Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/79

 EARLY SOUTHERN OREGON 67 the Chief's headquarters. The siege was turned and the day saved. This defeat with much loss of life to the Indians, compelled their surrender on May 30th, with Chief John and a few of his renegades still holding out. But by July 1st all had come in, including John, and the Indian Wars of Southern Oregon were forever at an end. The captives were all assembled at Port Orford and they numbered when there 1,300. From there all were removed to the reservation. Of all the Pacific Coast Indians Chief John ranks as the ablest, most heroic and most tactical of chieftains. Our army officers in pursuit, and in fight with him all testify to his re- markable strategy, daring and dash. Of the perils and sacrifices of the early pioneer homeseekers during these hostile conflicts with the Indians, none can sur- pass that of the Geisel family near the mouth of the Rogue River. The settlers were having a dance at Gold Beach on the night of February 22, 1856. Most of them were there, but none of the Geisels. At the midnight hour, their Indian servant returning from his usual visit to the Indian rancherie some miles away, rapped at the door for admission. Geisel opened the door, when to his amazement, a crowd of infuriated savages burst in upon him, and with a blow upon his head, felled him to the floor, but in the midst of this his wife with infant in arms, moved to his rescue as he was falling. Taking her with the infant and her 13-year-old daughter to the outside, into the custody of others of the Indians, those inside awakened the three little boys from their sleep, and one by one they mas- sacred them over the father's body. Then despoiling the dwelling of its most valued contents, they destroyed it by fire, with the bodies inside, and then with the survivors of the family, the Indians marched with their captives to their rancherie in the mountains some miles away. Three years later the writer passed by the ruins of the once happy home, and the ashes, and blackened stones, broken crockery and rusted stove still lay upon the ground, mute witnesses of the terrible conflict there.