THE OREGON JOURNAL'. PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH ,27, 1804.
True Story of the 'Massacre of an Immigrant Train
by Indians at "Bloody Point! Tale Lake, Klamath
County, Oregon, In IQ52;f: '
THE SAB FATE. "OF THE BEAUTIFUL UNKNOWN.
i HE late Jsaaq Constant, who wal
ii captain of the train, is authority
for the enclosed story, sir. won-
etant came to Rogue River val
ley in September, 1862, and took up a
donation claim near the present site or
Central Point He was one of the best
known ana most pnymnem iarmoro in
the valley. A man tofj stem Integrity
and unbending will, Ms word was as
good aa his bond. He lived continuously
on bis claim up to the date of his death
in January, 1890. He was uncompro
mising in matters of principle, a man
of much influence and had the confi
dence and esteem of all who knew him.
The writer, with his parents, was
about ISO miles behind the murdered
train, and passed around the same noted
point, our train being guarded by Ben
Wright men. . The story In all respects
is substantially true and has never been
published.
W. J. PLYMALE.
Early In the spring of 1852 a party of
Immigrants arrived at Weston, Mo.,
bound for the "Golden West" They
were people from the middle states who
had sold valuable farms and were all
well-to-do. They bought outfits here
consisting of horses, wagons, oxen, pro
visions, ammunition and everything nec
essary for the long and arduous Journey
of which they had been fully advised.
This was the second or third train of
the great Immigration of that year. At
Weston two young men. made' applica
tion to accompany u irajn, promising
to perform such duties as might be re
quired of them, and in all things to be
faithful and devoted td the best inter
ests and most speedy progress of the
train. Their manner was such aa to
Inspire confidence, and they were al
lowed to Join the company. ; f
t When everything was In readiness the
train pulled out and crossing the Mis
souri river, camped about Ave miles out
in the Indian territory. It must be
remembered that at that time Kansas
was not settled, and that when the Mis
souri river waa crossed the Indian ter
ritory was at once encountered. Here
the company organised by electing Isaac
C. captain. .. Mr. C waa a man ofsplen
dld self -poise, strong personality, good
Judgment, fine executive ability and had
the confidence of every member of the
train.
And though many of the company
were anxious to reach the gold fields of
the Pacific at the earliest date possible
the captain decided that no traveling
should ' be done on Sundays. . He be
lieved , the Journey would be made as
quickly and with less wear and fatigue
by resting one day in seven. The train
was well . supplied with reading matter
and musical instruments, and when
Sunday came It waa soon found to be a
The Fine
(By ' Xeelet XL Qabbert.) v-
1 1 HE first inaugural ball In Oregon
I v was a notable function of his
I torlc Interest . General Josvph
Lane, who had served with dis
tinction In the war with Mexico, was
wounded in one of the engagements un
der General Taylor. Soon after his re
turn from the war he was appointed the
first territorial governor of Oregon, and
was commissioned on August 18, 1848.
Governor Lane and his staff reached
Oregoa city March S, 1849, making the
trip from Portland to the falls in a
bateau, or flatboat The new executive
. and his party were received at Oregon
City, then the capital of the newly
organized territory, with great pomp. It
was the beginning of a new epoch in the
history of the northwest for It was the
transition from the provisional govern
ment organized In 1846, - to that of an
organised territory of the United States.
The reception to the governor, and his
staff took place at the home of William
Livingstone Holmes, now- known as
"Rose Farm," Just outside of the pres
ent corporate limits of Oregon City.
Many prominent persons were present,
including DT. John McLoughlln; George
Abernethy. who had been governor un
der the provisional government, and Su
preme Judge A J. Lovejoy. Almost the
entire population participated In the
function, including residents of Port
land. The dinner or banquet was served
In the afternoon on the long porch In
front of the dwelling, and appropriate
toasts and responses enlivened the, fes
tive occasion. The meats for the ban-
if
if
9 . ., '
