Account of the murder of Dr. Whitman, as given by Rev. H. H. Spalding.
In this communication I will commence the history of the bloody tragedy
of the 29th of November at Waiilatpu. In all such massacres there is
usually one or more escapes to tell the dreadful tale. It would seem God
rescued me from the murderer’s hand, to perform this painful office. May
kind Heaven grant that it may never again be my painful duty to record a
like tragedy. May the friends of missions never again be calld upon to
supply the places of their missionaries, cut down by the hands of those
to whom they may be sent with the blessings of the gospel of peace.
Especially may the dreadful act not again be done by the hands of those
who have been baptized in the name of the sacred Trinity, and introducd
into the Christian church. Considering all the circumstances which
attended the massacre at Waiilatpu, I think it stands first on the
catalogue of Indian crimes. The massacres committed in the first
settlements of America, were the acts of uncivilized, unchristianizd
heathens. The much lamented Dr. Whitman and esteemd lady and those who
fell with them, were murderd by the Cayuse Indians, who wishd to be
regarded a christianizd people, strictly honest, particularly friendly
to the Americans, having adopted the habits of civilizd life—with whom
my departed brother and sister had labord for more than eleven years,
had been the means under God of introducing among them numerous herds of
cattle, of planting fields of grain all through the country, had
deliverd them from their former precarious source of subsistence roots
and fish, and in their place, furnishd them, or causd them to possess in
abundance, all the comforts of life, various grains, vegetables, milk,
butter, beef, plows, &c. They had been indefatigable in their labors, to
instruct them in the principles of the Christian religion and to
introduce schools.
The Cayuse had become a praying people. In almost every lodge the family
altar was erected. No doubt on the morning of the bloody 29th, the
murderers were scrupulous to observe their morning devotions, again at
evening, while the dead bodies of the slain lay about unburied, the food
of the fowls of heaven and the beasts of the earth.
One of the actors of this horrible scene was a member of our church, and
while he held one of the captives as his wife, the sport of his brutal
passions, he was careful to have morning and evening prayer and to read
a portion of scripture from his book, which we printed while he was in
our school at Clear Water.
Their sick and dead had ever been the peculiar care and receivd the
devoted attention of their missionaries. Yes my beloved associates,
whose hands had so often furnishd winding sheets and coffins for their
dead, were denied coffins and even a resting-place under the earth by
this same professed Christian people. Such are the people who have
committed the horrible murders of which it has become my painful duty to
write.—Such the end of the once promising mission among the Cayuse
Indians.
On the 18th of November Mr. Jackson, my daughter Eliza, ten years of
age, and myself, left my place for Waiilatpu. My object was to spend a
few weeks with Dr. Whitman, visiting his people, preaching, assisting
him in his labors with the sick and dying. We were anxious to be present
at some of the meetings which the Catholic priests were holding with the
Indians to obtain locations near Waiilatpu, and to persuade the priests
if possible, to allow the Indians to say whether Catholic or Protestant
missionaries should remain among them. Should the Indians prefer the
Catholic missionaries, we would then and ever been ready to leave the
country and allow them to occupy the field unmolested. But should the
Indians prefer that the Protestant missionaries should continue, we have
ever felt the Catholics ought to leave us undisturbed. We have ever felt
that unprotected by law, we could not be safe should the Catholics come
into our field.
The feelings of the Indians were, that both missionaries could not
occupy the same field. The Rev. Mr. Josette of the upper Catholic
mission requested of the Nez Perces, two years ago, a location near my
station. The principal chief Ellis said, “It will do for the French and
English to have two religions, as they have laws, but for Indians who
have no laws, it will not do. We have one religion with which we are
satisfied. If the Catholics come in, there will be fighting
immediately.”
We have held ourselves ready to leave the country whenever the Indians
as a body wishd it. Dr. Whitman twice during the last year calld the
Cayuse together and told them if a majority wishd he would leave the
country at once. The Cayuse chiefs unanimously said he must not leave,
and among them were the principal persons who have staind their hands in
his blood. Dr. W. held himself ready to sell the Waiilatpu station to
the Catholic mission whenever a majority of the Cayuse might wish it,
provided that mission might wish to purchase it and the other stations,
and the mission might agree. I am not aware that the Catholic mission
ever applied to Dr. Whitman to purchase the Waiilatpu station. However
that may be, he would have proved recreant to the trust committed to him
by the American Board, had he sold the station or left it unless desird
by a majority of the people.
