Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1884)
318 THE WEST SHORE. . for sounds of the expected conflict, lo! over the brow of if ... . tno ridgo, nppoared the old trapper and his train, an oaUued the corral with the other. The Indians were baffled, and filled tho air with yells of rage and dinap IMHIltniOIlt Slowly the day wore along. In the afternoon a band .1 .. . ..... 01 norsomoii was soon ruling down the lake shore from tho north, at broak-neck Hpeed, toward the camp. Here was a new ononiy. tliev thoueht another band of and they looked carofullv to the orirniiicr of tlieir rifles w t 0 - . Surely those rod and bluo shirts and broad slouch hats ii. it ii i . . couju not oe tuo Habiliments or savages. The approach ing horsemen hod rifles in their hands, and each had tied a handkerchief to his gun and waved it aloft as a token of peace and friendship. It was Ben Wright and his brave company of volunteers, who had ridden day and night since leaving Yreka, and were now coming boldly to the rescue. They know nothing of the death of Coats, Long and vuHoy, uut tney grasped tho situation at a glance; and now, stopping not to speak or draw breath, on they rushed past mo corral of emigrants, down toward Bhxdy Point, between tho Indians among tho rocks and their nm.. ii the water. Leaping from tlieir saddles and leaving their ammais to run wliero tlioy would, they mnde a fierce onslaught mi tho surprised and torrifiod savages. Tho Indians had seen tlieir approach, and from their droHs and conduct knew them to bo Califomians who had mine to fight They might fool around a train of emi grants with considerable impunity, but a company of iiioiimUhI Californians was a different projmsition, as some m uirae samo men Had taught them the year before; and when they saw them rido for tho oint to cut off retreat, iiisuwi oi going to the corral as they had expected, the Biivogeg h tamped od for their canoes in terror. Then commenced a slaughtor-a carnage. The Mo docs thought only of flight, and madly rushed for their canoes, while rifle, revolver and knife made havoc among thorn. For a milo tin and down the l..V bI,... ,i:.i ii. battle rage, each mail figliting indeiwndently, and being Rftllllti 1111 Ail nivtixtw n .1....A.. il... 1 77 " "iMung oraves, dealing death blows right and loft Even when tho Indians had reached their canoes the deadly bullets followed them till they were out of range or had hidden themselves in the tules. Not one of that brave band of avengers was injured win o tho death cry had been given by t least forty Mh1oo braves, and as many more hod carried to their island homo in tho tules aching reminders of the fight, to livo or dio as Nature might dwree. For noveral days search was made among the tules for victims of tho Mod. They found tho mangled bodies of many emigrant whoso death had ot before been known. 1 wo of theso were woman and one a little child. They were mutilated and disfigured in a mmt llorrible manner, causing even theso strong men to turn awav from tho ghostly apule with a shudder. In reading of the massacre that occurred on Lost River a few months la f tr w U MU would oel, dmit iL.. " I Bluntly INjlat. V 1 " ' ,w" Uiu Uttl later theliorrible sights those' men had witnessed here must not be forgotten. They found also portions of wagons, and the Indians were discovered to be in possession of firearms, clothing camp utensils, money and a great variety of domestic articles, showing that a whole train of emigrants, how many none could tell, had fallen a complete prey to the savages. Verily, it was a Bloody Point indeed! Twenty, two bodies were found and buried by Wright's mm and fourteen by a company that had come out from Jack! sonville, Ur., commanded by Colonel John E. Ross. Of these last several were women and children, their hli gashed and mutilated, in a most revolting manner. Ross returned to Jacksonville, while Wright escorted the trains that had collected here as far as Lost River when he returned and established a camp on Clear Lake. At that point scattered bands of emigrants were collected into large trains and sent through the hostile count. under escort. About the end of October the last train Dassed nW accompanied by Captain McDermit, whose men had all returned in details. Their labor of duty was over, and they could have returned to Treka with honor and f?lnrv. but they wanted to remain and chastise the Modocs so severely that they would forever remember it was dan gerous to murder even helpless emigrants. In this tliev were supported by the people of Yreka, who supplied mem Bountifully with provisions. This motive wns strong enough to keep them all there, and was the onlv one that actuated many of them; but it must be admitted 1 1 1 T 1 i - mat w right and a few others had an additional object in opening an aggressive campaign. The savages were known to have stock, property and money, taken from the ..luiurioii emigrants, anu mis tney Hoped to secure. The company had now dwindled to nineteen, who established a camp on the lake shore at a point known as the " Peninsula," and endeavored to orjen communication with the savages, whose rancheria was on an island some distance out in the lake. Here thev were visited bv Major Fitzgerald with a conmanv of dracoons. accom panied by Captain McDermit This party brought a boat with them, which thev turned over to Wright a few days later, and departed for Yreka. They had spent Bome time in camp here in their futile efforts to reach the Indians, and their stock of pro visions and ammunition was running low. Four men were sent to Yreka for suDolies. with instructions to return at once. There was a thick crnwt.li nt tW WwAnn the camn and the island, and the men were baffled in all their efforts to reach it TIaI to the savages or induce them to come out and fight, Ben Wright determined to open negotiations with them, and got them " fTv uuurji WVWr UJL O UUo end he dispatched several men in the boat with Old luary, a squaw belonging to one of the men, with a mes sage of peace. Thev rt The next day they went again, and this time were accompanied on meir return by two young Indians in a canoe. !