i
W. E. Curtis in Chicago Record-Herald.
Everybody who keeps in touch with
the slowly changing social conditions
In India is convinced that the caste, the
most Important fetich of the Hindus,
Is gradually losing its hold, particularly
upon the upper classes, because they
ranot adjust it to the' requirements of
- modern civilization and to tbe foreign
customs they . imitate and' value so
much. Very . high authorities have pre
dicted In toy hearing that caste will be
' practically obsolete within the next 60
years, and entirely disappear before, the
end Of the century, provided the mis
sionaries and other reformers will let
It atone and not keep It alive by contro
versy. It. Is a good fetich, and when it
is attacked the loyal Hindu Is compelled
to defend and Justify It no matter
what his private opinion of Its practi
cability and advantageaiay be, but,
if foreigners will ignore it, the progres
sive, cultured Hindus will themselves
discard It
, The influence of travel, official and
commercial relations, and social Inter
course with foreigners, personal ambi
tion for preferment In the military and
civil service, the adoption of modern
customs and other agencies are at work
undermining the Institution, and when a
Hindu finds that the laws interfere
with his comfort or convenience, he is
very certain to Ignore them. The ex
perience of the Maharaja of Jevpore,
of whom I wrote you yesterday, it not
1 unusual. His case Is only one of thu-
sands, and nearly every native-prince
and wealthy Hindu has broken caste
again and again without suffering the
slightest disadvantage, which has1 riat-
- urally make them Indifferent
': Travelers see very little of this pecu
liar Institution, but It Is so complicated
that they csnnot comprehend It without
months of study. They notice that halt
the men they' meet on the stets have
odd looking signs upon their foreheads.
Ityss,; our bearer, calls them "god
marks," but they are entirely artificial,
and indicate the particular deity which
the wearer Is in the habit Of worshiping.
as well as the casta to, which he be
longs. ; A ' white . triangle means
great relief and source of satisfaction
to rest and read and collect In groups
and listen to vocal and Instrumental
music. After the company had become
weary' and travel-worn, Sundays were
looked forward to as so many happy
oasis In the desert of a toilsome Jour
ney which seemed more disheartening
with each succeeding day.,. .
It Is not the Intent of this paper to
relate the many graphic and interesting
Incidents that transpired along the way,
as these are common to all trains and
would only be n repetition of what in
some measure all experienced in cross
ing the plains. The narrative will there
fore be confined mainly to the "un
known" and the two, young men.
In pursuing Us way westward the
company occasionally came to a trading
post where some adventurous spirits
had reached an understanding with the
Indians and were trading them goods
and cheap variety notions for furs, pelts
and other articles of commerce. These
posts generally carried in stock sugar,
coffee, tobacco, etc,, and were supplied
by fast mule teams which placed them
In direct and reasonably speedy commu
nication with their sources of supply In
the east It was natural for trains to
stop at these posts to inquire the news
and make such small purchases as tney
chanced to need. All each successive
post was reached the company was in
formed that there . were two small
trains ahead. It was represented that
there were a number of womeri - and
children with these trains, and special
mention was made of a handsome young
woman,' tall and willowy, with a wealth
of auburn hair,, dark basel eyes and
truly fascinating to all who came In
contact with her. It was said of her
that she had a happy greeting and pleas
ant smle for-all and that her reassuring
and cheerful disposition was a constant'
Inspiration to the weary and disheart
ened. Her words of cheer and encour
agement were as a grateful balm to the
worn and spiritless and all such turned
Instinctively to her for that confidence
and renewal of hope which she alone
seemed able to Impart At every sta
tion as the train advanced the young
woman was the chief subject of con
versation. Inquiry failed to elicit any
thing concerning her name, antecedents,
where she came from or whether her
parents were with the train. The post
traders seem to have been too much ab
sorbed in her beauty and engaging man
ners to make any inquiries concerning
her. From all reports she appears to
have been of charming personality, re
fined and cultivated, and fitted alike to
be the companion, of common people or
te adorn with all the graces of superior
womanhood the most advanced society.
She was at once the pride and pet of the
whole company. '
Old Home at
WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE HOLMES.
quet including beef, venison and bear,
were roasted over live coals in a pit dug
in the ground, in barbecue style. After
the banquet followed the Inaugural ball,
which lasted until daylight the next
morning, closing the festivities In honor
of Oregon's first executive.
