PAGE SIX.
PATXT EAST OREGOMW. PEYDI,ETON, OREGOV. SATTIin AY, APHIL SI, 1008.
TKK PAGE
, te
SOME STORIES OF
WARFARE
The following intensely Interesting ! to cause any serious alarm, and now,
sketch of Indian adventures, written as the caravan was approaching the
by On tain Henry Inman for the Kan- lclnity of Port Uirned. Its proximity
a l"liy Star. Is to fascinating from u I was believed to be sufficient piotoc
historical standpoint that the East Hon from further possible danger.
Oregonlan Rives it to Its readers in I o ,1,,, (,,,,,,,,,,,,,
full, (.'aptaln lnman says in regard
to Indian warfare and cruelty:
With the North American savage
there appears to he some close affili
ation between the departed and his
hair. I have often asked many a
blood-begrimed warrior why he
should care for a dead man's hair,
and Invariably a number of reasons
has been assigned.
It is an evidence to his people that
he has triumphed over his enemy.
The scalps are very prominent fac
tors In the incantations of the "Medi
cine Lodge, " a feature of relilgous
rites. The savage believes there is a
wonderfully Inherent power In the
scaip of an enemy; all the excellent
qualities of the victim go with his
hair the moment it Is wrenched from
his head. If the victim Is a renowned
warrior, so much greater Is the anxle
ty to procure his scalp, for the fortu
nate possessor then inherits nil the
bravery and prowess of its original
owner.
All Indian tribes with which I am
acquainted scalp their enemies killed
in battle. Of the origin of scalp-taking
but little Is known, and that
vague and Indefinite. Nearly every
tribe has some wild; weird legend to
account for the custom, but ' these
traditions varys wildly ns to the
cause. That "raising the hair" of an
enemy is of great antiquity there is
no doubt, for in the Bible it is related
how the soldiers tore the skin from
the heads of their vanquished foes.
I never knew of but one Instance In
' all my experience among the Indians,
covering a period of more than the
third of a century, w here a white man
; taken prisoner in battle, escaped
scalping. It was a'great many years
ago; the party, a door friend, still liv
ing, a grand old mountaineer, but the
homeliest man on earth, probably. He
was red-faced, wrinkled and pock
marked, with a mouth as large and
. full of teeth as a gorilla, and there
was no more hair on his head than
' there is on a billiard ball.
He was captured In a prolonged
fight and takn to the village of the
tribe where the principal chlet resid
ed. That dignitary gave one disgust-
"ed look, at the prisoner and said that
he was "bad .medicine," and If not
the "Evil Spirit" himself, closely re-
.' lated to it. The chief ordered his
subordinate to furnish him with pro
visions, provided him with a rifle and
told him to go back to his people.
For reasons stated the Indian of
the great plains and Rocky mountains
would rather take one scalp of a
famous scout or army officer who has
successfully chastised them for ex
ample, Custer, Sully, Miles or Crook
than a dozen scalps of ordinary white
men.
There are many instances on record
where men have been scaled and
yet survive! the terrible ordeal, but In
every case the scalper supposed his
victim dead, the latter taking good
care that his foeman should not be
disabused of the supposed fact.
In IStiT a party of Indians took up
a rail on the Union Pacific railway
and laid obstructions on the track.
After dark a freight train ran into the
trap and was wrecked. The engineer
and fireman were instantly killed.
' Th conductor and brakeman jumped
off to find themselves beset by a band
of. yelling savages. They ran in o the
darkness and all escaped except one,
who was pursued, shot and fell. The
Indian who had fired dismounted from
his pony, and straddling that unlucky
man s body, scalped him, stripped him
of all clothing but shirt and shoe and
riio away.
Early in the morning an ither
freight train was flagged by a hideous
looking object, which turned out to
' be the brakeman who had been shot
through the body and scalped! He
. had recovered his senses and knowing
that the traiu was due. walked some
distance down the track to save It
from being wrecked. He was taken
on board and the train moved up to
the wreck, which, after plundering It,
the Indians left, just as It was thrown
.over through their devilish act.
- me unionunate man some
months afterward. He was perfectly
recovered, but with a horrible looking
. neau. He slated that the bullet, al
tnough knocking him down, had not
. made his unconscious, and the great
est trial during that awful night was
the necessity of shamming 'dead, he
Hot daring even to groan while the
Indian was sawing at his scalp with a
very dull knife.
