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.