Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/140

138 was beyond description. That night the victorious party of nine changed their course from Jacksonville, and after enduring severe hardships reached the Umpqua Valley, a hundred miles away. Upon relating the story of their fight with the Indians, they gave the name "Battle Rock" to the place of their well-earned victory.

Second Indian Outbreak on Upper Rogue River. Chief Killed by the Whites. On the 23d day of June, 1851, thirty-one Oregon farmers were returning from the California gold mines, and near Table Rock they were attacked by 200 hostile Indians, The whites were well armed and defended themselves valiantly. In the struggle the commanding Indian C hief was killed, with no injury to the whites, except the loss by robbery of sixteen hundred dollars in gold dust and nuggets.

Captain Stuart Killed. At the time. Major Phil. Kearney, of the United States Dragoons, with a few soldiers was exploring for a roadway from Rogue River through the Umpqua canyon; and messengers having hastened to notify him of the difficulty at Table Rock, he rushed to the rescue. He suddenly came upon the hostiles in ambush and routed them, with the death of eleven Indians. Captain James Stuart, who led the whites in the fight, lost his life. His death, singular to relate, was from an arrow shot by an Indian whom the Captain had knocked to the earth, bow in hand. Captain Stuart was buried near the scene of the battle at the mouth of a little creek, afterwards known as Stuart Creek.

Arrival of General Lane. This engagement was five miles below Table Rock. Afterward the hostiles again rallied at their old resort on top of the rock, from which they could signal to the Indians at a distance. Major Kearney hesitated to renew the attack upon them entrenched in that stronghold. He waited for reinforcements and soon was joined by thirty miners, all well armed, who were on their way to the Willow Springs mines, not far away. Soon