Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 16.djvu/17



INDIAN WAR IN WASHINGTON 9

Indians there had seized, kept and destroyed considerable property belonging to white people. It was intended to punish them for these acts. When the Oregonians got to the Touchet they met the Indians under Chief Peu-peu-mox-mox. While they kept away they did not appear to be hostile, and the chief who, prior to this time had been regarded as a friendly Indian, gave himself and four others as hostages. Later (December 7th) a collision occurred, in which the volunteers lost eight men killed and eleven wounded. During the fight the Indian host- ages were greatly excited and attempted to escape, all being killed in the effort. How many other Indians were hurt or killed has never been known.

War operations west of the Cascade Mountains began shortly after the Haller expedition to Yakima Valley. The Indians implicated were chiefly, almost entirely, the Nisqually, Puyallup, Duwamish, White and Green River tribes, led by Les-chi, Qui-e-muth, Nelson, Kitsap, Sta-hi and Ka-nas-ket, en- couraged and aided by Ow-hi and others from the Yakimas. The scene of disturbance was in King County, from the town of Seattle about forty miles to the southeast. October 28th occurred the first blow, when four men, three women and two children were killed by the savages in what has since been known as the "White River Massacre." That same day a party of white men were ambuscaded in Puyallup Valley, and two of them killed James McAllister and a settler named Connell. December 4th, while in camp at or near the present town of Auburn, Lieutenant W. A. Slaughter and three soldiers were killed and four wounded, all belonging to the regular army. Somewhat carelessly they exposed themselves in the evening, by standing and moving about in the light of large camp- fires. Hostiles under Kanasket crept up in the darkness and brush, and fired upon them with the results indicated. In these three affairs the Indians sustained no losses. Before the year ended there were several encounters between the volunteers and regulars on the one side and the Indians on the other in which a number of white men were killed and