Krishnu, and a red circle means Siva
the two greatest gods or vice versa,
I have forgotten which, and Hindus
who are inclined to let their light shine
before men spread on these symbols
with great care and regularity. At ev
ery temple, every market place, at the
places where Hindus go to bathe, at the
railway stations, public buildings, In
the bazaars, and wherever else multi
tudes are accustomed to gather, you
will find Brahmins squatting on a piece
of matting behind trays covered with
little bowls filled with different colored
ochers and other paints. These men
know the distinctive marks of all the
castes, and for. small fees paint the
proper signs upon the foreheads of
their patrons, who wear them with great
pride. You frequently see' them unon
children alsd; and on holidays and re-J
ngious anniversaries, when the people
come out for pleasure, fir during special
ceremonials at their temples, nearly ev
erybody ears a "god mark," JuSt as
he would wear a badge denoting his
regiment and corps at a Grand Army
reunion.
The more you study the question of
caste the more confusing it becomes,
but If li interesting and Important be
cause it is the peculial Institution of
indta ana ir not found In any other
country in the world. The number of
castes s almost Infinite. The 200,000,000
or more Hindus in the emolra am di
vided Into a vast number of litdanendent.
well -organized and unchangeable groups,
wnicn arejseparatea oy wide differences,
who cannot eat together or drink from
the same vessel or sit at the same table
or Intermarry. There have been, and
still are, eminent and learned nhiloao-
phers and social scientists who admire
caste as one ef the highest agencies of
social perfection, and they aaree that
it alone' haa prevented the people of
India from relapsing Into barbarism, but
foreigners in general 'and Christian mis
sionaries In particular take a different
view, ana many thoughtful and pat
none jtiinaus puoiiciy declare that it
la the real and only cause of the
wretched condition of their people and
te greatest, obstacle of their progress
Mr, Shoehce. Chunder Dutt, a very
After the company had reached within
about 100 miles of Goose Lake the young
men became restless and - complained
that the train was going too slow; that
the trains ahead were gaining on them,
and that they were anxious to catch
up with them before they reached the
settlements. The captain tried to reason
with them concerning the condition of
the teams, and the Impossibility of urg
ing them beyond their usual-speed. The
young men were not satisfied.'- They had
been inflamed by the stories told of the
beautiful young- woman, and had re
solved to . go on a-foot' and catch the
company with which she was traveling.
The train was now entering the most
dangerous country yet traversed, Danger
signals were posted up here and there
along the road, warning. Immigrants to
look out for Indians, to guard well their
stock, and to keep a close watch out
after night Since the young men had
proved themselves so faithful, their as
sistance and protection were especially
desired through this dangerous section.
The entreaties ' of the captain, however,
were unavailing, and early one morning
he was notified by the young men that
they had decided to leave the train and
go ahead. . In vain did the captain plead
with them to abandon so dangerous an
undertaking. They had read the notices
along the line of road, fend had been ad
vised by , returning Callfornlans. of
whom there were many on the road,
that the lake country was Infested with
hostile Indians, and that the utmost care
should be taken to avoid the killing and
theft of stock, or a possible surprise of
the train. Unmoved by the entreaties
of the company or the remonstrances of
the captain, and turning a deaf ear to the
recital of dangers to be encountered,
the young men had resolved to go' for
ward, and nothing could dissuade them
from their resolution.
The next morning after notifying the
captain of their Intention, they were
generously' fitted out with such provis
ions as they were able to carry, and
bidding adieu to all with many wishes
for their safe arrival at the settlements,
the young men left the train and went
ahead. Many wrung their hands and
went Into their tents. Fear and sorrow
were on every countenance fear for
the safety of the young men, and sorrow
for the great loss the train had sus
tained. Their departure fell as a blight
on the company, and with heavy hearts
and grave forebodings the despondent
travelers pursaed their way westward.
Contrary to the opinion of the young
men, the train they left was gaining on
those ahead and was only a short dis
tance behind them when they left. When
the train was approaching Tule Lake,
the captain, as was his custom, went
ahead to look out a camping place. Con
Oregon City in Which
Mrs. Dan O'Neill, the oldest daughter
of Mr. Holmes, who still lives in the
historic house on the old homestead, dis
tinctly remembers the details of the
first inaugural ball. She states that the
costumes worn were becoming to the
dignity of the function. People In these
early times wore good clotnes on festal
occasions, for they had brought their
dress suits across the plains, and there
was no difficulty in. getting good articles
of clothing at the stores.
