Section 3

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Section three of Across the Plains in eighteen forty four
by Catherine Sager Pringle. This LibriVox recording is in the
public domain. Chapter two Way'i Alatpu Massacre eighteen forty seven.
In the fall of eighteen forty seven, the emigration over
the mountains brought the measles. It spread among the Indians,

(00:26):
and owing to their manner of living, it proved very fatal.
It was customary for immigrant families who arrived late to
winter at the station, and some seven or eight families
had put up there to spend the winter of eighteen
forty seven. Among the arrivals was a half breed named
Joe Louis, who had joined the emigration at Fort Hall.

(00:49):
Much against his will. The doctor admitted this person into
his family for the winter. We none of us liked him.
He seemed surly. And there was also a Frenchman named
Joseph Stanfield, who had been in the doctor's employ since
the year eighteen forty five. Up to the year eighteen

(01:10):
forty seven, the Protestant missions had been the only religious
influence among the Indians. In the fall of this year,
the Catholic Church established missions among them, and the teachings
of the two clashed. The Indian mind is so constructed
that he cannot reconcile the different isms. Consequently, they became

(01:31):
much worked up on the subject. Many long talks occurred
between them and doctor Whitman in reference to the two
religious systems. Owing to the sickness and these other causes,
the natives began to show an insolent and hostile feeling.
It was now late in the season and the weather
was very inclement. Whitman's large family were all sick, and

(01:56):
the disease was raging fearfully among the Indians, who were
rapidly dying. I saw from five to six buried daily.
The field was open for creating mischief, and the two
Joes improved it. Joe Lewis was the chief agent. His

(02:16):
cupidity had been awakened, and he and his associate expected
to reap a large spoil. A few days previous to
the massacre, mister Spalding arrived at the station accompanied by
his daughter, ten years old. She was the second child
born of white parents west of the Rocky Mountains, doctor

(02:37):
Whitman's child being the first. She had lived her ten
years of life among the natives and spoke the language fluently.
Saturday after his arrival, mister Spalding accompanied Doctor Whitman to
the Umatilla to visit the Indians there and hold a
meeting for worship with them upon the Sabbath. They rode

(02:57):
nearly all night in a heavy rain. Doctor Whitman spent
the next day visiting the sick and returned to the
lodge where mister Spalding was staying late in the afternoon,
nearly worn out with fatigue. The condition of his family
made it imperative that he should return home, so arrangements
were made for mister Spalding to remain a few days

(03:18):
on the Umatilla to visit among and preach to the Indians.
As doctor Whitman was mounting his horse to leave Stycas,
a friendly Christian Indian who was the owner of the
lodge came out and told him that Joe Lewis is
making trouble. That he was telling his Styckas people that

(03:39):
the doctor and mister Spalding were poisoning the Indians so
as to give their country to his own people. He said,
I do not believe him, but some do, and I
fear they will do you harm. You had better go
away for a while until my people have better hearts.

(03:59):
Doctor Whitman arrived at home about ten o'clock that night,
having ridden twenty five miles. After sundown, he sent my
two brothers, who were sitting up with the sick, to bed,
saying that he would watch the remainder of the night.
After they had retired, he examined the patients one after
the other. I also was lying sick at the time.

(04:23):
Coming to Helen, he spoke and told his wife, who
was lying on the bed, that Helen was dying. He
sat and watched her for some time, when she rallied
and seemed better. I had noticed that he seemed to
be troubled when he first came home, but concluded that
it was anxiety in reference to the sick children. Taking

(04:46):
a chair, he sat down by the stove and requested
his wife to arise, as he wished to talk with her.
She complied, and he related to her what Stycas had
told him that day, also that he had learned that
the Indians were holding counsels every night. After conversing for
some time, his wife retired to another room, and the

(05:09):
doctor kept his lonely watch. Observing that I was restless,
He surmised that I had overheard the conversation. By kind
and soothing words, he allayed my fears, and I went
to sleep. I can see it all now and remember
just how he looked. The fatal twenty ninth of November

(05:32):
dawned a cold, foggy morning. It would seem as though
the sun was afraid to look upon the bloody deed
the day was to bring forth, and that nature was
weeping over the wickedness of man fathers. Doctor Whitman's brow
was serene, with no trace of the storm that had

(05:54):
raged in his breast during the night. He was somewhat
more serious than usual. Most of the children were better,
only three being dangerous. Two of these afterwards died. We
saw nothing of mother Missus Whitman. One of the girls
put some breakfast on a plate and carried it to her.