A few days before I arrivd at Waiilatpu, the bishop and his priests had
held a meeting with the Cayuse at Walla-walla and laid before them again
their wish to obtain a location near the doctor’s station. Capt. Murray
informs me that he was present at that meeting, and that Tamtsaky and
Telapkaikt, said to the bishop, “That they would give him a station
already furnishd with buildings, mills, fences, &c., that it was the one
occupied by Dr. Whitman, that the doctor was a bad man and they were
going to get rid of him.” The bishop objected to taking the doctor’s
place. They then told him to come up and they would show him a place.
Accordingly, the bishop or one of his priests did so, and a place was
selected about four miles from the doctor’s station.
On learning this, a Cayuse chief said to Telaukaikt, “Have you allowd
the Catholic priest to select a location?” the answer was “Yes.” The
chief replied, with this strong language of rebuke, “Why did you not put
the priest in the doctor’s house at once?” that is, as understood by the
Indians, “why did you not kill the doctor at once and give his property
to the priests?” This last statement I receivd from my fallen brother
the week before his death, who said, in view of this and other alarming
movements of the Catholics, “Now if the Indians do not allow us to
leave, my days are few, but if I am to fall by Catholic influence, I
believe my death will do as much good for Oregon as my life can.”
I arrivd at the station Nov. 22d. The doctor’s large family had been
sick with the measles, and three of the children were still dangerously
ill. Mr. Osborn and his whole family were sick with the same disease.
Many of the other white families at the station were just taking the
measles. The Indians were sorely afflicted, dying every day, one, two,
and sometimes five in a day, with the dysentery which very generally
followd the measles. On the 24th Mr. Osborn’s second child died. Mrs.
Osborn and her youngest child continued very low.
As we are approaching the eve of the awful tragedy, I will here notice
the white persons living at the station at the time of the massacre. The
doctor’s family consisted of himself and lady, Mr. Rogers, formerly our
school teacher, now studying with a view to join our mission, Mr. and
Miss Rewley, the former very sick at the time, seven orphan children of
one family by the name of Sager, (father and mother died crossing the
mountains in 1844,) the two daughters of Mr. Bridger and Mr. Meek, a
half-breed Spanish boy, whom the doctor had brought up from infancy, and
bound to the doctor by his father, and the two sons of Mr. Manson of the
H. B. Co.
The following are the names of the families, their number and
occupation, viz. Mr. Osborn millwright, Mrs. Osborn and three children,
Mr. Camfield blacksmith, Mrs. Camfield and five children, Mr. Hall
employd building store-houses for the Indians, Mrs. Hall and five
children, Mr. Saunders school-teacher, Mrs. Saunders and five children,
Mr. Marsh miller, one child, Mrs. Hayse and two children. At the
saw-mill, twenty miles distant, Mr. Young mechanic, Mrs. Young, three
sons young men, Mr. Smith cutting saw-logs, Mrs. Smith and five
children, Mr. Hoffman employd in getting wheat for the Indians, Mr.
Sails sick, Mr. Gillian tailor.
Most of these, contrary to the wish of the doctor, had stopd at the
station to winter on account of weak teams or sickness. The doctor had
been at considerable expense in exploring a new route from the Utilla to
the Dalls, which avoided the sands and heavy hills of the Columbia
river, led through good grass, and a nearer route. He was very
solicitous to persuade as many of the emigration as possible to pass on
to the Dalls, fearful that sickness and weak teams would compel more to
stop at the station than he could procure provisions for. I had already
packd over from my station, seventeen horse-loads of grain, expected to
pack more, from time to time through the winter.
Very many who were persuaded to pass on to the lower country, felt
rather hard at the doctor at the time, for not allowing them to stop. I
thought myself he was over anxious. He is not to be blamd for the number
of Americans that were wintering at his station, if any blame is to be
attachd to this circumstance, but there is none, plainly because a
number of Americans’ wintering at Waiilatpu had nothing to do in
bringing about the massacre. To insinuate otherwise, is a base slander
upon the American character. That such insinuations, however, have gone
forth, I am aware, but it is for no other purpose than to divert public
attention from the true causes, and fasten it upon what was not the
cause. If Americans were the cause, why were all the Americans killd?
while the Catholics, down to the smallest child, were spard, caresd and
permitted to dwell among the murderers to this day unharmed, and even
now are commencing new stations among the Indians, while the last
families of our American missionaries are being removd from the country
by an escort from the army? The insinuation is as base and cruel as it
is absurd.