"There -were no common people In
those days," said Mrs. O'Neill, "for the
early pioneers were persons of intelli
gence and of high moral cnaracter, who
were attracted to Oregon by the stories
of Its health,- delightful . climate and
other advantages, consequently there ex
isted no condition for social castes.
People appeared to enjoy themselves in
those days, as there was little formality
and no striving Jealousy for social po
sition." Christmas, New Tear's, 4th of Jan
uary, 22d of February and the Fourth
of July were celebrated by balls, and
the Holmes residence was the popular
place for these gatherings, although oc
casionally parties were given in town.
A large hall on the upper floor of the
Holmes mansion was especially suited
for dancing, and It was the social center
of the territorial capital. Picnic parties
from town would often walk out to the
Holmes dwelling during the summer
evenings, and enjoy a social season of
musio and dancing. When the gov
ernment mounted rifle regiment waa
sent to Oregon City, new life was added
CASTE IS SLOWLY DYING OUT IN
leared Hindu and author of a standard
book entitled "India, Past and Present."
declares that t "civilization has been
brought to a standstill by Its mls-
chievlous restrictions, and there is no
hope of Its being remedied until those
restrictions are removed."
It is curious to learn that the word
"caste" is not Hindu at all. but Portu
guese, and that instead of being an an
cient feature of the Hindu religion, 'it
is comparatively a modern Idea.
The first " form of religion In India
was the worship of nature, and the chief
gods of the people were the 'sun, fire,
water and other natural phenomena,
which were Interpreted to the' Ignorant
masses of priests, who gradually devel
oped what Is now called Brahmlnism.
and. In course of time, for social rea
sons, divided the people into four
classes: First, the Brahmins, which
Include the priestly, the literary and the
ruling portions of the population; sec
ond, the Kshatryas, dr warriors, who
were like the knighthoods of Europe In
the middle ages: then the Valsyas. or
landowners, the farming population, and
tnose engaged in mercantile and manu
facturing Industries; and finally the 8u-
drasjjr servants who attended the other
caiieu, xouea in tne neias ana aid the
heavy labor of the community.
uraauauy these grand divisions became
divided Into sections or social groups.
From the Chicago Record-Herald.
, James It Tillman has announced his
Intention of trying to break Into con
gress. , Tillman, while lieutenant-governor
of South Carolina, shot and killed
Editor N G. Gonzales, a political rival.
Notwithstanding the fact that Gonzales
was unarmed at the time of his. death,
and in spite of the fact that Tillman had
boasted that he would shoot the editor
down "like a dog," a South Carolina Jury
acquitted the - slayer of the charge of
murder.. Not satisfied merely to bs a free
.... ... ' , , .. , ' j . M""; ,". " ' , ' . '
KILLER TILLMAN FOR CONGRESS
ditio were unfavorable for grass and
waterland the train traveled later than
usualbefore reaching camp. A number
of times during tbe day members of the
train thought they saw the dust of an
other train three or four ' miles ahead.
It was Rearing : sundown vwhen the
wagons reached camp an& were run into
a circle for protection. . : .
The tracks of the last train ahead
followed the main' road U the left -around
the point next to the lake. The captain
took a trail leading up to a flat on a
spur that extended 'down to the lake and
soon came to a spring where there was
good camping ground. The company had
barely camped and turned the stock out
when a rifle shot was heard from the
direction of the lake. Then another and
another in quick succession, and soon
the firing became rapid and general, in
dicating that a. battle was being fought
at the point, of rocks below. ' The fir
ing lasted but a short time and all again
was quiet. The train was quickly
aroused, the stock gathered up, -arms
and ammunition placed ready at hand,
and , every precaution taken to protect
life and property should an attack, be
made on the train. While all hands
were keeping a close watch from Inside
the circle, three horsemen were seen ap
proaching from the point at a 'swift
gallop. The anxiety, and "excitement
upon this discovery were intense, but all
preserved silence and prepared for the
worst. When the, horsemen came close
enough to be recognised as white men,
the captain stepped out from the circle
and greeting them as they rode up. In-'
vited them to dismount take ' supper,
and remain , over night with them. They
accepted the Invitation and were soon
surrounded by anxious members of the
company, who hailed tnem as thrice
welcome protectors. Soon supper was
served and -during : tne conversation
which ensued it was learned that the
men were volunteers under Ben. -Wright
who had been sent out from Yreka to
protect the Immigrants. They Informed
the captain, with many regrets, that
their arrival was too late to save a train
which had. Just been murdered at the
point of rocks below. Upon Inquiry as
to the firing the volunteers said they
came upon the Indians while they were
robbing the wagons and stripping the
dead, and succeeded In killing a few,
but that most of them escaped In the
rocks and tules. The captain was then
Informed that it was the intention of
the volunteers to bury the dead the next
morning, and he and two other men
from the train decided to go with the
volunteers and assist in the work and
search for the body of the young wo
man of whom they had heard so much
during their Journey. The volunteers
assured the immigrants that there was
no danger of Indians as long as they
ROSE
to the social functions, and the soldier
as well as the civilian took active inter
est in entertaining and being entertained.