(06:16):
She was sitting with her face buried in her handkerchief,
sobbing bitterly. Taking the food, she motioned the child to leave.
The food was there untouched. Next morning, an Indian child
had died during the night and was to be brought
to the station for burial. While awaiting the coming of
the corpse, doctor Whitman sat reading and conversing with his assistant,

(06:40):
mister Rogers, upon the difficulties that seemed to surround him,
the discontent of the Indians, the Catholics forcing themselves upon him,
and the insinuations of Joe Louis. He made plans for
conciliating the natives and for improving their condition. He said
that the Bishop was coming to see him in a

(07:01):
few days, and he thought that then he could get
the Indians to give him leave to go away in
the spring, adding if things do not clear up by
that time, I will move my family below. Being informed
of the arrival of the corpse, he arose, and after
calling his wife and giving her directions in regard to

(07:22):
the sick children, he went it his way to the graveyard.
A beef had to be killed for the use of
the station, and my brother Francis, accompanied by Joe Stanfield,
had gone early to the range and driven it in,
and three or four men were dressing it near the gristmill,
which was running grinding gris for the Indians. Upon the

(07:43):
return from the funeral, the doctor remarked that none but
the relatives were at the burying, although large numbers were
assembled near by, but it might be owing to the
beef being killed, as it was their custom to gather
at such times. His wife requested him to go upstairs
and see Miss Beauley, who was quite sick. He complied,

(08:06):
returning shortly with a troubled look on his countenance. He
crossed the room to a sash door that fronted on
the mill and stood for some moments, drumming upon the
glass with his fingers. Turning around, he said, poor Laurinda
is in trouble and does not know the cause. I
found her weeping, and she said there was a presentiment

(08:28):
of evil on her mind that she could not overcome.
I will get her some medicine, and wife, you take
it up to her and try and comfort her a little,
for I have failed in the attempt. As he said this,
he walked to the medicine case and was making a selection.
His wife had gone to the pantry for milk for
one of the children. The kitchen was full of Indians,

(08:50):
and their boisterous manner alarmed her. She fled to the
sitting room, bolting the door in the face of the
savages who tried to pass in. She had not taken
her hand from the lock when the Indians rapped and
asked for the doctor. Doctor Whitman told his wife to
bolt the door after him. She did so, listening for

(09:11):
a moment. She seemed to be reassured, crossed the room
and took up the youngest child. She sat down with
this child in her arms. Just then Missus Osborne came
in from an adjoining room and sat down. This was
the first time this lady had been out of her
room for weeks, having been very ill. She had scarcely

(09:32):
sat down when we were all startled by an explosion
that seemed to shake the house. The two women sprang
to their feet and stood with white faces and distended eyes.
The children rushed out doors, some of them without clothes.
As we were taking a bath, placing the child on
the bed, Missus Whitman called us back and started for

(09:55):
the kitchen, but changing her mind, she fastened the door
and told Missus Osborne to go to her her room,
and locked the door at the same time telling us
to put on our clothes. All this happened much quicker
than I can write it. Missus Whitman then began to
walk the floor, wringing her hands, saying, oh, the Indians.

(10:16):
The Indians. They have killed my husband and I am
a widow. She repeated this many times. At this moment, Marianne,
who was in the kitchen, rushed around the house and
came in at a door that was not locked, her
face deathly white. We gathered around her and inquired if
father was dead. She replied yes. Just then a man

(10:41):
from the beef came in at the same door with
his arm broken. He said, Missus Whitman, the Indians are
killing us. All this roused her to action. The wounded
man was lying upon the floor calling for water. She
brought him a pitcherful from another room, locked all the doors,
then unlocking that door, she went into the kitchen. As

(11:05):
she did so, several emigrant women with their small children
rushed in. Missus Whitman was trying to drag her husband in.
One of the women went to her aid, and they
brought him in. He was fatally wounded, but conscious. The
blood was streaming from a gunshot wound in the throat.
Kneeling over him, she implored him to speak to her.

(11:27):
To all her questions, he whispered yes or no, as
the case might be. Missus Whitman went often stepped to
the sash door and look out through the window to
see what was going on out of doors, as the
roar of guns showed us that the bloodthirsty fiends were
not yet satisfied. At such times she would exclaim, oh,

(11:52):
that Joe Louis is doing it all. Several times this
wretch came to the door and tried to get into
the room where we were. When Missus Whitman would ask,
what do you want, Joe, he would run away. Looking out,
we saw mister Rogers running toward the house, hotly pursued
by Indians. He sprang against the door, breaking out two

(12:16):
panes of glass. Missus Whitman opened the door and let
him in and closed it and the face of the pursuers,
who with a yell, turned to seek other victims. Mister
Rogers was shot through the wrist and tomahawked on the head.
Seeing the doctor lying upon the floor, he asked if
he was dead, to which the doctor replied no. The

(12:40):
school teacher, hearing the report of the guns in the kitchen,
ran down to see what had happened. Finding the door fastened,
he stood for a moment when Missus Whitman saw him
in motion for him to go back. He did so
and had reached the stairs leading to the schoolroom when
he was seized by a savage who had a large

(13:00):
butcher knife. Mister Sanders struggled and was about to get
away when another burly savage came to the aid of
the first. Standing by Missus Whitman's side, I watched the
horrid strife until sickened, I turned away. Just then a
bullet came through the window, piercing Missus Whitman's shoulder. Clasping

(13:23):
her hands to the wound, she shrieked with pain and
then fell to the floor. I ran to her and
tried to raise her up. She said, child, you cannot
help me, save yourself. We all crowded around her and
began to weep. She commenced, praying for us, Lord, save

