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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1885)
THE WEST SHORE. 251 Governor Lane thus comments: laoe, nor did 1 intend that he ehould interfere in the premiaea, m it waa my intention on the arriTal of th. troop, .t Nwu.llj to fi.it th. Hound and ,ui manu tlie wuruerer., aud mate llu imliaiw know Uxt Uwy enouiu gin Uieiu uu tot punishment, .and tint hereafter all outrun, ahonld be promptly irani.UI bei ng well eatianed that there la no mode of treatment m appropriate a. prompt and eevere pnm.hment for wrongdoing. It ii bad policy, under any oon.idera, tion, to hire them to make roparaUon, for the reuona, to wit i Kind, it holda out inducement, to the Indiana for the oommiaainn of murder hy way of apenula tion i for inetanoe. they would murder tome American, await the ottering of a lame reward for the apprehension of the murderer, s i hi. done, they would de liver up noma of their elana aa the aruilty. for whom they would receive ten time, the amount that they would otherwiae get for them. Beoond, it haa a tendency to make them underrate our ability and inclination to chaalla hy foroe, or make war upon them for auch oouduct, which, in my opinion, U the only proper method of treating them for auch offence. May I here digress to refer to the situation of the American settler, the relation borne by him to the native population, to the presence of the Hudson's Bay Com pany and the paramount influence exerted through its able and discreet officials over that population, and also to the then recognized preference by the Indians for the " King George," the name by whioh the oompany's offi cials and employes were known, over the " Boston," the name by which our pioneers were called by the Indians? It is doubtless true that the presence of the company had rendered the native population acquainted with the white race; that the dangers to be apprehended by American settlers from hostility of the Indians were greatly les sened by the fact that the natives were in awe of the company's authority. The Indian trade had proven a source of considerable wealth, and to secure its continu ance, as also to maintain its own prestige, the oompany continued here pursuing its wise and beneficent Indian policy of making the Indians dependent upon them, and at the same time utilizing and appropriating all their labor. On the advent of Americans a struggle between the latter and the company for the oontrol of the native element, both for the purposes of trade and solf-proteo-tion, was inaugurated. The oompany had completely molded the Indian mind to its purposes. The American was therefore compelled to render the Indian friendly to his presence and measurably to wean him from hisueyo. tion to the rival power. Constituted as is the Indian mind how delicate and difficult such a task. It is not claimed that the influence of the Hudson'. Bay Company iucited direct Indian hostility to the Americaus; but it cannot be successfully denied that the educate prefer enoe for the "King George" was an actual prejudice akin to hostility against the "Boston." Nor is it neces sary to condemn the company for the effect of a policy which is rather due to the peculiar characteristics of the Indian than to any effort or design. The Md American elements were hostile m interest Iheir ob jects, too, were widely variant The former cared only to reap the wealth of the country-to carry it away. 1 he latter.intending to appropriate the to retain within it ail its elements of wealth or J Um ben efit of its resident population ; The friendship of the Indian for the time bVing was alike ""J the method of securing it, based on such different objects, was necessarily essentially different "No man can serve two masters, for either he wil hate fhe one and love the other or e e he w, 1 hold to Sus the Pepy', influence to secure JSVJSSXSSSL The sue, of the Hudson's Bav Com nun v was contributed to hv imiiW- niont of the Indian. Bauds or trilies were broken up, hunting parties were fitted out and kept constantly on Oicuriiiiiuo, ttud thus waa dcfoatcd concentration cf Indi ans. Nor did their purposes require disioasoHion of the iniuan, ana ineir surest renanoe lor pront was in putting to the best aooount the native habits of tho Indian u(xm his own hunting grounds in fact, making to him his lands the more appreciable He was tho company's ser vant in peace; he was their willing volunteer if occasion invoked the necessity. On the other hamL tho American settlor came here to stay. He required the exclusive oc oupancy of land, the cultivation of which destroyed its value as estimated by the Indian. The presence of set tlements dissipated the game upon whioh he subsisted. Such a population was dangerous in its native disposi tion, but vastly more so when molded or impreacd by the presence of the quiui hostilo Hudson's Bay Company. On previous occasions I havo compared the then situation with a tinder box. The fliut and steel may represent the American and British elements, the Indian population the tinder. Wliilo the flint and steel do not collide ths tinder is harmless. In such a Uuder box, at any moment liable to ignition, the tinder was around and about our pioneers and their homes. To return: The Hudson's Bay Company blankots purchased the surrender of Wallace's murderers. The Snoqualmics came to rJtoilacoora as a war party, In all the paint and paraphernalia of Indian parade, the six acoused in their ranks. With Indian audacity and native perfidy they had fully reckoned upon their ability to fix the guilt upon Quarthlimkyne, the D'wamiah dupe who had participated in their raid It was their pnrisHte to have given liim up, as the compensation or forfeiture for the life of learnler 0. Wallace. It must be remembered that one of the purposes for which Indian captives were taken was if a murderer or thief was demands! for pun. ishment a slave or nieiulier of some other tribe would be surrendered in lieu of the real offender. As the uamc of the six acoused were called soon stepped forward aud was made prisoner. The news or the urremlir or lliese In.linim rtuudied Oreuoii City while the legislative As- stmihly (the first under the Or.on territorial govern ment) was iu session. Au act attaching lewis County to the First Judicial District, and providing for a special term of Court at Hteilaooom, to lie lieid by liiiiiu .fusiiee Bryant, on the first Monday of Octolsir, was promptly passed. That Court comiueuoed on the 1st of October, 1849, the first United Btates Court hold north of the Columbia Itivor. Kussass, Quallawowt, Htulharrier, Ta tam, Wby-ek, all Huoqualiiiles, aud yuarthliutkyue, were indicted for tlie murder of Learnter 0. Wallace. The proetHiution was conducted by Judge Alonso A. Hklnner. David Htoue, Kaq., defend! the prisoner. The Court lusted two days. On the third day ths two condemned murderers were executed in the preseuce of their trilst and a large concourse of natives. Chief Justice Bryaut thus reported the trial: Oaauue t'lTI, Muau A 14. 'awD-ae? Jiunrft Mm Ui the firut la llrbitM at ll.ludHUtaf ilM.aiuliL, lei L Um Uuttfi uf tlx mui tfll- a. ileud IttettMl l Md furrUM, aud epuuliillog ! Brul Mukil NumUuuu. aa Ilia iUm it imUlNg Um llmUl I wirt ul ti luteal aaMlt. 1 VMHi M Md mid t Mr) al Um HaM ai Hmitkti M Um Iwtnlnn, Ma Ilia munmflw ui . n Wby.ua and Uwuli'l ut, tiMulla.uwt, SiaJhar- wkuat wure iu.lHMa4 ful antur. a, auJMutf au. all J JLWliZfll .1.1. Urua yf Iu utUn M wur. -,..t-l. I waaMb4 wltl, lUkatllaa ivl Um H wa ullu ntuVal Uml Um, mm ilil XmfwltiSt ail, thua Ik. uuu.l. A.U.U- f"rt tyu.rU.Uk,,-,. Itmimm mU xLm au .a. tmi II at all i lku f aa a. motmmm aautaul aaJ haupwUi. inn nuin. "