The other instance which has come
under my own observation Is that of
Kobort Jloiiec. in 1S4 Mcliee,
i-o Muer stripling or a lad, came to
Leavenworth, Kan., seeking employ
ment. That town was the base of
government supplies for all the fron
tier military posts even as far away
as Arizona. A Height caravan was at
that time loading for Kort Union, X.
M. The wagons and whole outfit
were owned by a contractor named H.
C. Harrett, but he would not take the
chuncos of the long and perilous trip
of more than 700 miles through the
Indian infested plains unless the gov-
emrnent leased the train outright or
gave him an indemnifying bond and
assurance against loss. The bond was
.given and Harrett proceeded to hire
umsters, a hard task on account of
1 the
danger attending the iournev.
Young Mel See was among the number
engaged, and the caravan started July
1, 164.
It took the old Kanta Fe trail, strik
ing the Arkansas rlecr at the great
bend of that stream, near lis conflu
ence with the Walnut. The region
!was very rough and called the "dark
and bloody ground," for some of the
'worst Indiun massacres In the history
of the plains were, perpetrated thece,
Soiiie.Jijslgijifkaiu skirmishes with the
Indians had taken place, but nothing
INDIAN
IFf
been an excessively hot day the cara
van went Into camp at an early hour.
The escorting troops stacked arms
about half a mile distant, but in full
view of the train. The men should
have kept a good, lookout for sur
prises probably did In a way but
there was a fcelln got security in the
knowledge that a regular attack by
savages Is rarely made until the early
hours of the morning, when sleep is
heaviest.
About 4 o'clock, however, a band of
ISru'.e Sioux, under the head of Little
Turtle, descended from the sand hills
in all I he fury of u tornado, uttering
their wild war-whoops, and of all the
small army of men employed by the
caravan young Hubert Mct.ee alone
came out alive to tell the story of the
massacre. Every individual was shot
dead ami scalped as he lay or sat at
the mess table. The mules, of course,
went to swell the herd of the savages,
but the wagons were destroyed by
fire, their canvas covers cut up into
breech clouts and the flour with
which the caravan was loaded emp
tied from its sacks on 'the prairie.
Young Mcciee was attacked by Lit
tle Turtle, himself and knocked to the
ground by one blow of his tomahawk.
As he lay there, partially stunned and
bleeding. Little Turtle fired two ar
rows Into his body, pinioning him to j
the earth. Then. In a transport of I
fiendishness. he took Robert's own i
Pistol and shot him, the bullet lodging!
in tne nacKiMine. .Not quite satisfied
that he had made a good Job of it, he
stooped over the prostrate boy's body
and. running his knife around his
head, lifted his scalp, trimming It off
just hack of the ears.
Rolievng his victim to be dead by
this time, the chief abandoned him.
but others in the band in passing
hacked him with their knives and
poked holes into him with their long
lances. All the others In the train
were long since dead, killed outright
and their bodies mutilated.
After the savages had completed
their work they rode, whooping ami
yelling, away, and the troops that had
witnessed the whole affair from their
vantage ground came upon the scene
to Investigate and learn whether the
Sioux had been properly met or not
by the ill-fated men of the caravan.
The officer In command was very
properly court-martialed and dis
missed In disgrace from the service.
He never gave any satisfactory rea
son for his outrageous and cowardly
conduct.
The only part the troops took In the
affair was to bury the dead. When
they attempted to put young Mcdee
under the ground they found a very
lively corpse, despite the fact that he
was scalped and had received H dis-
liancroft in hi. excellent history of
me noruiHcst coast, says the actual
history of Oregon begins with the year
1834.
Hefore that time the northwest
coast had been the playground of all
the nations which sent adventurers
Into this wild region. Before that
year, all the history of the northwest
might be designated as the romantic
period. But in that year and with the
coming of the missionaries. Jason and
David Lee. thi- form and symmetry of
civilization began to arise from the
chaos of the frontier. ,
liancroft givei a brief resume of the
condition of society In Oregon at the
beginning of the year 1834, which re
veals something of the fascinating
and romantic ci ndition of the early
adventurers in the wilds of the north-
W'est. He says:
J nere were other settlements in
Oregon, aside from the Hudson Hay
settlements: Thomas McKay, one of
the race of Alexander McKay of the
Astor expedition, and one of that
company's most celebrated leaders,
occupied a farm on the Multnomah
opposite the lower end of Wapato Is
land. There were other farms ulso.
from B0 to 100 miles soulh of Fort
ancouver. where Mclaughlin reigned
supreme.
tne servants of the Hudson Hay
company were hired for a term of
years and were free at the end of the
term. Hut as they did not always
save their earnings, they were obliged
lo live close to the fort, where they
remained the company s dependents,
raising wheat, In exchange for which
they received such indispensable ar
ticles as their condition in life dj-
iii.iiiiii-it.
