This was on Saturday. On Monday the 8th of December a messenger arrived from the Cayuses, who related what had occurred, stating the cause to be the belief that they were being poisoned. There was, as might have been expected, a division, the majority of the chiefs following the advice of Eagle and Jacob, while others evinced a readiness to join in the murdering and plundering course of the Cayuses.[1]
On the same day Mrs Spalding, who had remained over Sunday at the mission with a guard of two or three faithful Nez Percés, removed to Craig's. She desired to send an express to Chemakane to inform Walker and Eells of the massacre at Waiilatpu, and also one to her daughter at the latter place, but no one could be found who would undertake either errand. The missionaries were, however, safe at the Chemakane station, the principal chief of the Spokanes on first hearing of the Cayuse outbreak promising to defend the inmates against attack, a promise which he faithfully kept[2] by mounting guard over them till their departure to the Willamette the following spring. At Lapwai, the Nez Percés, under Joseph, and some of James' band pillaged the mission buildings, but were otherwise held in check by the chiefs before named.
As in all the emergencies which overtook the Americans in colonial times, the fur company now came to their relief. As soon as possible after learning what had taken place, McBean despatched a Canadian messenger to Vancouver to apprise Douglas and Ogden, and through them Abernethy. At the
- ↑ Spalding gives the names of the friendly and hostile chiefs. Besides Eagle and Jacob, the latter of whom was about to be received into the church, there were Luke and two of his brothers, and James, a Catholic chief, who were friendly. But Joseph, a chief who had united with the church 8 years previous and up to this time with few backslidings had lived like a Christian, and whose people constituted a good portion of the sabbath congregation and school, 7 of them being church-members, deserted to the enemy. Oregon American, Aug. 16, 1848.
- ↑ Atkinson, in Or. Pioneer Assoc., Trans., 1877, 70.
