The Lost River Murders - History - http://maxpages.com/modocwar/Lost_River

The troops have not captured any but two sick squaws, whom they sent to Fort Klamath. One of these squaws had two children killed in the fight in a way that cannot but excite universal indignation, and do much to make sympathy for the Indians, bad as they seem to be. It seems that one Bob Small, a rough, uncouth ranchman in the vicinity of Link river, was with the Brown party in the fight. When the firing began on the soldiers' part, Small being too cowardly to fight the Indian warriors, fired on a party of squaws near their huts, and killed a little half-breed six years old. The mother, who had a little baby in her arms not six weeks old, ran to Small, and, falling on her knees, begged in the most piteous way that herself and little one might be spared. She said she would go to the reservation--do anything, in fact, if the white man would not murder her. The brute, filled with whisky and inflamed by hatred for the Indian race, never made a reply, but raising his gun, took deliberate aim at the woman, only five feet distant, and fired. The shot missed her, but killed the little one at her breast instantly. The poor woman fell to the ground, and lay there until the military picked her up and sent her to Fort Klamath in a semi-insane condition. The indignation against Small here is intense. He boasts now of having killed two Indians in the fight, but all agree in the truth of the statement that the two infants are the sole victims of his prowess.

Bogus Charley (7 July 1873)

[The Victims]

(Do you know of any women or children being shot by the citizens at the first fight, on Lost River, in November, 1872?) Long Jim's babe was killed and Curly-headed Doctor's brother's squaw was shot in the breast and face with shot. (Had she the babe in her arms at that time?) She had a child, but not that babe.

Louisa Boddy (20 December 1872)

[The Tule Lake Murders]

I reside on the east side of Tule Lake, three miles from the Indian camp on Lost river. The Indians were camped in two bands--Captain Jack and the greater portion of them on the west side of Lost river, and an Indian known as "Hooker Jim," with a few of the principal warriors, on that side where all the settlers resided--and have occupied this position, to my knowledge, for four months. Some time in November a gentleman named Clark (a reporter) came from the Agency, making inquiries as to whether the Indians were troublesome in any way, and was informed of what they had said and done. The Indians had told us time and again that if the soldiers came to

PUT THEM ON THE RESERVATION

And "make Indian mad," they would kill every white settler, but if the soldiers did not come they would make no trouble; that they wanted to be good friends with "Boston man." Through hearing these threats we requested the messenger never to come with soldiers without first giving the settlers warning. This they failed to do and on the morning of November 29th the soldiers came at daylight, 35 in number, and attacked Captain Jack's position, leaving no one to guard that side of the river occupied by settlers. The troops, after causing Captain Jack's men to retreat, took a round-about way to seek a ford, and in the meantime the Indians on our side of the river had every opportunity to commit their murderous outrages. The male portion of my family--my husband, William Boddy; my oldest son, Richard Cravigan, aged 22 years; my youngest son, Willie Cravigan, aged 18 years (step-sons to William Boddy), and my son-in-law, Nicholas Schira--not being aware of any disturbance, were out procuring firewood and were suddenly attacked, within a mile and a half of the house, and

BUTCHERED IN COLD BLOOD,

All through the neglect of the officers in command. A man known as "one-armed Brown," employed as a messenger by the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, was sent to warn the settlers along the lake. My daughter--Mrs. Schira--met him in Linkville on the Wednesday after the fight, and stated to him that she had been informed by the people of that town that he had been started out for that purpose, whereupon he spoke very independently, and declared that he

WAS NOT PAID FOR WARNING SETTLERS.

We understand that he never went any further on his mission than to Charley Monroe's house, four miles from us, and throughout evinced either cowardice or the most cruel indifference as to the fate of the settlers. If he had acted in a prompt, courageous manner, much of the bloodshed that has occurred might have been prevented. About a quarter to 12 on Friday morning my daughter happened to go out of the house, and looking up the road saw her husband's team approaching at a rapid gait, and on the team reaching the house noticed that the wagon was

COVERED WITH BLOOD.