(13:45):
these little ones. She repeated this over many times. She
also prayed for her parents, saying this will kill my
poor mother. The women now began to go upstairs, and
miss mister Rogers pushed us to the stairway. I was
filled with agony at the idea of leaving the sick

(14:07):
children and refused to go. Mister Rogers was too excited
to speak, so taking up one of the children. He
handed her to me and motioned for me to take
her up. I passed her to some one else, turned
and took another, and then the third, and ran up myself.
Mister Rogers then helped mother to her feet and brought

(14:28):
her upstairs and laid her on the bed. He then
knelt in prayer, and while thus engaged the crashing of doors,
informed us that the work of death was accomplished out
of doors, and our time had come. The wounded man,
whose name was Kimball, said that if we had a

(14:48):
gun to hold it over the banisters, it might keep
them away. There happened to be an old, broken gun
in the room, and this was placed over the railing.
By this time they were smashing the door leading to
the stairway. Having accomplished this, they retired. All was quiet

(15:08):
for a while. Then we heard footsteps in the room below,
and a voice at the bottom of the stairway called
mister Rogers. It was an Indian who represented that he
had just come he would save them if they would
come down. After a good deal of parleying, he came up.

(15:29):
I told mother that I had seen him killing the teacher,
but she thought I was mistaken. He said that they
were going to burn the house and that we must
leave it. I wrapped my little sister up and handed
her to him, with the request that he would carry her.
He said that they would take Missus Whitman away and

(15:50):
then come back for us. Then all left, save the
children and mister Kimball. When they reached the room below,
mother was laid upon a set tea and carried out
into the yard by mister Rogers and Joe Lewis. Having
reached the yard, Joe dropped his end of the settee
and a volley of bullets laid mister Rogers, mother and

(16:15):
brother Francis bleeding and dying on the ground. While the
Indians were holding a council to decide how to get
Missus w and mister Rogers into their hands, Joe Lewis
had been sent to the schoolroom to get the school children.
They had hid in the attic, but were ferreted out

(16:35):
and brought to the kitchen, where they were placed in
a row to be shot. But the chief relented and
said they should not be hurt. But my brother Francis
was killed soon after. My oldest brother was shot. At
the same time the doctor was night had now come,

(16:58):
and the chief made a speech in favor of sparing
the women and children, which was done, and they all
became prisoners. Ten ghastly bleeding corpses lay in and around
the house. Mister Osborne's family had secreted themselves under the
floor and escaped during the night, and after great hardships,

(17:22):
reached Fort Walla Walla. One other man escaped to this fort,
but was never heard of again. Another fled to mister
Spalding's station. Mister Kimball was killed the next day. Mister
Spalding remained at Umatilla until Wednesday, and was within a
few miles of the doctor's station when he learned the

(17:45):
dreadful news. He fled, and, after a great suffering, reached
his station, which had been saved by the presence of
mind and shrewdness of his wife. Mister Canfield was wounded,
but concealing himself an untill night he fled to mister
Spalding's station. The manner of the attack on doctor Whitman

(18:06):
I learned afterward from the Indians. Upon entering the kitchen,
he took his usual seat upon a settee which was
between the wall and the cook stove. An Indian began
to talk to him in reference to a patient. The
doctor was attending while thus engaged, and Indian struck him
from behind on the head with a tomahawk. At the

(18:28):
same moment, two guns were discharged, one at the doctor
and the other at brother John, who was engaged in
winding twine for the purpose of making brooms. The men
at the beef were set upon. Mister Kimball had his
arm broken by a bullet and fled to the doctor's house.

(18:49):
Mister Hoffman fought bravely with an axe. He split the
foot of the savage who first struck the doctor, but
was overpowered. Mister Canfield was the bullet entering his side,
but he made his escape. The miller fell at his post.
Mister Hall was laying the upper floor in a building.

(19:11):
Leaping to the ground, he rested a gun from an
Indian and fled to the fort. He was never seen
or heard of afterwards, and it is surmise that he
was murdered there. The tailor was sitting upon his table sewing.
An Indian stepped in, shot him with a pistol, and
then went out. He died at midnight. After great suffering

(19:35):
night came and put an end to the carnival of blood.
The November moon looked down bright and cold upon the scene,
nor heeded the groans of the dying, who gave forth
their plaints to the chill night air. Mister Osborne's family
were concealed where they could hear mister Rogers's words as

(19:57):
he prayed to that savior whom he had loved and
served for many years. His last words were, Come, Lord Jesus,
come quickly. The clock told the midnight hour ere death
came to the relief of these victims of savage brutality.
The dead bodies lay where they fell from Monday night

(20:20):
until Wednesday, when the Christian Indians, among whom the doctor
and his wife had labored for eleven years and from
whom the natives had received nothing but kindness, gave consent
to have them buried. But not one of them would
help in the task. Joe Stanfield was set at the work.

(20:42):
A grave three feet deep and wide enough to receive
the eleven victims was dug and the bodies placed in it.
Wolves excavated the grave and devoured the remains. The volunteers
who went up to fight the Indians gathered up the bones,
placed them in a wagon box, and again buried them.

(21:04):
And this is all the burial these martyrs of Americanism
in Oregon have ever received. End of chapter two,