Page:The Indian History of the Modoc War.djvu/31



ever, right close to the Natural Bridge, near where now stands the beautiful town, Merrill, Oregon.

The cause of the dust \vas a strong body of hardy white men from Yreka, California. Some of the escaped emigrants had reached Yreka and given the news of the awful massacre. The citizens took to arms and were ready to start for the scene in less time than it would take a man to walk two miles. The writer's father, Frank Riddle, was one of the men in this company. If my memory serves me right, it was in the year of 1851. The captain of the men was from Ohio. His name was Al. Woodruff. Woodruff halted his men on the north side of Lost River, dismounted them, and they had a few crackers and some dried meat to eat. Some of them filled their pipes and began to smoke. Woodruff and Riddle were standing on some rocks about the middle of the river and were in earnest conversation for some time. Finally they both came ashore by stepping from rock to rock. Woodruff in- structed his men that if they sa\v any Indians, not to fire on them until he ordered them to. He said, "There are some Indians around hereabouts that are peaceable. We do not want to kill anyone that does not need killing, white or black. I know that all the Indians that lives here- abouts did not take a hand in 'his massacre. If they did, there would not have been one wh te person left to tell the yarn." The men answered by saying, "You are the Doctor, Captain." Before the men mounted to go, two Indian men and their wives came right up to the white men. By signs, they let the white men know that they had been up on Klamath Lake for nearly one moon. They knew nothing of the massacre.

Woodruff moved on towards the scene of murder at ;i lively gait. When they reached Wa-ga-kan-na they dis- mounted. The scene before their eyes was heart-breaking. Every man took his hat off. The men stood with their heads . down. When Woodruff spoke, the men raised their heads up, and every eye was wet. Some of the men's bodies shook with grief. They gathered the dead and laid them side by side in the trench, and covered them up, the best they could do under the circumstances. They went north perhaps a mile, and