Thinking that the team had become frightened, and her husband had fallen off the wagon, she ran up the road to find him. About a quarter of a mile from the house she discovered him. I had hastened after her with some water to render assistance, and as I arrived at the spot where my daughter was stooping over the body of her husband, doing everything she could for his relief, six Indians rushed from the brush on horseback. Two of them rode up to me and asked if there was any white men at the house. Not dreaming that there was anything wrong with the Indians, I told them that the team had run away and "killed white man." They then gave the war-whoop and rode off toward the houses. On examining my son-in-law we found that he hand been shot through the head, and dragged about twenty yards off the road. We then knew that the redskins were on the war-path, and at once determined to find the other men. Going a short distance we found my oldest son (Richard)

KILLED AND STRIPPED NAKED,

And thrown across his wagon. The four horses and part of the harness were gone. About a quarter of a mile further on we saw more Indians in the timber, near the point where we knew my husband was engaged in chopping wood. So we concluded that we had better not go any further in that direction, and rapidly made for the hills, and, looking back we could see that the redskins were still at the houses. My youngest son, WIllie, was herding sheep about a mile from the house when he was killed. They shot him, and

THEN CUT HIS THROAT.

We continued to travel until it became too dark to discern our way, and then sat down at the foot of a tree until daylight. We then started again, not knowing where we were going, but hoping to strike some house. There was two feet of snow on the ground, and our progress was naturally slow and tedious. Finally we arrived at Lost-river bridge between 1 and 2 o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Here we learned for the first time that the soldiers from the fort had had a fight with the Indians. If the settlers had

ONLY BEEN WARNED IN SEASON,

Not a white settler would have been killed, because all had arms and ammunition sufficient to defend themselves successfully. On Sunday Mr. Roberts took us to Linkville, and on Monday George Nurse furnished us with a team, and we at once returned to Tule lake, accompanied by four volunteers, to recover the mutilated remains of my murdered family. On reaching the soldiers' camp on Lost river, we learned that Mrs. Brotherton, my next-door neighbor, had only just been looked after by a party of volunteers. My family were killed on Friday, and Mrs. Brotherton's family were not murdered until Saturday. Saturday, Sunday and Monday passed, and Mrs. Brotherton and myself spoke to Lieutenant Bartelle [sic] in regard to the failure to send men to our relief, and he could not do it--said he had so few men, and was short of ammunition. I returned to Linkville on the following Friday with the bodies of three of my family, and interred them at that place. The body of my youngest son (Willie) was not found until twelve days after, when a party of volunteers brought it to Linkville. There is a great deal of news that I could give you, but the events of the past fortnight have rendered me unfit to give it the attention which it deserves! It is my firm belief that if fifty or sixty soldiers, with plenty of ammunition,

HAD SURROUNDED BOTH CAMPS,

There would have been no occasion for these bloody annals in the history of Southern Oregon. The Indians took from my house $820 in coin and a few articles of clothing. Mrs. Schira's house was plundered of every article of clothing and bedding, and a great many provisions, firearms and ammunition. They also took five head of horses and one mule. The settlers have left their homes for miles around and come into Linkville, and there is a perfect reign of terror in this portion of Southern Oregon.

Portland Bulletin Editorial (29 March 1873)

MODOCS AND NEW YORKERS

The Albany Evening Journal contains this paragraph:

The people of Oregon insist that the Modoc Indians who have murdered white men should be hung before any new treaty is made with Captain Jack. But Captain Jack might ask in return "What, then, will you do with the white men who have murdered Indians." The old maxim has it that "it is a poor rule that won't work both ways;" and it is a melancholy fact that the red men are not the only barbarians on the frontiers.

To begin with, the people of Oregon have not murdered any Modocs. The Modocs first fired upon the soldiers detailed to peacefully escort them to the Reservation provided for the tribe by treaty stipulation, and from that first act of war immediately rushed to the massacre of settlers. But, view the case how we will, is it not presumptuous in any New York paper to speak of "barbarians" in the sense it does--especially as against Oregonians? Even reckoning the relative population of that State and this, there are ten murders committed there for every murder committed here--and we believe the ratio is greater rather than smaller. And then comes this one very much more praiseworthy fact in favor of Oregon: Murderers in this State are almost invariably detected, convicted, and made to suffer the full penalty of their awful crime; while in New York not one in ten of their murderers are ever brought to trial, not one-half of those who stand trial are convicted, and of the condemned not one in twenty suffer execution. The lax administration of the law in New York fails to inspire a dread to evil-doers if it does not practically invite the commission of crime; while in Oregon the certainty of detection, conviction, and punishment, operates as a salutary preventive, and serves as a terrible warning to malefactors, and particularly to any who are murderously inclined. The white "barbarians" of the Empire State, who have savagely imbrued their hands in the blood of white victims, might indeed put even the butchering Modocs of Captain Jack's tribe to the blush.

modocwar@hotmail.com

Visitors: 02177

Page Updated Sat May 30, 2009 2:32am EDT