Dr. McLoughlln occasionally attended
the social events, usually remaining long
enough to shake' hands with everyone,
and playfully threatening to kiss the
girls.
Trades, professions, tribes and clans,
and particularly those who worshiped
the same god. naturally drifted to
gether and were watchful of their 'mu
tual interests. As there are as many
gods In the Hindu pantheon as there are
Inhabitants In India, these religious as
sociations are very numerous. Occupa
tion Is not a sign of caste. Every caste,
and particularly the Brahmins, have
members in every possible occupation.
Nearly every cook In India is a Brahmin,
which Is a mstter of almost imperative
necessity, because no man can partake
of food cooked of even touched by per
sons of lower caste. The Brahmins are
also more numerous than ony t other
caste. According to the recent census
they number 14,888,000, adult men only
being counted. The soldier casta num
bers more than 10,000,000, the farmer
caste and the leather workers . have
nearly as many. Nearly 20 per cent
of the population of India is included
In .those four castes,"- and - there , are
40 or 60 others, each having more than
1,000,000 members.
There are more than 1,800 groups of
Brahmins, who "have become so numer
ous and so influential that they, are
found everywhere. .The number lrt the
public , service Is very large, represent
ing about 86 per cent' of , the entire
mass of employes of the government in
every capacity : and station, and they
have the largest proportion of educated
man, Tillman now wishes to have fur
ther political honors. Congressman G.
W. Croft defended Tillman in his trial
for the killing of Gonzales. Croft died
recently, and it Is 'his seat In the na
tional house of representatives that Till
man? wants to occupy. -
Whether the people of South Carolina
will desire to add' to what was done by
tne jury which acquitted Tillman re-1
mains to be seen. The testimony pre
sented at Tlliman's trial for - murder
showed that the killing was done in
cold blood. Furthermore, Tillman's rec
Were In the vicinity, and, that all could
rest in safety.
When readysto leave for the scene of
the massacre, the party took the back
track down the incline and soon reached
the main road that wound around, the
point of the lake, They had gone-but
a short distance when two .oodles were
discovered lying near .the road, On ap
proaching them the captain and ,. hla
companions were horrified to recognise
the remains of the two young men who
had left the train but a few days before.
They were stripped of clothing, . but
th'elr bodies had not been mutilated. A
short, distance from these lay the vic
tims of the massacre. The sight, was
simply appalling. : ;The giound :'' was
strewn with blood and presented a spec
tacle sickening beyond description. The
dead were lying in all shapes. Some
entirely' nude, others partially, stripped
as though the Indians .had been Inter
rupted before their work was completed.
A number were hacked and mutilated In
the moat shocking manner. .
While collecting the bodies for burial,
the volunteers were Informed of the cir
cumstances of the beautiful young wo
man and - requested to make, a special
search for her remains. .When- the
bodies had all been collected, It was
found that none of them answered to
the description of the, young woman.
Upon the burial of those found, careful
search was made among the rocks and
In the tules, but without avail. Her body
was never found. - . ' V ,
Captain Wright gave the train a suit
able escort an J In a few days all reached
the settlements In safety, and with last
ing gratitude to the gallant captain and
his brave volunteers who came in the
nick of time to nave this train from the
fata of the other.
