod deposed, othmiitt. The "paint-rock" ground was easily (bund by the brnve who had two days before so accidentally discovered It. The halt wus ordered, their horses were In loose lo grnse or browse, a great tire wo kindled, masses of the bright red rock were broken off from the protruding ledge, und when all was ready east Into the bed of living coals. Feasting and dancing and the customary punde-monlum-like orgies ol the wiir-bont savages were Indulged in until the moon had hidden herself al midnight, when, satluled and exhausted, they all betook themselves to sleep, to await Hie com ing of i he mom, when the warriors would re paint, and then upon tho war-path sally. Hut, very few or them slept till morning. Most of them did not sleep nil. We need not dwell nor dilate upon the reason why. Hueh an ludlan camp as ihut turned out to be can hardly be Im agined with accuracy; II cannot certainly be des-crlbcd-ln print, i Uiwt. Everybody knows I he peculiar property of mercury on the human sys tem, and ll anVcls Hiilmul creatlou the same, not excepting Indian ponies or fuiftint. It was not the odd lhal made their teeth to shake and shiver; nor bolls that sore anllcled their gums; ll was noi oil, imr grease, nor slippery elm, which caued Hut alleky ami strangely nauseous taste and feeling in their mouth; nor was It the wild music of ibi ir clonus and grunts which moved them so. With the elneraled naltit-m. ih. .i warrior had all brlliuntlv riHldenni daubed ibelr facet aud Ihelr bodies. As Ihey did so Ihey exultingly content plated how they would, III their Vermillion glory and overtimr-rins- dash upon and cause ihelr enemies to writhe and sufler. Hut the Kate had ordered otherwise. It was themselves lo whom this magical new paint was moat disastrous. It overpowered l hem with Its Irresistible quality. They alone Id body mat spirit were tormented by the luiernal torture of the lufr rust agent ihey had sought, with which lo dccuraie Ihelr bodies as savages never before were decorated. It may as well be added that their horses suffered quite as badly as the braves themselves, TUB TAftLU TVRMKD. Thus, by the Inscrutable workings at Nature, Dial which was lo have been a source of barbarle pride la personal adornment, aud also meant of Inspiration lo deeds of savage warlaro again! Hie je, was by their own act converted Into a pa in nil agent, and, as Hie sequel will show, Die I cause of moat mortifying disaster. Tbera was among their number a captive Klamath, held aa a slave, to whom had, been commuieu mid ol bringing wood to keep up tho Are to reduce the pulnt-rock to tho powder-like consistency they thought essential; and having been thus com pelled by his harsh masters to labor and to re main further away from the Arc-pit, be bad been affected only slightly by tbo roasting or which had so terribly salivated and sickened the Rogue Klver braves and tbeir horses as well. The next morning this captive quickly enough took In the situation. He saw that none of tho tribe could do much more than move, and that their animals were entirely unfitted for service. He lost but little lime In making tho most of the circum stances. With speed he fled from the camp of his fated cnpiors, and by nightfall he had reached some of bis own tribo acroxs the Siskiyou range, to whom he gave the word to be conveyed aa fast as they could carry It to their chiefs and warriors. Nothing so accelerates an Indian's movement as the Infornintlin or bo'lf flint hehinasnretyof slnughtorand plunder beforehlm,c8peclaIlywbca tho object of his savagery and spoliation are his hereditary foes. Therefore the Klnmath runners lost not a moment In their fleet Journeys, as es lufcltes, to appriN their brethren cf the excep tional opportiinily they hod to pounce upon their old enemies, tho Rogue Rivers, prostrated by tho terrible and mysterious malady, and to rout or put them to slaughter. The morning of tho second day after the flight of the captive Klam ath from tbo paint-rock feast and mercurial sat urnalia, witnessed tho starting of about a hun dred Klamath warriors from their rancherle, in full warlike preparation, Intent upon tho oertaln game before tbem. Meant line the suffering and horrified Rogue River hod gathered their animals, and either mouutod or'afoot had wearily rodo or In greater misery trudged their way book to their rancherle upon the river's bunk. All that day and until nearly the going down of tho sun on the day fol lowing did tho short but painfully tedious Jour uoy continue. At last they were upon their own Ulehae.slck and Joint and utterly dispirited, help less almost us Infanta and with not a spark of tho warrlorsplrlt to Inspire them. In ihelr misera ble agony they groaned; with Insufferable pains they writhed. Bleep was not theirs, nor rest, much less repose. The grey dawn of early morn ing hnd barely given tho dim light to the nice of nature whoa the stealthy slop of the escaped Klamath captive hud from safe points carefully taken observation of tho condition of tho disa bled nnd powerless llogue Rivers. Their squaws were nil busily occupied In doing what (hoy could U aid or comfort the stricken braves, and none sunpectcd danger or attack from their Klnmath