gling white men when they dared. Mr. Wood, however, was a great friend of the Indians, and had no fear of them.
In order to punish the murderers, and with the idea probably of ending their further outrages, a party of miners was made up, among whom were both Ninian and Crockett Eberman. By these the Indians were attacked and many were killed. Seven were captured and brought to Coloma and placed in jail. These were declared by the Indian women to be among the murderers; and some of the Indian women were also detained in jail to act as witnesses at the trial. Among the Indians was the one who pursued Carter. He stoutly maintained his innocence until Carter entered the jail and declared him the murderer of Sargent.
All the above had occurred but a short time before the arrival of Mrs. Clayton with her father at Coloma in February, 1849. It was about two weeks afterward that the Indians were brought in. They were held ten days or so. At the end of this time Mrs. Clayton's uncle said to her one day, "Fannie, they are going to hang the Indians; do you want to see them?' She and the other girls went out, not wishing to witness the actual execution, but simply to see the murderers as they were taken from the jail. She stood at the corner of the building, and there was a crowd of some hundreds gathered around. As the door was opened, the Indians came out looking about fearfully, but had not gone more than ten feet before they broke and ran in a body up the river. This space was clear, being in the direction of the trees upon which ropes were already placed. At the same instant the Oregon guards began shooting, Ninian Eberman being the first. Several fell at once. Two reached the river; one was shot and sank in the water; one swam across and reached the opposite shore, and was just lift-