After 20 years had passed away and
the 'Indians had been gathered on res
ervations, Captain Jack and his braves
left the Klamath reservation, and took
up their homes In the Lava Beds. , They
were insolent and annovtnc to settlers
and rnany complaints were made against
them. The Indian agent had repeatedly
ordered them to return to the agency
but they refused to do so, alleging that
this was their land and country, that
they had never sold or ceded It to the
whites, and -that they Intended to re
main there. Complaint was finally made
to the government and an order came
from the war department to compel
Captain Jack and his men to return
to the reservation. This brought on the
Modoc war. During the war a small
scouting party came across the skeleton
of a person at the. foot of a rocky preci
pice in one of the deep defiles of the
lava beds. The guide who for many
years had been Intimate with the In
dians, assured the 'party that the skele
ton was not that of an Indian. After
the Firs
FARM.
Mrs. O'Neill deems Dn McLoughlln
the greatest man that ever lived In
Oregon, and has suggested that it would
be but a tardy recognition of his services
to erect a monument In his 'honor. -
William 'Livingstone Holmes, wife,
and three children arrived in Oregon
City from Missouri in 1843, and lived
men. It Is a popular delusion that every
Brahmin Is a priest, when the fact. Is
that they are so numerous that not
more Hhan a small percentage Is em
ployed In religious functions. But for
more than 2,000 years they nave main
tained their Superiority unchallenged.
This Is not' only due to their preten
tions, , but to their- Intellectual force.
They have been the priests, the writers,
the rulers, the legislators of all India,
because of their force of character and
mental attainments, and" will always
preserve their supremacy through the
same forces that enabled them to ac-
The laws of caste, as explained by Mr.
Shoshee Chunder Dutt, the Hindu writer
referred to above, provide:
' 1. That individuals cannot be mar
ried who do not belong to the same
caste. ',' ,J ; '"''i' ''''.'"':
2. That a man may not sit down to
eat with another who la not of his own
paste. h
8. That his meals must be cooked
either by persons of hla own caste or a
Brahmin.
4. That no man of an Inferior caste
Is to - touch his cooked rations, or the
dishes in which they are served, or even
to enter his cook room,
6. That no water, or other liquid con
taminated by the touch of. a man of In
ferior caste can bs mad use of rivers,
tanks and other large sheets of water
ord, aside from his reputation as a man
killer, is far from Inspiring. It may be,
however, that the South Carolina Vot
ers will consider him a fitting successor
to the man who was his former law
partner, - who secured his acquittal In
court and who was always his friend.
It would be a national shame and a
public misfortune If this member of the
Tillman family were elected to congress,
but South Carolina has a way of doing
unfortunate things, and It should not be
surprising If Tillman's present ambition
were gratified.
consultation It was decide' to take It
to camp. They did so. The company's
surgeon was called, and after careful
examination of the bones pronounced
them to be those of a young person, pre
sumably a woman. , i
After the close of the war and Cap
tain Jack and his confederates had been
hanged: for the murder of the peace
commissioners, an old Indian who re
mained on the reservatlon4 hearing of
the skeleton and where It was found,
told the following story: He said the
Indians were opposed to the . whites
coming Into or passing through their
country. That they had Inherited the
land from their ancestors, and that It
had descended from one generation to
another for ages before the great Crater
mountain whose snowy summit . once
pierced the clouds , dissolved In flame
and jsraoke and was blown away and
left a deep, dangerous lake Inhabited
by a monster serpent, aye, long before
tne wnite man was, the Modocs pos
sessed this goodly land, and It was theirs
by every right of Inheritance and prior
occupancy. .That when the Indians
learned that many whites were on the
road with intent to pass through their
country, preparations were made to sur
prise and kill the. invaders that others
might be. warned' against trespassing
upon their territory, consuming their
grasses and .killing their game. ' They
selected the point of rocks for the. at
tack, and secreting themselves in the
rocks and tules, when ' the train ap
proached, shot and disabled the teams
and killed or wounded those in sight
with j bows and arrows, and rushing
upon the rest with knives and. clubs
they were thrown into- confusion and'
murdered before they had time to col
lect for defense. But one escaped. Af
ter completing the work of death, a
sub-chief who had discovered some
loose horses in the edge of the tules a
short distance away, went to drive them
in as individual spoil. In passing
around them he came across' the young
woman who had escaped -the massacre
and secreted herself in tha tulea He
left the horses (and returning with the
young woman claimed her as his cap
tive. - Captor and captive were quickly
surrounded by '.the desperate and ex
cited pillagers whose hands were yet
wet with the. blood, of the slain. A
scene of the wildest confusion ensued.