At the beginning of 1:!4 there were
about u dozen families of these de
pendent French-Canadians, living In
the beautiful Willamette valley, about
50 miles south of Vancouver. They
uvea in rough log houses, having
enormous fireplaces, and were light
hearted ami convivial. They had con
siderable land in cultivation, owned
horses of the native slock, not noted
for their beauty, but very tough and
fleet, and they had the use t HU(.h
cattle as the fur com nan v chose to
lend them.
Numerous halfbreed children blaved
about Ih' lr doors: they had no cares
'if church or stale; no aspirations be
yond a comfortable subsistence was
theirs; and being on good terms with
their only neighbors, the native In
dians, they passed their lives in peace
ful monotony.
At the great falls of the Willamette
were a number of rude log houses
built by Mclaughlin for his mill
workers, and which were still occa
sionally occupied by workmen on his
property there.
In addition to the French families
were a number of restless and adven-l
ROMANTIC PERIOD OF OREGON HISTORY
Unci .wounds, uny one of which would
have terminated the life of the ordi
nary num. ,
'After Interring the dead the soldiers
hastened to Kort Lamed. :t0 miles dis
tant, where young Mcdee was placed
under the care of the post surgeon. It
was three months before he was able
to be moved from there. Purlng that
time he had fair command of his
mental faculties, and was sufficiently
strong lo tell nil the Incidents ,,f tic
attacks.
Barrett, the owner of the, caravan,
who had remained in Leavenworth, on
hearing what had befallen his proper
ty, put In a claim for big damages
from the government and was award
ed a sum which made him independ
ent for life, but he persistently refused
to do anything for the sole survivor.
McGee's claims were laid before the
president, and in October, 1S64, Mr.
Lincoln sent him a letter and a pass
by special envoy, directing hint to
come to Washington as soon us he
was able to travel, and stating that he
himself would see that Medee's
wrongs were righted.
When .McCee had recovered suffi
ciently to move about, his mind, w hich
had been remarkably clear up to that
tune, ticgaii to cloud, and he became
possessed of a mania to hunt Sioux to
in-.iui, 10 one oi nis irenziee, spells
the pass and the letter from President
Lincoln were stolen from him, and
neither the president nor the army
took any further notice of him.
.1 1. , . .
l or a oo;:ou years after receiving
his Ini,,,-!..., ., f ,
..... ...vmv iiia u Maimcrer,
and when it was discovered that Lit
tle Turtle had been w iped out. it was
said that the biggest much on Me-
dee's gun barrel commemorated the
full measure of his revenge, u long
mark for the chief and nine shorter
ones for the subordinate head men
who had bitten the dust at the com
mand of the unerring rifle that never
falle 1 to execute Its mission when
pointed at a Hrule's breast.
Af:er Little Tunic had been sent to
.... TJ iiuiiioiK Kiouiins .Meueo 8
mini! began to regain lis normal equl-
Murium until at lust he once more be
came perfectly sane.
Indians ox iiorx ;-up.
l'aniilics Leave the Itcsai-viitimi for
tlic Annual Wool (.inhering Expo-
ditlon to KiistcTii Oregon.
About 10U Umatilla Indians have
started from the reservation to east -
ern Oregon on their annual wool-
gatherinf expedition. Pack horses
laden with sacks, provisions, camping
outfits, bedding and other equipment
for the trip have been taken In large
numbers and several families have
taken their spring wagons over the
mountains.
