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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1887)
730 THE WEST SHORE. hundred yards from the house. "No" River Indians, the same who committed he added, 4 it is a white man." the massacre at Blackburn's. When They hastened to it, turned up the night settled down upon the mountains face to get a better view, and Blackburn they advanced to attack the camp, but exclaimed: " Great God 1 It is my fath. found that the Indians had crossed the cr." river. Durkee was one of those char. The old gentleman had not seen his acters so common then, and by no son for ten years and had followed him means extinct now, known as "squaw to California. He started from Trini- men." . The partner of his joys, and dad with a pack train, which camped partaker of the luxuries of his cabin, that night some ten miles from the fer- was a squaw of this ' same band, and ry. Too eager to wait, the anxious fath- through her they received timely warn cr pushed on alone and fell beneath sav- ing of the intended attack. A few had ago knives in sight of his son's cabin, not yet crossed the Klamath, and the The three men pushed on to Trinidad men sent them over the Styx instead, in haste, and the next day started back The party then disbanded and scattered with ten volunteers to chastise the mur- through the mines, derers not only them, but any and all As soon as the news of the massacre Indians they could find. A number of reached McDermit and Tompkins, pro miles above Trinidad lies a body of wa- prietors of the ferry, they hastened to tor between the mountains and the sea, the scene with a party of friends, arriv known as the Lagoon. Reaching this ing in about three weeks. They found point they came upon a paity of Red- the place deserted, the ferry rope cut, wood Creek Indians in canoee. Indians and general ruin and desolation every were Indians, and although these had where. While four of them were scout nothing to do with the massacre, the ing along the river, they saw two In men blazed away at them on general dians in a ennoe, taking plunder away principles. It was one of the "strained from the deserted cabin. They fired relations." The savages jumped into upon the canoe, killing one of the occu tho water and swam ashore, where a pants, while the other swam to the op brisk battlo was maintained for some posite shore. He appeared not to know time. Bowj could not contend with the range of a rifle, for he stopped when guns, and the Indians soon fled, with about three hundred yards away and the loss of of two or three braves. That leaned against a rock Abisha Swain, night tho party encamped near a ranch- now living in Etna, Cal., took careful eria of Bald Hill Indiana, which they aim at a bright red spot on his arm, felt justified in attacking for tho same where a bullet had .struck him, and reasons as befare. They intended to fired. That Indian never learned tho surprise them in tho night, but the oc- range of a rifle. All efforts to punish cupantsof tho ranchcria became awaro tho savages were now abandoned, as of their designs and silently imitated they had fled to their retreats in tho tho Arabs. Foiled in this, the men mountains, and McDermit's party went pushed on tho next day to Durkee's fer- up the Klamath and founded the town ry, near the mouth of the Trinidad, of Happy Camp, still one of the chief where was a ranchcria of tho Klamath mining centers of that region. ' H. L. Wells.