fboa. TUB OS8LAUQIIT-T1IB BUKPBI9B IS TORN. Having returned from his scouting duly the Into captive communicated to his chlof the situa tion. Instantly tlio word wus given te attack. Like snakes crawling through the grass did the Klamuths creep through the woods and brush Intent upon the vlclims or their savage hate and fury. When within afcw iwts, the frightful war- whoop was sounded, nnd then they rushed wltb demonical glee and lust or blood and spoil upon their unwenponed enemy or old. It was a mas sacre unequalled wlnlo It continued; but It was nol all that the Klamaths had contemplated. While on their in arc h they had been discovered by another branch or t he llogue Rivers who dwelt nnd roamed further up that stream, and In hot liasto ihey bad prepared for an attack upon tho raiding trespasser. Ho quick had been their movements that tbey arrived upon the scone of slaughter ere half the bloody worktheKlainuths had resolved upon was done. That which Juat before promised to Ihj slmplya total massacre became after alia battle between nearly equally matched tribes. Hut the upper Rogue Rivers hail tho best of it, and after an hour's righting the K la m ulh's fled from the ground. They took no prisoner j they captured uo spoils; they had many fewer sca!pn than they hud at the outset reckoned on; mid the number of dead Rogue It I Vers wax less Hutu the number of tho living, who In lime ncv red partially if not wholly from the terrible pliy-.icul effects of tho cinnabar roasting frolic. A HPtiriMl N or INMAN JUSTICE. Their first act (o -lumilixo their convalescence was to deliberately put to death by tho most snocKing torture ;Ii Indian who had discovered and led the tribe to ibe place of the paint-rock. And such was in be the certain futeor any of the irlbe who should ever again venture near the ac cursed locality. Tlirlrsiiperstlllon Inspired them with the belief Hint It whs a place of the Devil's own, forbidden to Hie approach of mortal under tho agonising penalties themselves bad suffered, and thai another iiitcmpt to visit I ho spot would end In the most drvmlcd of deaths to the Indian mind-that which would cut them loft from the hope of the hapi bunting grounds of theQreui HplrtL And from thai feanuliy memorable day no ludlan bos evrr ventured within miles of the same, nor can nny Inducement or any threat even of death ItM lf-ooax or force one of the Rogue Rivers lo Indicate or tell the whereabout, or to lead the way umber. It proximate direc tion from Rogue River, In the mountains, can be interred or guessed only by carefully watching in what purticulur course they n,.Ver roam or hunt aud at what particular point the halt or turn from when in the mountains lor game. AN VXflVmrACTOHY BXDIXO. U to enough to repeat, In conclusion, that neither persuasion nor inenace.promiseofmoney oraughlelse.coiild prevail upon tbo Indian we bad at so much trouble and expense brought from the HwervUon lo give us any kind or In formation wtuui i to the locality of the ledge, lie hud pi0ked the specimen up near where his Irlbe h-M come to the river on their mournful reim n frm i be big salivation, years after the omirn-nc, and given ll to Jeweit, and that la all he w. uid impart In relation to It be yond his narrative ..r thu oauutrophe which fol lowed, as I have t.tH presented Ik After months spent in the frum, -e.trch ror the ledge Jewett abandoned the .; i for lu Others have since In vain sought . r u. Rut some day it will be found, and wb-u h -Hull, It will doublleaa be as a Big Bonanza to Jackson county, a big thing for Oregon, and the biggest prise of all to lta lucky discoverers unless they too, like poor Marshall and the. more unfortunate Comstock. shall fall to profit by their own finding of im mense mineral wealth. - j . THE THUNDER STORM. . I was nBvera man of feeble courage. There are few scenes either of human or elemental strife, upon which I bave not looked with an eye of dot ing. 1 have stood iu the front of battle, when the swords were gleamiug and circling around me like tiery serpeuta of tbo air I have set on the moun tain piunacle when the whirlwind was rending its oaks from their rocky clefts and scattering them piece-meal to the clouds. I have seen these things with a swelling soul, that knew not. that recked not of danger but there is something in the thun der's voice that mikes me tremble like a child. I have tried to overcome this unmanly weakness: I have called pride to my aid; I have sought for moral courage in the lesaous of philosophy but all in vain; at the first low moaning of the distant cloud, my heart shrinks, quivers, and dies within me. My involuntary dread of thunder had origin in an tncideut that occurred when I was a child of ten years. I hod a little cousin, a girl uf the same age with myself, who was the constant companion of my childhood. Strange that the countenance should be so familiar to me. I can still see that bright young creature, hor large eyes flashing like beautiful gems; her free looks streaming as in oy upon the sunrise gale; aud her chetik glowing like a ruby through a wreath of transparent suow. Her voice had the melody and joyousness of a bird's; and, when she boutidod over the wooded