Cockstock was killed, and three Americans wounded, George W. Le Breton and a Mr Rogers mortally.[1]
The death of Le Breton, who was an active young American, and conspicuous in the early politics of the colony, was severely felt; and a public meeting was called at Champoeg to consider the subject of the outbreak, the result of which was the formation of a volunteer company of mounted riflemen under the name of Oregon Rangers, this being the first military organization in the territory.[2] Resolutions were passed indorsing and supporting the measures taken by White in his official capacity, the reason for this step being that McLoughlin had censured the conduct of the Americans, alleging that the killing of Cockstock was an assassination, a view which, however well founded in the fact that the citizens had not waited for the overt act,[3] was extremely offensive to the Americans. An investigation was ordered by the executive committee, and White cited to appear before the colonial judge, O. Russell, to vindicate himself, and remove the stigma from the fair name of the American colonists.[4] Probably the trial never took
- ↑ Boston Miss. Herald, Nov. 1844. Blanchet, in his Hist. Cath. Ch. in Or., 145–7, gives a different version, intended to make it appear that the killing of Cockstock was a deed of unprovoked brutality on the part of the Americans; but as White, in his report to the secretary of war, gives the correspondence and particulars, I see no reason to depart from that record. A part of Blanchet's bitterness is accounted for where he says, 'Le Breton will pay dearly for his apostasy.' Le Breton had become a convert to the Catholic faith at St Pauls in 1842, but seeing he could not get the girl he expected, he withdrew gradually from the church. Id., 141; Gray's Hist. Or., 371; Waldo's Critiques, MS., 5, 6; Bacon's Mer. Life Or., MS., 25.
- ↑ This meeting was called by the executive committee of the colony, and was held at the house of La Chapelle, on French Prairie, March 9, 1844. W. H. Willson was chairman, and T. D. Kaiser, secretary. Grover's Or. Archives, 36–7. The men enlisted at the time were T. D. Kaiser, who was elected captain; J. L. Morrison, 1st lieutenant; R. J. Cason, ensign; Charles P. Matt, Ira C. Hutchins, R. H. Ekin, Peter Brainard, Nathan Sutton, William Delany, James R. Patterson, John Edmonds, Nineveh Ford, William J. Martin, James Martin, Webley Hauxhurst, John Anderson, Joel Turnham, J. M. Garrison, Joseph Holman, John Ford, Charles E. Pickett, John B. Kaiser Daniel Waldo, Lindsey Applegate, and W. H. Gray. Commissions were issued to the officers April 3d, signed by D. Hill, J. Gale, and A. Beers, executive committee, and Overton Johnson, secretary. Or. Archives, MS., 10, 12.
- ↑ Blanchet's Hist. Cath. Ch. in Or., 147–8.
- ↑ The letter of Mr Beers of the executive committee is to be found in Or. Archives, MS., 5–7.