There were also at the station three others who claimed to be Roman
Catholics, names, Nicholas Finley, Joseph Stanfield, Jo Lewis. The two
latter were in the employ of Dr. Whitman. Joseph Stanfield, a Canadian,
had crossed the mountains in ’46, had been in the employ of the doctor
from that time. At his trial before Judge Wheeler two of the widows
testified that Stanfield told them that he knew in the morning that the
massacre was to take place that day. On being taken by the sheriff, he
attempted to secrete a watch which belongd to one of the widows, also
considerable money belonging to one of the murdered young men. Jo Lewis
came into the country with the last emigration, at least from Fort Hall.
Much uncertainty hangs about this individual. To the mission he claimd
to be an Indian, born in Canada, of the Catholic faith, brought up in
the state of Maine, had spent some time in California. Among the Indians
he passd himself as a Chenook of the Catholic faith,—said that formerly
the Americans (Protestants as understood in most instances of late by
the word _Suyapu_) by ships brought poison to the lower country with a
view to destroy all the Indians. Vast multitudes were destroyd, as their
old men very well recollect—referring doubtless to the small-pox and
measels which raged throughout the territory some 35 or 40 years ago.
He, being a small child, was reserved by the Americans taken to the
States, where he had grown up, ever mindful of his native country, and
anxious to return to his own people. He told the Indians that he took
particular notice of the letters of the Dr. and myself, from this
country, told them that some of these letters spoke of this vast country
every way desirable for settlements, its healthy climate, its rich soil,
the bands of horses. Some of the letters calld for poisons by which we
could sweep off the Indians, and make way for the Americans. In
accordance with this request, he said, several bottles of poison had
been brought over by the last emigration, which had caused many deaths
among the immigrants, and was the cause of the sore sickness and
frequent deaths among the Indians, and would soon kill them all if the
Dr. and his lady and myself were not removd. This I receivd from Stikas
in his lodge 24 hours after the butchery had taken place.
It seems that immediately on my arriving, Lewis set himself to excite
the Indians to do the dreadful deed. He told them that he overheard the
Dr. and myself consulting at night as to the most effectual way to kill
off the Indians.
Such statements following like statements which have been sounding in
our ears, and in the ears of Indians for years, and made with so much
apparent solicitude for them, and at this time of great excitement among
the Indians, on account of the measles, had doubtless much to do in
bringing about the bloody tragedy. He took an active part in the
murders—was seen by Mr. Camfield, from his place of retreat, to go up to
the window in company with Tamtsaky, and beat them in, and soon after,
to bring out goods.
Several times before Mrs. Whitman receivd her first wound, and after the
doctor was senseless, Jo showd himself at the window with a gun in his
hand. When Mrs. Whitman would speak to him, he would immediately go
away. He brought the children down from the school room, and collected
them in the kitchen, to be shot. When the chief gave orders not to shoot
the children, and just as Mrs. Whitman was brought out upon the settee,
where she receivd her mortal wounds, an Indian seizd Francis by the
head, dragd him out from among the children, to the door of the Indian
room, where Jo with his own hand, shot him.
The object of Lewis was doubtless plunder. Finley has a Cayuse, or
Walla-walla wife, was campd near the doctor’s. In his lodge, the
murderers held their councils during the massacre, he being at the head.
He partook of the plunder, and is said by the Nez Perces, to have
considerable money. The part he took in the battles at the Utilla and
the Tukanan, is better known to others than myself. He is now said to be
in the Flat head country.
On the 23d, three Indians died, including a child. The Dr. as usual had
coffins made for them, and winding sheets prepard and assistd in burying
the dead. His visits to the sick and dying, were as frequent as the
severe sickness in his and the other white families would allow. It was
most distressing to go into a lodge of some ten fires, and count 20 or
25, some in the midst of measles, others in the last stages of
dysentery, in the midst of every kind of filth, of itself sufficient to
cause sickness, with no suitable means to alleviate their almost
inconceivable sufferings, with perhaps one well person to look after the
wants of two sick ones. Every where the sick and dying were pointed to
Jesus, and the well were urgd to prepare for death.
24th. To day, a child of Mr. Osborn’s died. We hopd that this affliction
of Providence would show the Indians that the whites, in common with
themselves, were exposd to the ravages of disease. But from the grave,
Tintinmisi, a chief, followd us to the house, and repeatd to us, the old
declaration,—“The Samh-Sismusismu, (black gowns,) every where tell us
that you are causing us to die. I do not believe it myself, but some of
the people do.”
We told him that it was owing to cleanliness, and better nursing, that a
less number of whites than Indians died—told them, (many were now
collected,) if they listend to the false reports and drove us from the
country, they would be a ruind people. But if they preferd the Catholic
to the Protestant missions, let us know it, and we will leave the
country immediately. They said we must not leave them.
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