hill or the fresh green valley, shouting a glad answer to every voice of nature, and dapping her little hands in the very ecstacy of young existence, she looked as if breaking away like a freed nightingale from the earth and going off where ail things are beautiful and happy like her. It was a morning in the middle of August. The little girl had been passing soma days at my fath er's house, aud she was now to return home. Her path lay across the fields, and I gladly became the companion of her walk. I never saw a Summer morning more beautiful and still. Only one little cloud was visible, and that seemed as pure, aud white, an 1 peaceful, as if it hod been the incense smoke of some burning censor of the skies. The leaves hung silent iu the woods, and the waters of the bay hod forgotten their undulations, the flow ers were bendiug their beads, as if dreaming of the rainbow and the dew, and the whole atmosphere was of such a soft aud luxurious sweetness, that seemed "a cloud of roses scattered down by the hand of Peri" from the far off gardens of paradise. The green earth aud the blue sea lay abroad in their boundlessness, and the peaceful sky bent over and Mossed them. The little creature at my side was in a delirium ol happiness, and her sweet voice came ringing on the air as often as she heard the tones of some favorite bird or found some strange and lovely flower in her frolio wanderings. The unbroken and almost supernatural tranquility con- ' tiuuod until nearly noon. Then for the first time the indication of au approaching tempest was man ifest. Over the summit of a mountain, at the dis tance of about a mile, the folds of a dark cloud sud denly became visible, at the same instant, a hollow roar came down upon the winds, as it it had been the sound of waves in a rocky cavern. The cloud rolled out like a banner upon the air, but still the atmosphere was as culm and the leaves aa motion less as before, and there was not even a quiver upon the sleeping waters to tell of the aoming hur ricane. To escape the tempest was impossible. As the only resort, wo fled to an oak that stood at the foot of a tall and rugged precipice. There we remained and gazed almost breathlessly upon the olouds marshaling themselves likeJWoody giants in the sky. The thunder was not frequent but every burst was so fearful that theyoung creature who stood beside me shut her eyes convulsively, clung with desper ate strength to my arm, and shrieked as if her heart would break. A few minutes and the storm was upon us. During the height of its fury, the little girl sileutly raised her tliiger to the precipice tiiat towered above us. As I looked up, an amethys tine flame was quivering upou its grey peaks, and the next moment the clouds opened, the rocks tot tered to their foundations, a roar like the groan of the universe tilled the air, and I felt myself blinded and thrown, I knew not whither. How long I re mained insensible I caunot tell, but, when con sciousness returned, the violence of the tempest was abatiug, the roar of the wiud was dying in the distant tree-tops, aud the deep tones of the clouds were coming in faint and fainter murmurs from the eastern hills. I arose ami looked tremblingly and almost dell riously around me. She was there, the dear idol of my infant love, stretched out upon the green wet earth. After a moment of iircto'ution, I went and looked upou her. The handkerchief upon her bosom told where the pathway of death had been. At tirst I clasped her to my breastjwith a cry of agony, and then laid her down aud gazed upou hor face, almost with a feeling of calmness Her bright disheveled ringlets clustered sweetly around her brow; the look of terror had faded from her lips, and an infant smile was pictured beautifully there; the red rose tinge upon her cheek was as lovely as in life; and as I pressed it to my own, the fountain of tears wu opened, I wept as if my head were waters. I have but a dim recollection of what followed. I only know that I remained weeping and motionless till the coming on of twi light, that I wu then taken tenderly by the band, aud led away, where I saw the countenances of parents and sisters. Many years have gone by upon their wings of light and shadow, but the scenes I have portrayed still com a over me, at times with terrible distinct ness. The old oak yet stand, at the base of the precipice, but its limb, sre black and dead; and its hollow trunk looking unward to the sky as if "call ing to the clouds for drink," is an emblem of rapid and the thoughts of bygone years came mournfully back to me, thoughts of the little innocent being who fell by my side like some beautiful tree of Spnng rent up by the whirlwinds in the midst of ita blossoming. But 1 remembered, and oh, there ' """ory. that she had gone where no lightnings slumber in the folds of the rainbow by the storm-breath of Omnipotence. t Unless a Milwaukee girl can take a brick in each hand and make eight feet and four inches at a standing jump, she rarely gets admitted into the best society. A Minnesota sheriff caried a bullet in his head ten years, and when they removed it the other day he became foolish. They are looking for some one to shoot him again. 7ft