Angry protests and threats were hurled
at the sub-chief, defiant Imprecations
and yells of "kill her" in the Modoe
tongue rang In their ears and echoed
through the rocks, and the life of the
young woman seemed, for a time to
waver in the balance, and hang by the
tenderest thread. When the fury had
somewhat abated, a consultation was
called and while in progress, the cap
tor fled with the young woman Into the
tules and was soon In the lava beds
within the sacred precincts of his own
In a log cabin until the main part of the
present building was erected, October.
1848. The Holmes place, now known as
"Rose Farm," Is owned and occupied
by Captain and Mts. Dan O'Neill and
Miss Mollis Holmes, the two latter the
only surviving children. Mr. Holmes
was sheriff of Clackamas county for 12
consecutive years under the provisional
and territorial governments, and took a
prominent' part in affairs. The front
or main part of the dwelling, built M
years ago, is still In an excellent state
of preservation. Additions were subse
quently built, and the historic house now
contains 26 rooms. The frame of the
orlglnal'part of the house was made of
strong fir timbers, mortised and made
stronger with wooden pins. The lumber
was whip-sawed by hand, and the car
penters were paid from ST to $10 per
day. During their lifetime. Mr, and
Mra Holmes were noted for pioneer
hospitality, and no belated stranger waa
ever turned away, nor any remuneration
accepted for his entertainment
Minnie Holmes was married In Sep
tember, 18S8, to Dan O'Neill, who oame
to Oregon City with the government
mounted riflemen. The ceremony took
place In the corner of the -parlor, where
now stands the upright piano brought
around the horn In 1K62. Later, Captain
O'Neill became prominent in steamboat
circles. -'
"Rose Farm" Is still an attractive and
Interesting place with Its historic relics,
some of great value; furnishings, librar
ies of books, and a dwelling that was
noted for the entertainment of early-day
INDIA
being, however, held to be incapable of
defilement y - .
6. That articles of dry food, except
ing rice, wheat, etc., do hot benm im
pure by passing through, the hands ef
a man of Inferior caste so long as they
remain dry, but cannot be taken if
they get wet or greased. -
- 7. , That certain prohibited articles,
such as cows' flesh, pork, fowls, etc.,
ere npt to be taken. . '
8. That the ocean or any other of
the boundaries of India connot be crosses
over. y-:-. .-,-:'.: .A- v.
The only acts which now lead td ex
clusion of caste are the following! ,
t l. Embracing Christianity or Moham
medanism. .
2. Going to Europe, America or any
other foreign country.
8. Marrying a widow.- . ,
4; . Throwing away the sacred thread.
6. . Eating beef, pork or fowl.
' 8, ' Eating food cooked oy a Moham
medan, Christian or a low caste Hindu.
7. Officiating as priest in the house of
a low caste Sudra,
8. By a female going away from her
home for an immoral purpose.
9. By a widow becoming pregnant
- When a Hindu Is excluded from caste
his friends, relatives and fellow towns
men refuse to partake of his hospitality;
ha is not Invited to entertainments in
their houses: he canot obtain wives or
husbands for his children! even his
own married daughters cannot visit
him without running the risk of being
excluded from caste; his priest and even
his barber and washerman refuse to
serve him; hla fellow caste men ostra
cise him so completely that they refuse
to assist him even in sickness or at
the funeral of a member of his house
hold. - In some cases the man excluded
from caste is debarred from the public
temples. - . - , ,; ,;,.;,', ;... .r. v .
To deprive a man of th service of his
barber and his washerman is becoming
more difficult these days, but the other
penalties are enforced with more or less
rigor..'.- ''-vv '.,,.-., ;,":'-. .-.
They tell us that foreigner cannot
appreciate the Importance of caste.
Murrey's guide book warns the traveler
to remember that fact, and sava that
wi-kl-up where none dared molest him.
