Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/582



country itself, by far the largest number of whom have gone out from slave- holding states, many of them from the state of Missouri, in their organic law, commumcated to Congress more than a year ago, and printed among our docu- ments at the last session, declare that the law of nature is against slavery in that region. ' '

Thus it is seen that Meek's record-breaking dash across the continent in the dead of winter, and Benton's speech quoted are necessary incidents from the murder of the martyr missionary. Whitman had himself made a journey from Oregon to Washington in the winter season of 1842-3 ; but he was six months on the way, about twice the time consumed by Meek. But it was considering the antecedents and knowledge of the two men, quite as great a feat of physical prowess for Wliitman as for Meek. That both men did, each in his way largely influence the fate of Oregon there can be no doubt. The career of Whitman and his wife, and their brutal murder is the most affecting, exciting and dramatic chapter of history of the United States. Even down to the arrest and execiition of the savages the pathos and the horror of the scene keep hand in hand, and the brutal murderers that could not be reached and arrested by white men were hunted down and delivered up for trial and execution by their own blood and kindred, for the purpose of putting an end to the white man's war against the Cayuse tribe.

THE BATTLE OP THE ABIQITA

The Cayuse war east of the Cascade mountains came to an end more from the inability of the Indians to get powder than from being whipped out by the volunteers ; which is, however no reflection on the volunteer soldiers, as they had faithfully put in their time with short rations and on their own equipment of clothing and arms in patrolling the Oregon trail and making travel safe. The murderers reduced to poverty and destitute of ammunition had to keep out of the way of an even half dozen men with good guns and plenty of powder and bul- lets.

But the story of the fighting had spread far and wide among the Indians as if by wireless telegraph, and restless spirits among them were everywhere eager to give the whites all the trouble they could inflict. And among these wander- ing bands were some Molallas and Klamaths who ranged about the head of the Willamette valle.y, and skulked along down the foothills where the towns of Brownsville, Lebanon, Scio and Stayton are now located. These marauders be- lieving all the warriors among the white settlers had gone away to fight the Cay- uses, took advantage of the situation to rob and steal whatever came liandy, and in one instance attacked and abused a young woman in Lane county, stole a lot of cattle in Benton county, and attacked the house of Richard Miller near Cham- poeg in Marion county. The mail carrier — the only mail carrier in Oregon at that time — came up with the robbers and immediately scattered the alarm and soon collected a force of 150 men and boys at the house of Miller to pursue and punish the Indians. This volunteer force organized immediately by the election of Daniel Waldo as colonel, and R. C. Geer, Allen Davy, Richard Miller and Daniel Parker as captains. The Indian encampment was on Abiqua creek where it enters the valley from the Cascade IMountains about where Silve