Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/565



which arose out of these atrocious murders, eertaiu Protestants undertook to prove by the Indiaus themselves that the Indians had been urged to murder Whit- man by the Catholic priest Father Brouillet; and the statements of the In- dians were taken upon that point; but the charge could never get any other support than the statement of the rascal Joe Lewis (Indian) who said the priests told him Whitman was giving poison to the Indians to kill them off. And after this question was raised, Chief Umhowlish, a friend and believer in Whitman, and other Indians of good character investigated the report among the Indians, and none could be found that ever heard Brouillet make such a statement but Joe Lewis — who was not worthy of belief. But this investi- gation among the Indians uncovered the statements made by Brouillet to a number of Indians, that "Dr. Whitman was a bad man, and if they believed what he told them they would all go to hell, for he was telling them lies." And such a statement as this to unreasoning passionate savages, agitated by the death of their children, was in itself enough to precipitate a massacre.

THE MASSACRE AND THE 11. B. CO.

News of the massacre reached Fort Vancouver seven days after the event by a special messenger sent by McBean, Hudson Bay Co. 's agent at Walla Walla. James Douglas-, Chief Factor of the Company, immediately sent off a special messenger to Oregon City to notify Governor Aberuethy of the Provisional Gov- ernment; and then, without waiting to see what the Americans would do, Peter Skene Ogden, an old and influential factor of the Company, started im- mediately from Vancouver with an armed party determined to rescue the un- fortunate prisoners in the hands of the Indians. In this expedition Ogden ex- hibited his energy and ability iu a most extraordinary manner. Knowing the horrors the unfortunate white women must suffer he pushed through night and day until he reached the wrecked and ruined Whitman Mission, beiug only seven days on the road iu the winter season. On reaching Walla Walla Ogden sent our couriers to all the chiefs and Indians having any of the captives in their possession demanding an immediate council, within four days.

This summons from Ogden whom the Indians knew to be the "Big Medicine" fighting man of the Hudson 's Bay Company, aroused intense excitement at once among all the Indians, of the Cayuse and Nez Perces tribes. For while the Nez Perces had no part in the murders they were fearful of the consequences of arousing the Americans to the fighting point, and did not want an armed force sent into their counti-y. And here is seen some shrewd diplomacy, showing that though the Indian may be stupid in some things, and his religion very much of a cloak to get favors out of the white man, yet when it comes to saving his neck he is quite as smart as his white bi'other. Their first move was to seize Rev. Spalding, friend of the murdered Whitman, and hold him prisoner as a hostage for peace. Then they compelled Spalding to write a letter to Catholic Vicar General Blanchet telling him the "Nez Perces wished the Americans to be on friendly terms with the Cayuses and not come into their country to pun- ish them for the mui'der of Whitman ; giving as a i-eason that the Cayuses had forgiven the killing of a son of Cayuse Chief Peu-peu mox-mox in California, for which the killing of thirteen Americans was no more than a reasonable