They will be absent for two months,
! and will gather and scour enough wool
j during this time to make them good
wages for the time. They visit the
sheep ranges and camps, and take the
hides from dead sheep and In many
cases they buy hides from the sheep
ranches. It is a regular Industry and
last year they sold several ton !
wool to the Union Woolen mills at !
good prices, after having scoured it j
and dqllvered It In excellent condition. '
Many of the women also make the
wool Into mattresses, which are used
at their homes, sold or traded as ne
cessity requires. i
j turous Americans.
who had
come
across with
yeiii s first expi
iltioll.
j and who had willed on the cast sid
of the Willamette near the French,
settlements. In all the vast territory!
west of the Klue mountains at this j
time were about white men, living:
In wild freedom on the frontier, ex-1
plorlnif. hunting, trapping and laying I
rough foundations for the civilization:
which was to come.
Coming of the Missionaries. j
Another element of frontier socle-1
tv was Introduced in 111" year lS'.H.i
Since the fallen condition of the hu- i
man race left no spot of earth tin-
tainted, it followed that mission:
are needed to look after the spiritual
Interests of the
natives of this wild
Eden.
These missionaries came In the per
sons of Jason and David I,ee, sent out
by the Methodists from the east. With
them were a number of enthusiastic
laymen who, after having been re
ceived with the usual cordial hospi
tality at Fort Vancouver, began the
erection of a permanent mission a few
miles south of the French 'settlement
In the Willamette valley.
Heslde the missionary family now
located In tho valley, were two gen
tlemen from the Cnlted Stales. Town-
send tne ,uttall naturalists, travel
ing in me interests of science, and
after whom many of the native flow
dj
ers and plants of Oregon are named. J
So It cannot be said of Oregon that ' !
her very earliest society was not ' t
good. ' !
Two years previous David Douglas, !
a Scotch botanist, had visited Van-'f
couver and had spent many months : 2
roaming through the virgin fields of
the northwest, reveling n the wonder- J
iui luxuriance or riowers and plants'
new lo science, and unknown to ihul
world before. j J
At tins nine there were In that re
gion east of the Hlue moutaln range
and In and through the Rocky moun
tains, about 1200 wandering American
trappers, hunters and adventurers.
who lived a precarious mode of life
among the savages, yet who com
com-! X
m of 4
ctual J
prited the total while population
that vast region at the time the act
history of Oregon begins.
ThuH did history find the great
wilderness which is now the wonder
ful northwest, at the beginning of the
year 1834, at which period a sem
blance of organized government began
to arise nut of the turmoil and chaos
of the frontier.
The straggling hunters, the Isolated
settlers, the occasional expedition
seeking territory, gold, fresh fur fields
or new passes over the great ranges,
mane up the life and activity of this
territory which now supports millions
of Inhabitants' and which presents a
civilization no less splendid than that
found In the oldest settled regions on
the continent
: TTD A 7lf.1V
ONE NIGHT ONLY
SATURDAY APRIL 21
,, LIKE COODjCOME OUT 14 1 1,J
Uo you siNciNc? and hear Hendricks
The Northland Singer, ans see him in that Funny Ccmedy
OLE OLSON
IT HAS MADE MILLIONS LAUGH.
MAKES ONE LAUGH TO THINK OF IT.
At Every Performance Mr. Hendricks will singthe
Latest Hits
"FAIR. LAND OF SWEDEN"
"NORTHLAND LULLABY" "STRAWBERRIES"
"OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND SHUT YOUR EYES"
ntlt'KS: 25c to 81.00.
! cyTOfn''Tr&Mf3Wflk
BtMtr,w..t-..TA-..-,
ia
FRAZER OPERA HOUSE
One Week, Cnmiiicming Sunday, April 22.
The Peoples Theatre Company
I'M
Picsontliis the latest Metropolitan Smv.scs, Together Willi lllgli-
Class Vaudeville.
SUNDAY NIGHT
"THE POWER OF THE CROSS"
SPECIALTIES BY
MACK and TATE. CLIFFORD and LANE.
AND
BABY VIRGINIA
r
Sinto Now on Sale
PRICKS:
fci
j ei
'
1 '
j
j J
j
j
!
' f
I a
Money to Loan on Monthly Installments!
Long Time Loans
Real Estate In Any Part of the City
for Sale
Frank B. Clopton & Co.
112 East Court Street
' Before Investing Your Money
It will pay you to come to
CITY of EASTERN OREGON and look over
the ALFALFA LANDS which
('111 (my you I.irgo returns on your money. e It ve Hevrrnl hundred
tcrvs of tl e best In-igaUxl Alfalfa Tjuul In tile went, which yields troio
seven to IweUe Ions mt acre. Tor further partlcnl:irs writ
BURBRIDGE & CAREL, Ontario, Oregon.