The sub-chief already Lhad stwo wives
who loqked upon the pale .face as a vile
Intruder end regarded her with the ut
most Abhorrence. They were not will
ing to share their brave with the dough- ,
faced alien and their Jealousy, Inflamed
by the marked attention of the chief
to the new arrival, was soon intensified
Into a flame of frenzy; The sullen
gloom and desperation Into which the
two wives ' had ' been plunged by ' the
hated rival made the chiefs life a bur
den, yet he refused to hear their ap
peals to drive her from the camp, trust
ing that time would smooth or modify
the bitter .resentment and his wives be
come in a measure reconciled. The
young woman had . been there but a
short : time when it became - necessary
for the chief to leave the wl-ki-up and
go in search of food. ' This afforded an
opportunity for the outraged wives to
wreak revenge on the young woman,
and acordingly when the chief was. well
out of sight, they fell upon her with
rocks and clubs and beat her in the
most shocking manner: and but for her
screams which, brought to her relief a
passing Indian, the.y would have killed
her, : The Indian remained (or her pro
tection until the chief returned. When
the chief got back he understood at a
glance what had happened. The face
and head of the beautiful young woman
had been beaten and bruised almost
into a Jelly, and were so swollen and
disfigured aa to be unrecognisable.
With a look of disgust at the repul
sive transformation, he rolled himself
In his blankets and went to sleep. When
he awoke next morning, he aroused the
young woman, who had spent a night
of pain and terror, without sleep, and
taking his gun beckoned her to follow
him. Bruised and bleeding and wretched
from the beating and agony of - the
night, she was barely able to drag her
self along after him as he took hla
way to a high point of rocks overlook
ing a deep defile. ; Arriving at the edge
of the precipice, he bade her knoel down
facing the gorge below and stepping
back -a couple of paces sent, a bullet
crashing through her heart Her body
pitched forward and bounding from
crag to crag crashed on the rocks, be
low a mangled and shapeless mass.
For more than 20 years the bones of
the unfortunate yeung woman had Iain
and bleached in the sun,' and but for the
Modoc war, the absence of her body at
the scene of the massacre, would always
have remained a mystery. " '
An effort was made to learn something
of her history and parentage but with
out avail. She must therefore ever be
characterised as "The Unknown."
The party of 12 who discovered Cra
ter lake were out prospecting and
searching for this young woman who
was supposed to be a captive among
the Indiana ."'
I';. vly 1 I
GEN. JOSEPH LANE.
celebrities, Is still the scene of soma de
lightful social occasions. -
The house can "be reached In a shorter
way from the city limits by a pathway
that passes through a natural park,
which extnnds to a short distance from
the front' yard.
the religion of the Hindu amounts ta
little more than the fear of demons, of
the loss ' of caste and of the priests.
Demons have to be propitiated, th
caste rules are strictly kept and th
priests presented with gifts. Great care
has to be taken not to eat food cooked
by a man of Inferior caste; food cooked
in water must not be eaten together
by people of different castes, and castes
are , entirely separated with regard to
marriage and trade, A sacred thread
of cotton Is worn by the higher castes.
Washing In the sacred rivers, particu
larly the f Gsnges, and especially at
Allahabad, Benares, Hardwar and other
exceptionally holy spots, is of efficacy
In preserving caste and cleansing th
soul of Impurities, ',':-'
"The traveler should remember," says
the guide book, "that all who are not
Hindus are outcasts, contact with whom
may cause the loss of caste to a Hindu.
He should not' touch any cooking or,
water holding utensil belonging to
Hindu, nor disturb Hindus when at their
meals; he should not molest cows, nor
shoot any sacred animal, and should not
pollute holy places by his presence If
any objection Is made. The most sacred
of all animals Is the cow. then the ser
pent, and then the monkey, i The eagle
U the attendant of Vishnu, the bull of
Siva, the goose of Brahma, the elephant
of lndra,,the tiger of Durga, the buffalo
of Rama, the rat of Ganesh, the ram of
Agnl. the peacock of Kartikkeys, th
parrot of Kama (the god of love), th
fish, the tortoise and boar are incarna
tions of Vshnu, and th crocodile, cat.
c"! ' Plsnts, tones,
rivers and tanks are sacred."
Nevertheless, Brahmins are ' very
clever in dodging an issue when It is
necessary for their convenience. For
example, when a modern water supply
was Introduced for the first time Into
a city of India the problem arose, how
could th Hlndus"us wster that came
prohibited them drinking It from ves
sels 'Which may have been touched by
peopl of another caste? After much
reflection fend discussion, th pundits de
cided thaV-the payment of water rates
should'be considered an atonement for
violating the 6rdlnances of their religion.