Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/309

Rh These papers appear in Gray's "Oregon," pages 409-11, as a portion of Dr. White's report to the Secretary of War.

This attempt to locate a claim in the vicinity of Vancouver was made by Williamson and Alderman. Williamson was apparently a modest and respectable vomit: man. while Alderman was a most notorious eliaraeter. He was well known in Oregon from his violent and unprincipled conduct. He was always in trouble with somebody. He went to California in the summer or fall of 1848, and was killed in the latter portion of that year, at Sutter's Fort, under justifiable circumstances. I have given these extracts from the address to the citizens of Ore-run, that the then managers of the Hudson's Bay Company might speak for themselves; and I have given the reply of Messrs. Russell and Stewart, of the executive committee, to show the opinion of those intelligent, calm and faithful American officers upon the general subject.

That the facts stated in the address are true there can be no reasonable doubt. The facts were all within the personal knowledge of Dr. McLoughlin and Mr. Douglas, and they could not be mistaken about them. If untrue, then they deliberately and knowingly made false statements. To make statements that could be so readily contradicted by the people of Oregon, if untrue, would have been the greatest folly. Besides the high character of these gentlemen, especially that of Dr. McLoughlin, forbids such inference. Dr. Mcloughlin. during his long and active life, pave such conclusive proofs of the possession of the most exalted virtue that no man of spectable ability and good character would at this late day question his integrity or doubt his statement of facts within his own knowledge. He voluntarily became, and afterward died, an American citizen.

But the truth of their statements, especially that one which declares that "they had given the protection of their influence over the native tribes to every person who required it, without distinction of nation or party," is shown by the fact that no American immigrant as killed by the Indians in