Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 2.djvu/197

Rh Ninian and Crockett Eberman (brothers of Mrs. Clayton) were in his party. As the camp gradually ran out of provisions, these two young men, with Humphrey O'Brien, another member of the company, took a night journey to Coloma to repair their supplies. The object of observing secrecy, however, was not any fear they then had of Indians, but to prevent discovery of their claims by other mining parties, as was a customary rule at the time. Upon returning they found that Wood and all the rest of their partners had been murdered by the Indians. The camp had been utterly demolished and all traces of it obliterated, and no signs of any camp having ever been there could be seen, except the still remaining indications of the camp fire, and also Wood's rocker, still uncompleted. The men killed here were Ben Wood, Thompson, and Alexander. The only signs of any tussle was the hair of Wood, which was black, strewn about the ground. Ninian Eberman found two sacks of gold, which he afterwards gave to the widows of the married men.

Another massacre which Mrs. Clayton remembers occurred farther up the river, where Leonard and Sargent's party were cut off, except a young man named Carter, who escaped by swift running. He was closely pursued by a remarkably powerful Indian, whom he afterwards identified among the Indians brought in for trial for the murder of Wood's party. Sargent's body was fearfully mutilated, the flesh being cut from the bones.

These murders seem to have been committed rather for the robbery of clothes or tents than of gold. The Indians had little idea of the value of gold, often giving an ounce or more at Coloma for a bit of calico. They were also jealous of the white peoples' coming, fearing they would take away their land, etc., and so cut off strag-