Page:The Early Indian Wars of Oregon.djvu/139

 20, 1848.

No account, at all intelligible has ever been written of the month of captivity at Waiilatpu. All that has been given to the world has been of a character to sadden the heart for the violence of the passions exhibited, both then and thereafter, in the effort of the sufferers by these calam ities to make some one responsible for them. In weighing the value of such evidence as wo have, it should be re membered that the Indians steadfastly gave one principal reason for their crime, although afterwards in excusing themselves, they dragged in the loss of two young chiefs, one a Nez Percés, and one a Walla Walla. The principal motive was a sufficient one, as the student of Indian char acter and customs must admit.

But the immigrants stopping at Waiilatpu could not have known how to weigh such evidence. They had, per haps, been led to believe from Dr. Whitman s remarks in their hearing, that he feared the influence of Catholic mis sionaries, but had not learned all his reasons for disquietude. That the doctor s personal antagonism to the Catholics has been somewhat exaggerated, seems to be shown by several facts, but he did fear the effect of anything which could cause contention among the Indians, involving their teachers. It has been doubted that he gave Edward Tilou- kaikt the " Catholic Ladder " stained with blood ; but that is not improbable. He has simply been misunderstood or mis represented. He probably meant, not to foreshadow his own death, or the extermination of Americans, but to impress upon Edward the thought that to introduce religious con troversy among his people would be to afford cause for war. It had been so in nations called enlightened how much more to be apprehended among savages. But Tiloukaikt, a savage, was shrewd enough to make use of that very in dication of distrust to set up sectarian differences between white people. Naturally, the priests, who had honestly tried to do some good and alleviate so much evil, resented the slurs cast upon them by those whom they had served, and honce, much bitter controversy.