T
m.vj mc uiiucs ctiiu
It's a great mistake to wait until the last minute before select
ing your furniture, draperies,, rugs and carpets. While we have n
wonderfully large assemblage of nil the articles that have a part in
making the home attractive, we would Impress upon your minds the
advantage of curly buying.
Today we probably have the very Iluffet, lirass rted. Library
Table. Chiffonier. Davenport, or Itug that you admire above ali.
Others are looking and buying and others may tnke what you
wouldn't miss for the world. So come nt your earliest convenience
and pick from the gems of our stock.
Weil reserve whatever vou mav fame for ininn ,in.,.
ii
And then again. It's so much more satisfactory to buy leisurely
than hurriedly. Weil suggest many pretty Ideas that you would 2
never think of. Furnishing homes Is our study, you know.
BAKER & FOLSOM
FCHNITUUK AND CAHPKTS OPPOSITE POSTOFFICE.
New Through Service
Over the Northern Pacific -
To
Omaha,
Kansas
City,
In addition to the present through Northern Pnclflc-Tiurllngton
transcontinental passenger service, a second train has been ndde 1,
thus providing two dally trains between Oregon, Washington und
Idaho and the Missouri river cities and St. Louis. All trains carry
through Pullman slandnrd and tourist sleeping enrs, chair cars and
dining cars.
Eor full Information call
upon
X
WALTER ADAMS
Agent w. & a. n. Ity.
Pendleton Oregon.
A. D. CHARLTON
A. a. P. A., N. P. Ity.
Portlnnd, Oregon.
The Knst Oivioniiiii in onwrcni Orpin's roprcsontntivo Tinner. It
lewis and tlio people nppreciato it nn.l sliow it by their liberal patron-
ii is uio wivcrtiBiiiK medium
TI41? ATBIf I
"A SWAGGER, SWEDISH SWELL"
''''''-:-'!l-i't'n'if!iii'iiiiM ii'ii.
tv Pendleton lru
toe, 20o, 30c.
Company.
ONTARIO, the COMING t
i r ci t
varooms or June
Burlington Railways, East
St. Louis,
St. Joseph
and
Lincoln.
or write to
S. B. CALDERHEAD
a. P.
a w. & c. n. itv.
Walla Wnllti, Wn.
04O44,
of this section.
I
PItr TE TELEPHONES.
You could save yourself and your
employes much time and money by
equipping your
"tct-o or Factory.
with private telephones. We furnish
Instruments and all accessories, and
Install them at very moderate charges.
It will pay you to lool; over our stock
of Electrlcul Supplies of all kinds.
J. L. VAUGHAN
ELECTHICIAX.
122 W. Court St. 'I bone Main 132.
Wood
and Coal
to
Burn
and that will burn; try a
phone order and be con
vinced that 1 handle the
good kind only.
Dutch Henry
Office, Pendleton Ice & Cold Storage
Company. 'Phone I-alu 178.
Also at Hcnneman's cigar stor.
op-
poslte Great Kastern store,
main 4,
Phono
nox-r look cut iioh.se ix
THE MOUTH.
We don't pretend to live au-nv nop
elegant stock of p-to-date vehicle.
Hut we do say that we will sell vm,
the most stylish and well-made trap,
buggy, runabout, phaeton, surrey or
buckboard nt lower prices, qua!' v
considered, than you can buy at any
place In Pendleton.
We sell Winona Wagons. JIneU. aA
Huggies. Knsy running and mad
from bone-dry material. Oimrnn.
teed to give satisfaction In ihiu ii.
mnte.
See us abo t (iasollne Engines. VV.
are ngenls for the Fairbanks-Morse
riasollne Engines for Irrigating and
mining niachlneiy. Estimates given
mi irriguuiig plants. Call nn,l
get
our prices.
Neagle Bros.
ho H ncksmitlm
Chop, Barley,
Stock Food
and
Poultry Supplies
C. F. COLESWORTHY
127 and 129 East Alta.
HEAVY I
TRANSFERRING
TRUCKING
AND
Furniture Moving
Laatz Brothers
'Phono Main B.,
Walters' flouring Mills
Capacity, 1(0 barrel a day
Frour exchanged for wheat
Flour, Mill Feed. nhnn..i ..
to., alwaya an band.