Page:The Early Indian Wars of Oregon.djvu/123

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On Sunday following the massacre, Daniel Young ar rived at the mission from the sawmill to inquire why his brother James had not returned, and learned the news of the massacre of Monday, and his brother s death on Tues day. He was permitted the next day to carry the dread ful intelligence to the families at the mill; but was followed by three Cayuses, who ordered all those there to remove to Waiilatpu, where they arrived on Tuesday, to find that the two young men, Bewley and Sales, had been murdered in their beds that day, and were ordered to attend to their burial.

It would seem like a caprice for the Indians to have spared the lives of Smith and the two Youngs, were it not, on second thought, plain that the services of these men were required to enable the Indians to enjoy the fruits of their butchery, or even to bury Iheir own dead, as they had been taught by the missionaries to do. After the murder of Bewley and Sales, the oldest male American captive was Nathan Kimball, aged thirteen; and adult men were needed to perform the labor of grinding at the mill, and otherwise looking after the maintenance of the large number of women and children at the mission, and for this reason the lives of Smith and Young were spared. But although they lived, they had no power to abate the horrors of captivity suffered by the women and children.

On Thursday a new trouble was added. Word had been sent to Five Crows that he could have his choice of the young women for a wife, and his choice had fallen on

  • house. "Yes," said Stanfield, "my things are there." "Take them away," said

the chief. "Why should I ?" asked Stanfield ; but the chief insisted. " Not only are my things all there, but my wife and children," said Stanfieid. "You have a wife and children in the house ?" exclaimed Tiloukaikt, surprised. " Will you take them away?" "No," said Stanfield, " I will not; but 1 will go and stay with them. I see you have evil designs ; you would kill the women and children. Well, you may kill me with them! Are you not ashamed?" This ruse saved almost half a hundred lives. Later Stanfield told the people in the house that he was married to Mrs. Hays, and when they were incredulous and questioned him, he replied, " We are married, and that is enough !" This declaration, if believed, was sufficient to prevent any in terference by the Indians, Stanfield being a Frenchman, and so, under the protection of the Hudson's Bay Company. It is difficult to Percéive how Stanfield could have done more for the captives than h